Architectural and Altered Antiques
Thank you to Architectural Digest for featuring OGT in their article “A Fascinating Look at the Waldorf Astoria’s Destruction and Rebirth”. We are truly honored to take part in the preserving of rich pieces from famed New York City architecture as well as American history.
Read the article: https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/waldorf-astorias-destruction-rebirth
Tour of the Robert Sowers Mid Century JFK art stained glass window rack in our National Warehouse in Scranton, PA.
Now you can see a large grouping of JFK stained glass windows on our website. Most of them have minor problems but remain fully intact. The glass can be restored by a glass restorer. View all the windows currently for sale online.
The architecturologists at Olde Good Things were able to carefully preserve a true landmark of history when they captured the famous stained glass window panels from JFK International Airport’s Terminal 8. The terminal, fondly known as “The Cathedral”, was demolished in 2008 to be replaced by a modern steel-and-glass structure next door. A discussion ensued over the preservation of the original stained glass window unveiled in 1960. The New York Times article can be viewed here.
The 317-foot by 23-foot translucent mosaic panel facade was designed by Robert Sowers, who is considered by some to be the most iconic stained glass artist of the Modern Age. The piece was composed of over 30,000 flash glass tiles in vibrant red, sapphire, and white. Sowers was one of the first artists to prominently feature stained glass in commercial architecture.
The Pinery is Orlando’s freshest upscale restaurant due to open in Fall. Hosted in the new nine-story high-rise Ivanhoe Village, The Pinery promises to offer “Florida-fresh cuisine” in a 4,200 square foot, 150-seat space of thematic history.
Named for the “Ivanhood” neighborhood’s 1885 pineapple farm origins on Lake Ivanhoe, the innovative restaurant is a project of design firm Blue Sky Studios, known for projects such as Hard Rock Park and Crowne Plaza Orlando. The history inspired all phases of design, from shocking new uses of old materials, integral repurposed materials, and pineapple-related color and texture.
Green glass mosaic tile, an antique screen from a former Orlando bank, and unfinished brass pipes add an elegant historical-industrial component to the space.
The Pinery features one of OGT’s copper shingle handmade oversized mirrors. View all the copper mirrors available online. It provides another example of how our reclaimed, repurposed architectural salvage brings history, glamor, and ambiance to contemporary settings.
The reclaimed oak industrial flooring dining table tops were fabricated in the OGT’s table shop. These table tops are available online. The tables were paired with photographic murals, framed maps, photos, antique postcards, and vintage artifacts were incorporated into the design style of integrity and authenticity.
Other polished features include a white quartz bar top, emerald wall tile, and hints of upcycled pecky cypress which harmonize to create the feel of Old Florida in a modern environment.
The Pinery is a solid example of how design firms can use green materials, upcycled and reclaimed elements, and antiques to create a vision that is both contemporary and sustainable with a clean and classic feel.
For more ideas and salvaged artifacts and antiques to incorporate into your home or business projects, contact one of our reclaimed architectural experts at Olde Good Things. We always welcome you to drop in and browse our store and warehouse locations in NYC, Los Angeles, or PA.
Croatian-American impressionist painter Mladen Novak is known throughout Europe and the US for his bold technique and fondness for painting on tin panels as well as traditional canvas. Novak’s works are especially well-loved in the US, France, Germany, and Croatia. The artist’s abstract-impressionist technique and use of subject may be inspired by the vibrancy of life experience along with the inspiration of subject, object, and textured canvas.
Mladen Novak painting tin panel creation.
Novak studied at Maksimir Artist School in Zagreb, Croatia under professor Oton Gliha, who was himself considered to be the master abstractionist who revived landscape painting during the 20th century.
He left Croatia in 1966 for Islip, NY, where he studied technique fundamentals, followed by continued art education in Ethiopia. Novak settled in the US in 1988.
The artist established a reputation across Europe for his aquarelles — watercolors characterized by a thin, almost transparent technique — yet his style has been called both abstract and impressionistic, featuring bold strokes of color.
The technique of painting on tin panels was patented by Novak, and his works have been featured in solo exhibitions and galleries worldwide. In recent decades, the painter worked on commissioned pieces in Washington, DC, and he is known as a DC-and-Croatian-based painter.
Novak’s work has been homed at Galley 11 in Zagreb, Fuchs Gallery in Valbonne, France, the Cochrane Museum in Washington, DC, and it appeared in the movie “Little Manhattan” (2005).
