One of the best parts of being the number one architectural salvage company is the country is getting to preserve items of interest from famous buildings all over the United States. These pieces provide our employees and our customers with a very real sense of our nation’s history, and having the privilege of storing and/or restoring these amazing pieces is something we truly appreciate. To that end, we’d like to take the time to share with some of our online customers some of the pieces we’ve come into contact with here at Olde Good Things over the years.

This gorgeous ceramic tile mantel was salvaged from the famous Jonsonia Iver Johnson building in Fitchburg, MA. The building was damaged by fire in 2011, but as you can see, this piece remains in good condition. We were able to salvage two of these ceramic mantles from the building. The richly colored tiles are beautifully crackled, and the mantles feature some amazingly beautiful detail, which you can see in the second picture above. These pieces were manufactured by the Hartford Faience Co., and can be found below.

This beautiful architectural plaque was once a part of the National American Building, which was located on New York City’s Madison Avenue. The building was designed by renowned architect Joseph H. Freedlander, who firmly believed that architecture created for business and industry could still be beautiful. The plaque is made of heavy bronze, and has a gorgeous patina. The carving on the plaque is incredibly detailed – from the delicately draped clothing worn by the figures to the rope edging surrounding the piece. This lovely plaque would make an excellent addition to any home or building.

The Pennsylvania Civic Center was erected in 1929 and was used for many years to house events such as sporting matches and political conventions. Our trip to the building before it’s demolition allowed us to salvage a number of terra cotta and limestone friezes, as shown below. These pieces formerly hung on the wall of the building, and each of these pieces was one of a kind. They would make a unique decorative addition to your home or office, whether used individually, or hung as a set. You can see them, as well as a number of other items from the building in our inventory below.

 

 

An item salvaged from one of our country’s famous buildings can not only provide you with a unique and interesting decorative piece, it can also give your home or office a real feeling of history. These pieces are ones that will make excellent conversation starters, and really add to the style and tone that you are trying to create in the space where you live your life. If you’d like to take a look at more of our famous architectural salvage, contact us for more information on any piece featured in this article.

All inventory salvaged from Philadelphia Civic Center
View all the Famous Building Artifacts