RoycroftCampusCorporation

Roycroft Reorganization After Elbert's Passing

Roycroft Life Memberships were a promotional sales device of Elbert Hubbard’s that came back to haunt Bert Jr. when he took over the business after Elbert & Alice’s untimely deaths in June of 1915. 

One lifetime membership titled “The American Academy of Immortals”, was priced at $10 for a ninety nine year membership. “New members could select $10 worth of books from a select back list for the price of shipping plus they received all back numbers of the Philistine and the Little Journeys for the year of their joining and all that would be published for ninety nine years”, as well as a discount on furniture. The members’ obligations were to be a loyal customer and attend Hubbard’s lectures for $1 a seat when possible.

Then the “Thirty Third Degree” was offered. This cost $125.00 and would give the respondent $125 worth of “richly bound” Roycroft books.” In addition the member would receive one free copy of every title published by the Roycroft for the rest of their life and, discounts on Roycroft furniture.

Bert could not continue these programs; they would bankrupt the Roycroft and soon there would be no furniture for these members to buy at a discount as he intended to close the furniture shop. So he wrote a letter to the lifetime members asking them to release the Roycroft from these contracts. He offered them a list of “choice deluxe” books which Elbert had “printed and personally supervised” and stated that they would not be reproduced again and so would only increase in value. Members were asked to select 5 books and sign a release. He got out of the contracts successfully thus ending the lifetime memberships.

-Sue

Source: A History & Bibliography of the Roycroft Printing Shop, by Paul McKenna  (out of print book)

Keeping a printing business efficient - 1907 style

In today's economy, businesses need to be efficient with time and resources.

Some business principles don't change.

In the early 1900s when the Roycroft presses were cranking as fast as they could, one thing slowed them up. It was the new technology of including photos in the magazines and books. The process in which photographic images are printed using etching of plates is called photogravure.This process had to be jobbed out to New York City and then shipped back to East Aurora. It was time consuming.

In 1907, Roycroft Print Shop bought a photogravure and plate processing equipment so they could do this job in house. It was housed up in the Print Shop tower.

If you want to know about photogravure visit this helpful website:

http://www.photogravure.com/

Next time you visit the Roycroft Campus, look up at the Print Shop tower (the building occupied by Cornell Cooperative Extension) and imagine photographs being processed up there to be included in the FRA. Imagine how excited the workers must have been to get such cool equipment. The print shop could now send out literature in a timely and efficient manner - 1907 style.

Julie

March Anniversary Number 3: The Chapel

Two weeks ago I wrote of the wagonloads of stone used as building materials for campus structures. Here is anniversary # 3:

110 years ago on March 27th, construction began on the Roycroft Chapel. The resulting castle-like stone building at the corner of Main and South Grove Streets in East Aurora is a beloved landmark. It has so much character - the crenellated round corner tower, the terra cotta sculpted face on the north side, the gothic windows in the rear lecture hall, and the terra cotta roof tiles - make such a picturesque building that I am sure every child in East Aurora must have their own fairy tale about it.

Happy Anniversary to the Chapel, and thank you Elbert for such an inspiring building.

- Sue

 

 

March Anniversary Number 2: Wagonloads of Stone

    110 years ago in the month of March, Elbert Hubbard advertised in the village paper for unwanted stones and boulders in the hopes that local farmers would be more than willing to cart their fieldstone to campus in exchange for one shiny new silver dollar for each approved wagonload. Elbert wanted the stone as building material.

    The campus handyman, Ali Baba, was the “inspector general” for the stone and took his place at Main and South Grove Streets to review the materials and pay the farmers. Over 1,500 silver dollars were paid out. The stones were used first on the Chapel, then the Print Shop and the blacksmith shop (a.k.a.  the Copper Shop). 

    Today’s Main Street renovations cause plenty of traffic congestion for the modern driver, but just imagine what 50 wagonloads of stone would do to the traffic congestion every day for a month!  I am sure there was less “traffic” back then as the village was smaller, and perhaps there weren’t that many wagonloads every day, but still that is a massive amount of rock hauling. Think of that as you go by the “castle” on Main Street.

- Sue

 

Booker T. Washington and Elbert Hubbard

You know from last week's post that Elbert Hubbard thought very highly of Booker T. Washington.

Did you know both men died in 1915?

Mr. Hubbard was only 58 and Mr. Washington was 59.

Dr. Washington was widely-regarded as the most powerful African-American man in the nation from 1895 until his death in 1915. Elbert Hubbard started the Roycroft in 1895 and run it until his death in 1915.

Washington received an honorary degree from Harvard. Hubbard attended Harvard for less then a semester.  

Washington believed that education was a crucial key to African American citizens rising within the social and economic structure of the United States. Hubbard did not care much for higher education.

Here is the Booker T. Washington Statue at Tuskegee University 

 

It says:

Booker T Washington 1856 - 1915
He lifted the veil of ignorance from his people and pointed the way to progress through education and industry.

Julie

Welcome Mr. President - circa 1901

In the book, Art and Glory: The Story of Elbert Hubbard, (by Freeman Champney, 1968) there is an interesting story from page 232:

"As has been noted, Booker T. Washington was a Hubbard hero and Tuskegee almost the only college for which he had a good word. At least once, Hubbard gave the visiting President Washington the full celebrity treatment at Roycroft, including lunch with himself and Alice. Theodore Roosevelt, in 1901, had entertained the same Washington at lunch in the White House, and hysterical outrage had exploded in the southern press"

It is wonderful to see that this country has come a long way as we will soon welcome Mr. President Obama to the White House.

Roycroft Teahouse

I recently found a Roycroft postcard I can't wait to share with you all.

It's a lovely a view of the Roycroft Teahouse in 1913. The little establishment was called "Twill Do" (as in: between lunch and dinner, a snack here "twill do"). This same postcard is featured in The Roycroft Campus by Kitty Turgeon and Robert Rust. Click on the thumbnail above for a full color view of this building. Alas, it is no longer part of the modern Campus today.

Arrange a tour of the Campus today to learn the past, present and future of buildings like this one.  Each building has a story. The Teahouse may remain only in memory but some (like the Power House) are experiencing a new beginning! Call 716-655-0261 or email croot@roycroftcampuscorp.com for more information.

-Amanda

The GPI chair

Every once in awhile Roycroft items come up for auction. Recently a friend and I were looking at some items and I was drooling over a chair with a prominent GPI on it. My friend asked "Whose monogram is GPI?". (Not all my friends are Roycroft geeks like me).

The letters GPI are not someone's initials but rather Grove Park Inn, in Asheville, North Carolina. The Roycrofters built most of the furniture for this beautiful mountain retreat in 1912-1913. It was their largest commission. 

Here is an example of a GPI chair that the Elbert Hubbard-Roycroft Museum has on display. The Elbert Hubbard-Roycroft Museum is a easy walk down the block from the Roycroft Copper Shop. The Museum is located at 363 Oakwood Ave. The hours of that museum are June 1 to October 31, Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday, 1 to 4 PM. Staff at the Roycroft Copper Shop will gladly give you directions.

Julie

View from the Roycroft Tower

Here is a copy of an old postcard. This view is from the tower in the Print Shop building on the Roycroft Campus looking down at the Roycroft Chapel.  The "Chapel" is on the corner of Main and South Grove Streets and currently houses Town of Aurora's business offices. 

Do you see the skylight in the roof?  This was quite innovative for the time period - circa early 1900's.

Maybe someday this neat view will be accessible to the general public. Until then, enjoy this snapshot of the past but come see us in the near future.  Roycroft Campus located at 31 Grove St, East Aurora, NY 14052.

Julie

In Like a Lion, Out Like a Lamb

It is said that March comes in like a lion and out like a lamb.

    As featured in the book, Head, Heart and Hand by Marie Via and Marjorie Searl, the painter Alexis Fournier actually did see spring lambs. The Roycroft Campus was a favorite grazing site for the little lambs as seen in this photograph.

Fournier used the lovely view as his inspiration for Peace, one of his most famous paintings at the Roycroft. The blossoms and birds are bathed in spring light, while the flock soaks up the warm sun.

      When you come to see the Campus this spring, stop by the Copper Shop Gallery. You can pick up a copy of the newly reprinted Head, Heart and Hand book these pictures are from and many other Arts and Crafts titles.

(No, I haven't seen any references yet to lions on the Roycroft Campus...)

-Amanda