The Harlem Collection
Every once in a while, you get the chance to rescue tiles from a truly iconic location. When we learned about the 1830 Harlem brownstone, soon to be gutted from cellar to chimney, replete with ten fireplaces, we set to work negotiating with the representative to rescue these irreplaceable pieces before it was too late.
Stepping into the home, you’re greeted by a feature synonymous with brownstones: a tiled vestibule. This lovely space was covered in c. 1860s Maw & Co. English encaustic tiles, including a main center tile and three different types of border tiles framing the design.
The main floor featured two opulent parlors, each with oversized fireplaces centering the rooms. What we noticed moving through the house is that the tiles became less grand, yet still irresistibly charming, moving up the four floors of living space.
front parlor
second parlor
The second floor, where primary bedrooms remain, featured beautiful solid field tiles in a jeweled teal and ochre brown, both unmarked.
The two fireplaces on the third floor were also in solids, the front bedroom in a buttery yellow and the back in a dusty mauve.
The fourth floor, originally a servant’s quarters and later a tenement, featured the most plain style: terra cotta and black encaustic field tiles.
In any tile salvaging attempt, I spend far too much time anticipating the type of mortar we may encounter. The dream is when tiles were affixed to plaster boards, which were then cemented directly onto the brick.
The nightmare is when tiles were affixed directly to concrete. While these sometimes will release without much damage, at other times, neither the smallest chisel nor the sincerest pleas help.
In this instance, four fireplaces came up with little fanfare. Another two gave up their original homes after some coaxing, while the others remained determined to go down with the ship. Fortunately, the vestibule tile also came up without incident.
The Harlem Collection requires extensive cleaning and restoration work, but these irreplaceable sets will arrive to our shop in mid-April.