Inspired by the symmetry and texture of the tin panel architectural relic collection at Olde Good Things, Novak began sketching and affecting preliminary designs on the antique tin panels. Since then, the artist has completed a dashing series of artworks done in his signature style on tin panels from OGT since 2008.
The OGT collection of Novak’s work includes bright impressions of everyday scenes, florals, landscapes, and objects. The Olde Good Things reclaimed tin panels become both canvas and a piece of historic, artistic, and contemporary significance. Each panel has its own unique story that it carries with it.
In the OGT Novak tin panel paintings, you can see the artist’s free-flowing, celebratory technique in bold color — works that incorporate the texture and beauty of reclaimed antique tin.
For more authentic Mladen Novak tin panel works, recommendations on melding this unique style into your space, or for more stunning historic and aesthetic pieces from our collection of architectural relics, contact Olde Good Things.
Shop all handpainted Novak tin panels currently available online
We want to thank Salvo.com for featuring Olde Good Things in the article “Deconstructing the legendary New York Waldorf Astoria Hotel” on their website. The removal from the Waldorf Astoria has been one of our most significant salvage ventures to date. To read the full article, click here.
From one of the world’s most vogue and romantic cities — Paris, City of Lights — these original holophane globe street lamps traveled across the water to new settings, carrying with them the mystique and beauty of that luminous metropolis.
The city’s reputation as City of Lights began in the 17th century when tallow candles in glass boxes were strung across the streets on ropes. Later, oil lamps replaced candles, on tall poles that threw the city into a contrast of light and deep shadows.
Electricity replaced the antiquated methods of lighting in the city and updated LED lighting gives more people access to retain a piece of Paris history by the illumination of these vintage Paris globe lamps.
When Paris replaced its streetlamps with updated energy-efficient LED lighting, the antique globe street lamps were preserved. Olde Good Things acquired some of the lamps to be rehomed in residences, studios, offices, or businesses.
Holophane luminaires were considered top-quality and used widely in the industry due to their even dispersion of light, which negates dark spots and glare.
The vintage Paris holophane globe lamps are available on either pole or a chain for use as pendant lighting.
These storied street lamps from Paris bring beauty and functionality to any environment, whether commercial or for home interior lighting.
For assistance with locating the Paris street light of your dreams at OGT, or any of our other reclaimed light fixtures, contact us.
You can see more of how some of our creative customers have put these wonderful lights to use in their homes as dining area pendants and hall and staircases luminaires, along with other holophane lighting salvaged from the historic architecture used to brighten residential and commercial spaces, in our client-provided photos on Instagram.
Join Amber and Andrew on the tour of our live edge wood slab inventory at our National Warehouse in Scranton Pa. We have cherry, walnut, maple, sycamore, and oak in stock. View online at www.ogtstore.com/live-edge-wood-slabs/. For more specific questions you can call our shop manager Andrew at 570-335-5047.
Q: How are live edge wood slabs sold?
A: Each one is sold in the raw condition as seen in the picture.
Q: Do you have table legs to pair with the live edge wood slabs?
A: Yes, we have many types of legs made of wood, steel, & cast iron.
Q: Is there a fee to have the wood slab cut and glued to make a wider table, but not finished?
A: Yes, this would be priced per request.
Q: How are Live Edge Wood Slabs shipped?
A: Olde Good Things ships items worldwide. We utilize crating and packing services as needed and ship with a reputable commercial carrier. We offer easy and reasonable delivery to NYC and Washington D.C. specifically in the continental United States.
If your shipping destination is located in Los Angeles, please note that we ship a container to Los Angeles quarterly. We would be happy to add your item to our container to help you save on shipping. Please note that this option delays shipping time some and would be a reasonable one if your delivery date is flexible.
When requesting a shipping quote, please be sure to include the number of slabs, commercial or residential, & the shipping destination zip code. Large items can be shipped freight, delivered by our Olde Good trucks, or picked up from our Scranton warehouse with a combined total of over a quarter of a million square feet of antiques in Scranton, Pennsylvania. Please reach out to us to determine which shipping method may work best for you.
Q: How thick are the live edge wood slabs?
A: Slab thickness ranges from 2.5 in. – 2.75 in. D. Please see each listing for the specific thickness of each slab.
Q: What kinds of wood species do you have in stock?
A: Currently, we have Ash, Cherry, Sycamore, Oak, Maple & Walnut in stock online.
Q: If I pick a Live Edge Wood Slab and want it cut smaller, how does that affect the price?
A: That depends on the circumstances. If the remaining piece of the slab is considered usable to us, we would adjust the price. Otherwise, you would have to pay for the full slab, and of course, you can keep the remaining pieces.
