Rediscovering Antique Heart Pine in a Historic New England Textile Mill

 
 

At The Hudson Company, we reclaim heritage wood sustainably. Often that means salvaging it from beautiful places like this, the Draper Mill building in Hopedale, Massachusetts, where past and present meet. Though it’s quiet today, this mill—spanning over one million square feet—was once a major industrial hub that produced textiles on high-speed power looms. The Draper family built the mill complex in the 19th century using the preferred building materials of the era. One element in particular was exactly what we hoped we’d find when we visited: Antique Heart Pine timber. Milled and finished according to our exacting specifications, this wood will enjoy a second life as the fine flooring, paneling, and beams we are known for. Luckily, we knew just where to find it.

WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE TO SEE OUR ANTIQUE HEART PINE RECLAMATION.

Installation In Focus: 1 Hotel Central Park, NYC

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1 Hotel Central Park: A Different Kind of Hotel

Starwood Hotel Group has long been a leader in high design and luxury hospitality around the world. With their new line of 1 Hotels (Manhattan, South Beach, and Brooklyn), Starwood is again bringing design to the forefront of the hotel experience — now with an elevated emphasis on sustainability, authenticity, and the beauty of nature. The development of 1 Hotel Central Park started with a broad concept. According to Starwood CEO Barry Sternlicht: “The world around us is beautiful and we want to do our best to keep it that way. We want to make an impact by reinventing the industry standard for socially responsible hospitality. We want 1 to be a different type of hotel.”

Located at the corner of 58th Street and Sixth Avenue, 1 Hotel Central Park is just one block south — only 100 steps, in fact — from Central Park. And like Central Park itself, the idea behind 1 Hotel was to create a retreat within the city where guests could escape and refresh. New York-based firm AvroKO developed the design for this innovative, 229-room, 110,000-square-foot urban oasis and, from the beginning, meticulously pursued the use of sustainable materials and locally sourced building solutions. The design team worked to complement the building’s existing structure (including exposed concrete ceilings and floors, steel columns and beams, and terracotta block walls) by utilizing materials to enhance the authentic feel of the hotel, including locally made furniture, handmade textiles, and a wealth of indoor greenery (24,000 indoor plants!).

A Diverse Spectrum of Custom-Milled Wood Surfaces

Among the wide range of natural and local materials incorporated into AvroKO’s designs for 1 Hotel Central Park is a diverse spectrum of Hudson Company wood products — from reclaimed flooring and paneling, to historic hand-hewn beams and one-of-a-kind custom statement pieces. Through close collaboration with The Hudson Company, AvroKO was able to incorporate a range of unique wood surfaces that reinforce the hotel’s strong design concept and its goal of “bringing the outside in.” From the hotel’s street-level entrance and lobby spaces, to the guest rooms, fitness center, and presidential suites, a variety of carefully selected Hudson Company wood surfaces can be found throughout 1 Hotel Central Park. The surfaces include 50,000 square feet of Hudson Company Silt flooring, 30,000 square feet of Reclaimed Barn Siding, 50 Reclaimed Hand-Hewn Beams, Reclaimed Gym Flooring (salvaged from the old University of Wisconsin basketball court), Reclaimed Redwood (sourced from retired NYC water tanks), Reclaimed Threshing Floor, Reclaimed Travaux Maple flooring, and a custom-finished, debarked Spalted Elm Stump in the hotel’s lobby.

A Hotel Unlike Any Other in New York

"The natural and local materials emerged as the heart of the design, allowing us to celebrate and enhance their inherent richness with minimal touches, including a warm color palette and atmospheric lighting,” says AvroKO principal Greg Bradshaw. “Our goal was to leave the space feeling somewhat unadorned so the materials and core of the space could speak for itself." All of this careful material sourcing and eco-minded design makes 1 Hotel Central Park a boutique hotel unlike any other in New York City — one that brings the outside in, provides a unique parkside respite for travellers, and, as Ann Abel at Forbes put so well, “feels alive in a way that few others do.”

>> This installation profile originally appeared in The Hudson Company Journal, Volume 2 - click to learn more about our new print journal and catalogue.

>> See more photos and product details from this design installation.

The Hudson Company + Camp Wandawega Sneak Peak

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Reclaimed Softwood Threshing Floors at Camp Wandawega, Wisconsin

Camp Wandawega, located near Elkhorn, Wisconsin and established in 1925, is a place quiet unlike any other in America: an historic landmark, a vintage summer camp, and (among other things) a former brothel and speakeasy! Today Camp Wandawega has been lovingly preserved by its owners / innkeepers David and Tereasa, who have reinvented Camp Wandawega while simultaneously preserving it's fascinating legacy and beloved character.

The newest project at Camp Wandawega is the restoration of the property's 'Social House' which will feature Hudson Company Reclaimed Softwood Threshing Floor

A bit about Reclaimed Softwood Threshing Floors: Threshing is the agrarian process in which wheat is separated from chafe. Traditionally, farmers have used oxen and cattle to tread repeatedly over the crop to accelerate the separation. The result of this aggressive agricultural process is, that the wide mixed, softwood floor boards of the threshing room floor develop a distinct, rugged character and well-worn patina.

Below is a sneak peak of the Reclaimed Threshing Floors being installed in Camp Wandawega's Social House. More on this project to come in the near future!

More about Camp Wandawega here.

More about Reclaimed Softwood Threshing Floors here.

See our 'Designer Square Series' interview and collaboration with Camp Wandawega innkeeper and stylist extraordinaire Tereasa Surratt here

The Camp Wandawega Social House nearing completion, summer 2017.

The Camp Wandawega Social House nearing completion, summer 2017.

Reclaimed Softwood Threshing floors just after being installed at Camp Wandawega.

Reclaimed Softwood Threshing floors just after being installed at Camp Wandawega.

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Installation photos courtesy of Camp Wandawega.

Installation photos courtesy of Camp Wandawega.

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This Just In: Reclaimed White Oak Beams from Western PA Ham Curing Shed

This Just In: Reclaimed, Hand Cut White Oak Beams sourced by The Hudson Company from a Western Pennsylvania ham curing shed.

The above pictures show off a beautiful batch of recently recovered Reclaimed Oak Beams, sourced by The Hudson Company from a Western Pennsylvania ham curing shed. These White Oak 4" x 6" and 3" x 9" beams are imbued with a rich, historic aged patina - and feature some of the nicest colors and textures we have ever seen in reclaimed wooden beams. You will notice in the above detail photos, that the ends of the 3" x 9"s were hand cut with an axe (no chainsaw marks!).

Whoever is lucky enough to snag these beams will have no problem utilizing them into their next design project as accent rafters, mantles, shelves or furniture.

Email info@thehudsonco.com to learn more about these specific White Oak Beams or to get a quote for the whole batch. Or, click here to learn more about The Hudson Company's line of Reclaimed Wood Beams and Joists.