RoycroftCampusCorporation

Roycroft Blog / Hubbard's House Becomes Inn Guest Rooms

    As reported in The Advertiser on March 30, 1905, “One of the most beautiful and modern buildings in this Village will be the new structure on Grove Street owned by Mr. Elbert Hubbard and now in the course of reconstruction. The old building, “The Alberta,” has been partially torn down, and is being replaced by a grand salon and about a dozen open air bedrooms, besides a mammoth veranda. About twenty carpenters are now at work on the building. From “The Alberta” proper to the Roycroft Bank, a spacious veranda will be constructed, thus forming a large court between the buildings. The grand salon will be elaborately furnished with Roycroft furniture and valuable oil paintings by Alex Fournier. It is expected that the work will be completed in time for the Roycroft Convention.”

    One hundred ten years later, the restored grand salon, guest rooms, veranda and court of the Roycroft Inn continue to welcome weary travelers, locals, historic preservationists and devotees of the Arts & Crafts Movement. Come to Campus and see what all the fuss is about. 

- Sue  

RCC Blog / Colored Canadian Concert Co.

Many artists, musicians, actors and writers came to the Roycroft Campus both to meet Elbert Hubbard and to share their talents with the Roycroft and East Aurora community. The September 22, 1904 issue of the East Aurora Advertiser reported that the “celebrated Colored Canadian Concert Co. will give one of its popular concerts for the benefit of the Roycroft band.” 

    This group of African-American singers and musicians, largely from the Hamilton area of Ontario, Canada, was also known as the Canadian Jubilee Singers. Their published song books can be found online and the February 1, 2014 blog post from The Olive Tree Genealogy goes into greater detail about the group with a list of original members.

    The Colored Canadian Concert Co. was first organized in 1878. They later toured Great Britain for five years and the United States for three years. 

- Sue 

Sources: East Aurora Historian's collection of East Aurora Advertisers and The Olive Tree Genealogy blog.

Roycroft Blog / Modeled Leather

Another art form practiced at the original Roycroft was leatherwork. In an article titled “Roycroft Ripples” in a February 1907 issue of the East Aurora Advertiser, it was noted that “Fred Kranz is finishing up a $800 leather frieze for a rich Cleveland banker. It is a beauty. Visitors who know say Kranz turns out the finest modeled leather goods in the country.” A modeled leather frieze also decorated Alice Hubbard's Roycroft office. 

Picture frames, jewel boxes, bookends, table mats, handbags, wastebaskets, upholstery on chairs and of course book covers, are some of the many objects enhanced with decorative modeled designs by the artisans of the Roycroft leather department. 

Samples of leather work by leather department head George ScheideMantel are on display at the Elbert Hubbard Museum in East Aurora. This bungalow museum was the ScheideMantel home, built by Roycrofters. For more information go to the website for the Aurora Historical Society.  

- Sue 

Roycroft Blog / Let There Be Light!

    The castle-like structure on the Roycroft Campus at the corner of Main and South Grove Streets was built in 1899 and had various uses during the lifetime of the original Roycroft enterprise. It was a library, offices for sales, accounting and administration, artist studios, and a display gallery. 

    Unfortunately, the small, leaded gothic windows in the first floor main room did not let in much light, so skylights were added to this part of the building in 1905. As reported in the East Aurora Advertiser on January 26, 1905, “The Roycrofters have placed a skylight in their Chapel and for the present transformed it into an art gallery. They now have an exhibition of twenty-four fine printings done by J. Otis Adams of Indianapolis. Several of these pictures were shown at the World’s Fair at St. Louis. Visitors are welcome.”

    The skylights are still visible on the exterior of the building, and eventually will be restored to bring more light back into the interior as well. The Chapel interior can be seen on the extended Roycroft Campus tour. See the RCC website for details. 

- Sue

 

Roycroft Blog / What Church Is That?

      In the East Aurora Advertiser dated January 20, 1898: “The Philistine took possession of its cosy new home on Grove Street this week. The Advertiser congratulates Mr. Hubbard and his office force on their pleasant quarters.”  

 

    One week later, the January 27, 1898 issue of The Advertiser featured a larger article about the new print shop, and I suspect it was written by Hubbard: 

 

     “ 'Mama what church is that' asked a little three year old Miss, the other day, as she passed a new building on Grove St.

 

    “ 'Why my dear, that is not a church; it is the Roycroft Printing office where they print Mr. Hubbard’s Philistine magazine.'

 

     "The above gives in a sentence the general appearance of the new Roycroft Printing Shop just being completed and already occupied by Mr. Elbert Hubbard with his printing plant, where he will publish the Philistine, the magazine of protest as it is called, as well as books of many kinds, for of “making books there is no end” the building is about 60’ long and 25’ wide, of Gothic style of architecture. The exterior shingled and stained slate color, with a moss green roof, surmounted by a small cupola,  that only needs a small spire or cross to increase its church-like appearance. The building rests on a massive stonewall forming a high, well-lighted basement. The interior of the building is open beam work finished in Georgia pine natural color, and has a maple floor smooth enough for a ball room. A huge brick fireplace adds to the homelike appearance of the south side of the room. A private office or den of the Editor-in-Chief is at the right as you enter the massive oaken front door. In the main room the type is set for the magazine and nearly a score of young women are busy decorating the pages of the book, binding magazines and addressing wrappers.

 

     "In the basement, on a solid cement floor are three large job presses, paper cutter, heating plant, etc. and a crude petroleum motor which does away with annoyance to the neighbors with the usual cloud of black smoke and soot from soft coal usually used under steam boilers. In this engine the power is obtained by explosions of gas formed from crude petroleum. A small dynamo will be installed to light the new home of the Philistine."

 

     One year later, January 1899, an addition to this building was nearing completion, and Hubbard was on the verge of writing the Philistine article which cemented his fame and fortune.

 

     In January 2015, this first Campus building is the lounge / bar area of the bustling Roycroft Inn situated in the middle of the National Historic Landmark Campus. Come through the massive oaken front door to visit this “church” and warm yourself by the huge brick fireplace. Experience the hospitality of the Roycroft Campus.  

 

- Sue

 

Roycroft Blog / December 8, 1898

As reported on December 8, 1898 in the East Aurora Advertiser, “Last Saturday evening, the Roycroft Shop distributed 4 hundred dollars in cash, as Christmas presents among its employees. The “Shop” has paid out for wages an average of $1,200 a month since last July, and before another Christmas comes this amt. will doubtless be much increased.”

In 1898, the number of Roycroft staff would have been about 50, so if the bonus was distributed equally, it would have amounted to 8 dollars each. That is $228.56 in today’s dollars. A tidy sum in the days when few businesses gave bonuses. 

- Sue