Q: What stain colors are typically used on the Live Edge Wood Slabs?
A: Many are left natural; however, any wood stain can be applied. We use Minwax stains and a conversion varnish lacquer finish. This finish is generally used for hardwoods such as walnut, maple, mahogany & oak.
Q: Why can’t we start the finishing process on the air-drying slabs now?
A: When wood is cut, it’s green and filled with moisture. For the finishing process to begin, the wood’s moisture level must go from 100% to at least 8 %. At this point, the wood is more stable and ready to be made into a live edge wood tabletop.
Q: What is the difference between a wood slab being Air dried & Kiln dried?
A: In the air-drying process, the log is sliced into slabs, which are then sticker stacked and left in a dry breezy location. This process can take up to 1-2 years for the wood to be dried. Even when a slab has been air-dried for this length of time, it still may need to be put in the kiln to reach the proper moisture percentage.
Kiln drying is the process of taking the slab into a sealed box, then heating the air. This causes the moisture to be released from the wood into the air and then removed. This process can take 1-4 months for the slab to be dried properly, depending on how much moisture is left in the wood.
Architectural relics often spin a tale that reflects the storyline of cultural heritage. Statues mounted to guard over human endeavors are a common thread that sews together architectural history from ancient times to the present, along with statuesque art that reflects the values or daily lives of a place’s inhabitants.
Mythological griffins are creatures with the body of a lion and the head and wings of an eagle. Griffins were guardians of secret wealth and morphed to become a heraldic symbol of nobility in architecture and on noble crests.
The earliest known griffins in architecture decorated palaces in the ancient Persian Empire, where they were seen as guardians of light. Lions and eagles were both common symbols that decorated the buildings that housed royalty, and the griffin is a combination of the qualities of both.
Lions have long been a symbol of royalty, nobility, and strength. They have been featured in art and architecture throughout world cultures.
In the US Capitol, depictions of lions can be found at the Grant Memorial, Senate fountain, Rayburn House office building, Capitol Business Center, and Thomas Jefferson building, to name a few.
But lions have been a symbol of power since the beginning of art and architecture. One of the earliest examples may be the carved mammoth ivory statue of a man with a lion’s head discovered in a cave in Germany.
From ancient Iran and Egypt to Trafalgar Square in London, statues of lions preside like kings over the constant river of humanity that flows by.
Solid Wood Carved Bulldog (Unknown)
The bulldog is a somewhat controversial symbol of Britain. The dog in this carved statue is a British bulldog; the shape of the ears gives it away.
During the 1700s, fans of the banned sport of bullbaiting honored the bulldog as a symbol of courage and determination. The Old English Bulldog was muscular and stocky with a steel-trap jaw. In the 18th century, the breed is featured beside a lion and the female symbol of Britannia in many political cartoons. The bulldog became a widespread symbol of Britain during WWII when then Prime Minister Winston Churchill was called the “British Bulldog” for refusing to back down against the Nazi regime, and the bulldog became a symbol of fierce national loyalty and courage.
Architecture is one medium for bringing the stories of the mythological and legendary and preserving these stories for thousands of years. The gods, goddesses, heroes, and creatures of a culture’s mythology were incorporated into architecture and statues to summon their qualities to a place — state buildings, temples, pyramids, and the estates of the wealthy all tell these stories.
Bacchus, the Greek-turned-Roman god of wine and frivolity, along with his wife Ariadne, is shown in this collection of architectural salvage at Olde Good Things.
Other pieces are a tribute to the human components of culture, like this bust of American inventor and engineer Robert Fulton, or this statue of a boy shooting marbles.
For more faces of history and other architectural salvage finds, visit one of our locations or contact us at Olde Good Things.
If you are renovating your home, or just looking to add a mantel surround to frame your fireplace, you may have questions about which material will best suit your creative vision. Along with aesthetics, there are practical considerations to consider — like, how to care for and maintain the mantelpiece. How much time, expense and effort will I invest in preserving the beauty of the mantel?
Of course, if you have fallen in love with a certain piece or look, then you can work around the practical side. OGT has some tips on both choosing and maintaining the integrity of your mantelpiece:
Wood as a mantelpiece material is subject to the same stains and damage from scratches and is even more sensitive to water and dampness.
Avoid leaving liquid drinks on the mantel if it has a flat surface to protect it from spills and rings.
The wood should be dusted or wiped with a cloth regularly, like any surface. Use Murphy’s Oil soap or other oil-based cleaning products to clean the wood, using small, soft objects like cotton swabs to clean small spaces and decorative elements.
