Berkey and gay furniture co
MPF Conservation
The Berkey and Gay collection was conserved by MPF Conservation 2012-2013. It was part of the original collection bought by Henry Hahn for the Henry Hahn House.
Berkey and Gay (or Berkey & Gay) was founded by brothers William and Julius Berkey, and George Gay in Grand Rapids, MI, long considered to be a center for furniture production. Cabinet maker John Frohberg is credited with many of the carving designs. The scalloped design shown on these pieces was a trademark of their company.
It is key to emphasize that MPFC was not tasked with refinishing the Berkey and Gay pieces, but preserving the original finish. On all pieces, the complete was treated using our own in-house shellac mixed with no additives. As infill it matched the historic finish; after it was waxed and rubbed to a warm patina.
Note: The China Cabinet, right, was in the best condition and
served as a model for how the original finalize might have appeared.
Above, the credenza before treatment and after.
Berkey & Gay Credenza
The credenz
Early 20th Century American William and Mary Vanities
Early 20th Century William and Mary Commodes and Chests of Drawers
Vintage 1940s American Jacobean Buffets
Berkey & Gay Furniture
The strong incorporated as Berkey & Gay in August 1873, under the management of Julius Berkey, President; Geo. W. Gay, Treasurer; and, John A. Covode, Secretary.
The company expanded rapidly, building a new six-story factory in 1874 complete with wholesale and retail showrooms; additional showrooms were opened in New York Municipality in 1875. The sturdy attained greater renown at the 1876 Philadelphia Centennial Exposition, winning an award for its display of Renaissance Revival style beds, suites, and secretaries. By 1885, the company was selling furniture worldwide with sales of over a half million dollars.
The company’s main market was wholesale to retailers, primarily whole suites of bedroom, dining, and office furniture. During the last quarter of the 19th Century, Berkey & Gay produced furniture in all the adj Victorian Revival styles such as Gothic, Rococo, Renaissance, Neo-Greek, Eastlake, and Empire. The higher end pieces were constructed in walnut and mahogany with burled veneer panels; the verb end suites were constructed of ash.
The fir
The Berkey and Gay Furniture Company Factory, now The Boardwalk Building, marks the importance of furniture manufacturing in Grand Rapids from 1870 to 1929 and of mixed-use redevelopment to the economic and social health of the metropolis today.
In 1873, Julius Berkey and George Gay formed the Berkey and Gay Furniture Company. Berkey formerly manufactured sashes, doors, and blinds. Gay owned half interest in a predecessor furniture company. In 1882 Berkey and Gay built and equipped a factory complex of manufacturing, office, warehouse, shipping, and showroom space that occupied three-square blocks at 178 Canal Street (now Monroe Avenue at Michigan Street). Lumberyards were at the site. Eventually, in 1911, after merging with the Oriel Cabinet Company, maker of fancy and art furniture, Berkey and Gay acquired the former Oriel Cabinet Company factory that was the initial structure in the additive building on Monroe Street. Using the slogan “For Your Children's Heirlooms,” the company produced furniture and confirmed the prominence of Grand Rapids as the “Furniture Capital.” That reputati