Subject:
Fw: Fowler
From:
"Thea Chimento" <theac@mdsa.net>
Date:
Tue, 11 Aug 2009 18:27:14 GMT
To:
<owenl@mdsa.net>
CC:

Hello Owen,

Chris asked me to forward this to you. I don't know if you'll find it of any use, but it's information on the value of the furniture that Fowler designed for the Hall of Records.

-Thea

-----Original Message-----
From: "Thea Chimento" <theac@mdsa.net>
Sent 7/14/2009 9:24:45 AM
To: "Chris Kintzel" <chrisk@mdsa.net>
Subject: Fowler

Hi Chris,

Here's what I've found on the Fowler furniture. I've also made copies of some of the relevant papers so that we have them all in one place. Let me know how (and if) you'd like me to continue.

The Building:

According to the records we have in the Archives, $200,000 was originally appropriated by the State of Maryland for the construction and furnishing of the Hall of Records, which was later supplemented by a $60,000 grant from the WPA. According to the Architectural Record, where a short account of the new building was published, the building cost 60 cents per square foot, exclusive of professional fees, but including furniture and equipment.

The Furniture:

According to the Specifications for the Maryland State Hall of Records, in which Fowler outlined the work to be done by the subcontractors, the construction of the furniture was supposed to be done by various cabinet makers. I have not yet found any drawings of furniture designs done by Fowler in the Archives, but his 143 file includes a list of drawings housed in the Garrett Library. It’s possible correspondence relating to the costs are here as well.

I did find a record of two case pieces made out of poplar, one with drawers and one with a cupboard, done by an outside furniture maker’s firm for $456 total. There was also a second case piece of poplar for $382.

I also found a listing of all the furniture in the Hall of Records, as well as an order for furniture with the total cost and the furniture makers. The total cost of the furniture in the contract proposal was listed for $6324. Three workshops were engaged to do the work: John C. Knipp and Sons ($3325), C. F. Meislahn ($2743), and Matthews ($256). In the 143 file on the accessioning of the Fowler pieces, it’s said that Meislahn made the chairs. I don’t have any prices for the individual chairs at the time they were made, but a 1969 appraisal values them at $36.84 apiece.

There were also a few additional orders: an order for “two long tables” in the receiving room, at $246.51 total, a hat and coat rack ($41.50), a paper cutter table ($25.00), 2 mahogany book rests ($47.00), and a special walnut desk for $175.00, all made by Meislahn and Knipp. I don’t know if any of these are still in the Archives, but it does give us a price range for the various pieces for 1935:

Tables about $25-$125 per piece
Chairs = ?
Desks about $150-$200, depending on complexity
Cabinetry and case pieces were the most expensive, probably $250 or more

 In today’s dollars (using measuringworth.com and the Consumer Price Index), the total orders for the furniture would be worth approximately $120,000, the chairs would be worth about $216 (using the 1969 figure), the tables would be worth between $400-$2000, the desks around $2800-$3200, and the case pieces around $5800-$6900.

Hope this helps!

-Thea