There is a selection of natural wood finishes to choose from to keep your wood mantelpiece gleaming. Oil finishes are eco-friendly and non-toxic and can be used much as you would a lacquer to touch up a piece. Linseed, tung, and walnut oils are common wood finishes.
One other consideration with wood is to make sure exterminators check the backside and all surrounding areas of the mantel surround to keep it free from pests.
Depending on the style of your selection, a wood mantelpiece can add a rustic, industrial, or historic element to the room. This exquisite mantel salvaged from a NY mansion is one example.
Huge hand carved dark wood tone mantel from Rose Hill, the Tudor Mansion of American impresario Billy Rose.
Marble is a porous material, and therefore subject to absorbing various types of stains into the stone. The texture also makes marble vulnerable to damage from harsh abrasives or acids. Stains on marble may come from chimney smoke and soot, oils, adhesives, rust, or organic stains such as from spilled drinks.
The most delicate way to clean marble is to work your way up from a basic soap and water mixture. Dust first with a microfibre cloth. Combine a gentle dish soap with warm water and clean the marble with a soft-bristle brush. Anything with metal bristles or components can scratch the marble surface.
If stains or dirt remain, you can use varying degrees of ammonia diluted with water. Spill stains like coffee, tea, or wine can be treated with hydrogen peroxide and water mixture. For oil stains, which appear as a dark spot on the surface, use a liquid cleanser with bleach (carefully, because bleach can etch the stone), detergent, ammonia, mineral spirits, or acetone. For smoke, you can use commercial smoke removers or hire a professional cleaner. Rust stains should be treated immediately before they become permanent. You can buy a poultice or make one such as the recipe described here. You will want to protect your skin against the harsher chemicals and, of course, avoid mixing bleach and ammonia.
Use microfibre cloths to dry after cleaning. Marble mantels and surrounds should be polished with a standard marble polish to hold the sheen. If the fireplace is used regularly or just for the added protection, use a stone sealer as a preventative measure.
A marble mantelpiece is a striking addition to a home and offers an upscale or vintage flair to the room, like this 19th Century Petite Louis XV Rococo Marble Mantel rescued from the 17th floor of Waldorf Astoria NYC.
French Louis XV Rococo style gray and white marble mantel with the original matching hearth. This mantel was one of a group of antique mantels imported from Europe and installed in the Waldorf Astoria hotel in the 1930s when the hotel was first built on Park Avenue.
Like marble or wood, stone mantels should be dusted regularly. They can be cleaned much like marble, with mild detergent, warm water, and a soft brush. Gently scrub smoke and soot marks and rinse. Dry with a clean cloth.
If the mantel surround was sealed with a stone sealant, stains are easy to remove. A general purpose stain remover can be used on tougher stains. Muriatic acid is also used to remove stains on cast stone, with a solution of 25% percent acid and 75% water. You should protect both skin and eyes if using these chemical solvents. Again, it is a process of experimentation from the least heavy chemicals upwards.
Cast stone mantels do not require polish to maintain their beauty, and regular cleaning should be sufficient maintenance to preserve the look of your stone mantelpiece.
A stone mantel surround lends classic charm to any space, like this rescue from the M Suite, 15th floor, Waldorf Astoria NYC.
Louis XVI French Regency carved limestone mantel. This was imported for installation in the Waldorf Astoria Hotel in the 1930s.
Which piece speaks to you will be the biggest determining factor in the mantel you select for your space. If you need help or suggestions or are looking for a specific style, reach out to one of our salvaged architecture consultants at Olde Good Things, and we may have just the right thing at one of our store locations or warehouses.
Here see our latest arrivals of reclaimed items that will be appearing in our NYC stores within a matter of days. These period white marble mantels are being carefully dismantled and made ready for resale as we write this post. They are being removed from a Large Victorian Era Brownstown home in Greenwich Village, New York City which sports some of the oldest standing architecture in lower Manhattan.
As you can see from the photos, these marble mantels are made from statuary and Carrera marble which are both very desirable types of marble well-suited to many design projects. They are both quite simple as well as highly decorative with ornate floral carvings.
Of late, we’ve seen many modern vignettes using an antique element to highlight their project. Mantels are often the centerpiece of the room as these certainly were in their day. Overall they are in fine antique condition with some discoloration and cracks from age, but nothing that would stand in the way of repurposing or reuse.
Come and see them at our Flagship Manhattan, NYC 52nd St. location, or call for details at 212-989-8814. Get First Shot before inventory day when they are placed on our website for the world to view!
