From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Craftsman Farms
Craftsman Farms
Craftsman Farms Area: 33.6 acres (13.6 ha)
U.S. National Register of Historic Places Architect: Gustav Stickley
U.S. National Historic Landmark Architectural style: Bungalow/Craftsman
Governing body: Private
NRHP Reference#: 85003730[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP: April 10, 1989
Designated NHL: December 14, 1990 [2]
Craftsman Farms was founded in 1908 by noted turn-
Main building in 2008 of-the-century designer Gustav Stickley as a farm and
school for the Arts and Crafts movement.[3] It remained
in use until 1915 when it was sold to a family and became
a private house.
When threatened by development in 1989[4], the
home was purchased by the Township of Parsippany-
Troy Hills[5] through eminent domain. The property is
operated as a museum, also known as the Stickley Muse-
Farms,
um at Craftsman Farms and is operated by the Craftsman
Farms Foundation.
History of the House
Craftsman Farms[6] is a log house built in 1911, and the
site, which consists of 26 acres (110,000 m2) of the orig-
inal 650-acre (2.6 km2) tract, has been designated a Na-
tional Historic Landmark. Craftsman Farms is also an Of-
ficial Project of Save America’s Treasures, a public-pri-
vate partnership between the White House Millennium
Council and the National Trust for Historic Preservation,
dedicated to the preservation of our nation’s irreplace-
able historic and cultural treasures for future genera-
tions.
Around 1905 Stickley moved his headquarters from
Syracuse to New York City. In 1908 he began acquiring
the property on what is now the western edge of
Parsippany-Troy Hills, an area formerly part of Morris
Plains, where he envisioned establishing a farm school
for boys. The focal point of his "Garden of Eden" was a
Location: Jct. of NJ 10 and Manor Ln., Parsippany, large log house constructed of round, hewn chestnut logs
New Jersey that were cut from the property’s woods and local stone
also found on the property.
Coordinates: 40°51′22″N 74°28′52″W / 40.85611°N
74.48111°W / 40.85611;
Stickley originally designed the main house at Crafts-
-74.48111Coordinates: 40°51′22″N man Farms as a "club house", a gathering place for work-
74°28′52″W / 40.85611°N 74.48111°W / ers, students and guests. In its huge kitchen, meals could
40.85611; -74.48111 be prepared for 100 people. The living and dining rooms,
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Craftsman Farms
reaching fully 50 feet (15 m) and warmed by copper- Craftsman Farms is currently owned by the Township
hooded fireplaces, made ideal meeting rooms. The porch of Parsippany-Troy Hills. It is a historic site, with a Stick-
opened to a vista of the farm and brought in light and air. ley museum, a small gift shop, and walking trails. Stick-
The house is T-shaped, with a one-story kitchen attached ley’s former home and its furnishings reflects the plain
to the rear. The large gabled roof has long shed dormers beauty of the "Arts and Crafts" movement.
at the front and back, which allow for light and ventila- Address: The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms
tion in the bedrooms. 2352 Rt. 10-West, # 5, Morris Plains, NJ 07950
A separate home for the Stickley family was originally http://stickleymuseum.org/directions.php
planned to be built further up the hill. When Stickley de- Museum Hours:
cided that the school’s opening would have to be delayed Wednesday-Friday Shop Open: 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM
for several years, he modified the upstairs plans to ac- Tours Leave: 12:15 PM, 1:45 PM
commodate his family, consisting of his wife, Eda, five Saturday-Sunday Shop Open: 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM
daughters and a son. Tours Leave: 11:15 AM, 12:15 PM, 1:15 PM, 2:15 PM, 3:15
Stickley designed Craftsman Farms to be self-suffi- PM
cient, with gardens for vegetables and flowers, orchards, For more information, visit the museum’s web-
was used in the restaurant operated by Stickley as part site.
of his furniture showroom and department store in Man-
hattan. Stickley commuted to his New York showroom
by train from Morris Plains. The property contains nu-
See also
merous support buildings including craft workshops, sta- • National Register of Historic Places listings in Morris
bles, a dairy barn, chicken coop, other farm buildings, County, New Jersey
and three cottage dwellings.[7] • List of museums in New Jersey
Stickley and his family lived at Craftsman Farms until
1915, when he filed for bankruptcy after several years of
financial difficulties. By then the taste of the American
References
people that 15 years earlier had embraced the clean, [1] "National Register Information System". National
strong lines of Craftsman furniture changed once again, Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
this time towards the revival of early American and other 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/
styles. docs/All_Data.html.
In 1917, Major George and Sylvia Wurlitzer Farny [2] "Craftsman Farms". National Historic Landmark
purchased the property in the bankruptcy sale and their summary listing. National Park Service. 2008-06-23.
descendants lived on or owned the property until 1989. http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/
After Stickley left Craftsman Farms, the Farny family detail.cfm?ResourceId=326&ResourceType=Building.
maintained the farm in Stickley’s tradition, adapting cer- [3] NHL Writeup
tain interior features for modern family life. When the [4] NHL Details
property was threatened with development for 52 town [5] NJ Site Details
houses, the Township of Parsippany-Troy Hills, with the [6] Stickley Museum
encouragement of community groups and others inter- [7] For a complete history of the house and grounds,
ested in the importance of the site, obtained the property see Mark Alan Hewitt, Gustav Stickley’s Craftsman
through eminent domain. Farms: The Quest for an Arts and Crafts Utopia,
Syracuse Univ. Press, 2001
Stickley Museum at Craftsman
External links
Farms • Official Site
The log house features Craftsman-style furniture and
decorative items in the living room, dining room and
bedrooms.
The Stickley Museum at Craftsman Farms is open for
tours from April 1 through November 15 and the first
three weekends in December. The grounds are open from
dawn till dusk. The address is 2352 Rt. 10-West, # 5, Parsi-
panny, New Jersey.
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Craftsman_Farms&oldid=462783617"
2
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Craftsman Farms
Categories:
• NRHP articles with dead external links
• National Historic Landmarks in New Jersey
• Historic house museums in New Jersey
• Museums in Morris County, New Jersey
• Decorative arts museums in the United States
• Houses in Morris County, New Jersey
• Arts and Crafts architecture
This page was last modified on 27 November 2011 at 20:00. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-
ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of
the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization.Contact us
Privacy policy About Wikipedia Disclaimers Mobile view
3