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The Montrose Compass MPHDA SPRING 2003 NEWSLETTER JOIN THE MPHDA FOR THE SPRING 2003 TOURS! For Spring 2003, The Montrose Park Historic District Association, of South Orange, NJ is pleased to host two trips:  SCALAMANDRE TEXTILE MILL: TOUR IS FULL! You can sign up on the waiting list and you will be called if there is a cancellation.
Leslie Degeorges, Director of Restoration and Archives for Scalamandre, will provide a guided tour of the Scalamandre Textile Mill in Long Island City. Founded in 1929, Scalamandre is a family-run firm that designs, manufactures, and distributes wholesale and custom-order woven and printed fabrics, wallcoverings, trimmings and carpet. They are famous worldwide for traditional fabrics woven in natural fibers, especially damasks and brocades. Don’t miss this exclusive behind-the-scenes tour -- for those of you who attended Ms. Degeorges’ lecture for the MPHDA last spring, you know this tour will be intensely informative and dynamic! Following the tour, a fine dining luncheon at the Water’s Edge Restaurant which boasts a spectacular view of Midtown Manhattan. Space is limited to 20 people, so reserve early, first-come first-served basis. The cost of $80 includes tour, luncheon, and transportation ($65 for Members of the MPHDA). It takes place on Tuesday, March 18, from 8:30am to 3:30pm. This tour is hosted in coordination with the South Orange Maplewood Adult School. To register please call the Adult School at 973-378-7620. Registration deadline for the tour is March 1st. The bus will leave from the Maplewood Pool parking lot. CRAFTSMAN FARMS ~ Gustav Stickley Home: Participants will be provided with driving directions to nearby Craftsman Farms in Parsippany, NJ. Enjoy a private group tour of early 20th-century architect/designer Gustav Stickley’s home in Parsippany-Troy Hills. The log house, built in 1911 is recognized as one of the most significant landmarks in the American Arts and Crafts movement. Stickley, best known for “mission” or “Craftsman furniture,” combined the roles of furniture designer, manufacturer, architect, publisher, philosopher and social critic. He is a proponent of “a fine plainness” in art and the art of living. Following the visit to Craftsman Farms, participants may wish to tour nearby Mt. Tabor, a small Victorian town that is located approximately five minutes from the Stickley home. Maps to Mt. Tabor will be available. Registration deadline, Wednesday, April 9th. 
The tour will take place on Saturday, April 12 at 1:30pm. The cost is $6 Adults; $5 Students & Seniors; $3 ages 6-12; under 6 free. To register, please call the Montrose Park Historic District Association at 973-763-1880.
Gustav Stickley (1858-1942) First trained as a stone mason, Stickley preferred to work in wood and dreamt of building fine tables and chairs. In 1904 Stickley founded the Craftsman Workshops. The furniture he designed and made was mostly of native American oak. It was of a sturdy-plain design and became known as Mission Style. MPHDA Annual Meeting & Cocktail Party A gathering of MPHDA membership took place on February 8, 2003 at St. Andrew & Holy Communion Episcopal Church for the MPHDA Annual Meeting & Cocktail Party. Election of trustees will took place. Judy Runciman was reelected to the board, and we now welcome Maureen Gammon, Stacey Pulley, and Debbie Adler. As well, a presentation by postcard enthusiast John Harvey was well-received. Cocktails and hors d'oeuvres were provided by Laurence Craig Distinctive Catering and outstanding jazz was performed by local talent Marcus Miller and his band The Jazz Funk Project.
In 1880, thirty forward-looking gentlemen formed Orange Lawn Tennis Club, one of the earliest tennis clubs in the country. They selected ten acres at the corner of Montrose and Berkeley Avenues in Montrose Park, where they built eight grass courts and two earth courts. This early photo shows the popular courts, surrounded by groves of Chestnut and Oak trees. The club expanded and flourished at this location for 36 years, until it moved to its present location on Ridgewood Avenue. Orange Lawn became a well known destination for premier tennis tournaments where tennis stars like Don Budge, Gussie Moran, Doris Hart, Althea Gibson, Margaret Court Smith, Evonne Goolagong, Stan Smith and Chris Everett showed off their fancy footwork and power shots. The tennis club was so famous that Orange Lawn was noted in Alfred Hitchcock’s 1951 psychological thriller, Strangers on a Train, which features tennis ace Guy Haines (played by Farley Granger), who was recognized as having made the semifinals at South Orange the previous season. MONTROSE IN MAY 9th Annual Tour of Historic Homes Saturday, May 17, 2003 Tour lovely historic homes in the Montrose Park Historic District of South Orange from 11 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Tour originates at Mountain Station (Montrose Avenue & Vose Avenue). Advance sale tickets $20. Day of tour $25. MPHDA members $20 at all times. Ticket sales begin on May 1, 2003 and may be purchased from local South Orange and Maplewood businesses or online at www.MontroseParkSONJ.org Archived newsletters: |
