play.: strip.

Since my bike is nearly finished, it's time for a new project!

My husband and I are just starting out, and there are times (with much thanks to our families!) that our hodgepodge of donated furniture feels a little like a goodwill showroom. So, my plan of attack is to re-finish a lot of the big stuff to match, such as the bookshelves, a desk, a drafting table we've acquired, and a set of chairs. First up: the desk. My husband had this desk in his bedroom in the "bachelor pad" when he lived with roommates. It's a great piece of furniture, and recently I learned that on top of that, it's a family heirloom!!! Since I found out, I've been trying to learn a little more of the history of the piece, since their family has a few more pieces belonging to the set that I'd like to try and clean up.

But it's really much much more than that... "Olive & Myers Manufacturing Company" was a mattress and furniture manufacturer founded in downtown Dallas in, I believe, 1900. At that time, one of the founders, also the vice president of the company, was Horace Elton (aka H. E.) Spalti. This guy was my husband's great-great-grandfather!! The company in itself has an amazing history. The headquarters were located in a very prominent building located in downtown Dallas; today it is know as 2220 Canton Lofts. H. E. Spalti later became the president of the company, and in the mid-50's Olive & Myers officially merged with a Houston manufacturing company, Myers & Spalti, to become Olive, Myers, & Spalti. My husband's great-grandfather, Horace Duncan (aka H. D.) Spalti became president. Vera B. Spalti, H. D.'s wife, was a name that I was already familiar with; my husband proposed with her engagement ring, and I wear it every day. (:

Here are a couple of pictures of the historic part, and a bunch of the beginnings of the project: