”Acquiring works from Southwest Spanish Craftsmen, is to buy into a rich history of fine American furniture making”. Marc Nussbaumer, lead designer, Southwest Spanish Craftsmen Each piece we build is still meticulously produced by hand with old world techniques. An emphasis on timeless design, superior quality and lasting build are the expectation on each and every piece that we produde. Whether you are interested in a piece of historic relevance, or you lean to a more contemporary aesthetic, our team of highly skilled artisans will strive to exceed your expectations in every way. With a design library reaching back over eighty years, there are a wealth of material and ideas well suited to the most discriminating buyer. New designs, worked out between our clients and design team, emerge regularly. Our online store shows both examples, as well as works that are available for immediate delivery. Custom pieces are usually delivered within 90 – 120 days of the start of the project. A 50% deposit is required to get thoset under way. Details, like wood finish and texture, rarely have a bearing on the price, whereas added hand carving, changes in size, or wood variety will. We work in a large variety of quality hardwoods, as well as California Sugar Pine for many of our early New Mexico, territorial and Spanish Colonial reproductions. Alder (hardwood) and Pine (softwood) are available as a base price on any piece. Cherry, Walnut, Mahogany, Lyptus, Ash and Oak are among the more common hardwoods that we regularly work in. We are happy to quote a project in these or other fine hardwoods upon request. To be placed on our production schedule, you may select the “Buy Now” option on our website for any item(s) that you are interested in acquiring. A credit card, or check by mail, is needed to secure an order. We will typically contact you within one business day to discuss any special interests or needs and options for shipping. YOUR CREDIT CARD WILL ONLY BE CHARGED AFTER WE CONTACT YOU TO DISCUSS ANY DETAILS THAT ARE IMPORTANT TO YOU! Shipping charges do apply outside of Santa Fe, and are bid on by blanket wrap shippers and common carriers. Pricing depends on a number of factors such as size of order, distance, value, and current gas prices We assist in finding the best rates possible for every order. No sales tax will be added for clients shipping outside of New Mexico. SOUTHWEST SPANISH CRAFTSMEN: EIGHT DECADES OF WOODWORKING HISTORY… Southwest Spanish Craftsmen WPA era photograph, digitally enhanced Santa Fe, New Mexico (circa 1935 – 1943) For centuries now, New Mexico has been home to skilled carpinteros – a group of Spanish woodworkers with a tradition of building quality, hand crafted furniture and doors. Southwest Spanish Craftsmen now stands at the forefront of such groups, creating timeless, functional works of art and fine furniture. Originally named Southwestern Master Craftsmen, the Company was founded by Mr. R. H. Welton in 1927. It was a time when the Spanish Colonial Revival movement, centered in Santa Fe, was gaining strength. The first workshop was on La Madera street, conveniently adjacent to Hansen’s Lumber and the first showroom was well placed across from the Fine Arts Museum, at 114West Palace Avenue. In the recently published SPANISH NEW MEXICO: The Spanish Colonial Arts Society Collection, author Donna Pierce writes that The Native American Market (a predecessor to today’s Spanish Market) found “considerable competition” from a variety of established businesses in the mid 1930’s, including “R.H. Welton’s Southwestern Master Craftsmen, which also offered a range of Hispanic furnishings.” In a recent conversation with Abad Lucero, he pointed out that a number of prominent participants in the formative Native Market (trained through the auspices of the WPA and the State’s Department of Vocational, Trade and Industrial Education) soon became employees of Southwestern Master Craftsmen. Among these men were Ben Lujan, Ramon Martinez, Elias Espinosa and Eliseo Rodriguez. Abad Lucero was one of the original instructors in Spanish Colonial furniture and remains an “elder statesman” for the craft. One of the few surviving members of this early group, Eliseo Rodriguez, was kind enough to share some of his memories in a recent interview. An artist since he was 14 years old, Rodriguez was employed by Mr. Welton to paint furniture and glass. Reminiscing about some of the Company’s many famous clients of this era, he remembers painting a charming dining set for Lucille Ball. He was also involved in a large project on the Kentex Ranch outside of El Paso, which included a huge set of interior sliding doors with glass panels painted by him. Another customer quite memorable to Eliseo was Gene Autrey. He also reflected on a number of orders built for the Marshall Fields of Chicago. Eliseo Rodriguez’s work has been placed in the permanent collection of the Smithsonian, which honored him in 1992 as a national treasure. The January 8, 1938 issue of The New York Sun featured a group of articles about the Winter Furniture Market held in Chicago. Prominently shown was a photo of Southwestern Master Craftsmen’s display. In the accompanying article by James W. Holden, he writes….”This furniture is designed by Southwestern Master Craftsmen, Inc. at Santa Fe, which ships a little furniture to New York stores but sells most of it in the West. They also make ceramics, sheet metal and iron work, rugs, mirror frames and miscellany - little of it in traditional New Mexican style yet all springing from it.” Characterizing the furniture as “unusual and promising” and having “inspiration from the Indians”, Holden’s article and photo were a timely boost. Holden’s comments also highlight a long standing tradition, instituted by Welton, of designing unique and trend setting pieces. In the May 1939 issue of New Mexico magazine, a feature article by Brice Sewell titled “Fine Furniture … Hand-Made” is accompanied by a series of photos predominantly featuring pieces designed and built by Southwestern Master Craftsmen. Adjacent to the article is a half page advertisement for the Company, which conveys its philosophy and commitment. As appropriate today as it was then, it reads as follows: · Here the beautiful things of yesterday are adapted to today’s living conditions - and your comfort - by the Southwest’s finest craftsmen. The glamorous tradition of the Hacienda lives on in the highly skilled crafts of the Spanish-American … his creations will lend your home its most distinctive touch. With a reputation for superior workmanship and unique design, the Company went through the war years and after with a substantial staff in the shop. Approximately 12 men were in woodworking and 4 in metal forging and fabrication. A December, 1943 article in New Mexico magazine characterized this era. Called “Style in Santa Fe” by Shirley Ware, a number of the pieces shown in the photos were produced by the Company. Ware states … “From present indications New Mexican decor is cresting a wave of popularity that exceeds any previous acceptance.” Ware further writes … “The emphasis placed on Southwestern furniture and decorative motif by the big Chicago stores indicates the acceptance by Midwesterners of the new styling in home decoration.” And that was 1943 ! The recession during the Eisenhower administration took a substantive toll on the Company. A number of shop employees went on to other careers. One such example was Jake Rodriguez, who eventually opened a shop of his own for upholstery. His choice made for an interesting back-looping of paths: A decade after leaving the Company, Jake essentially became its exclusive upholstery contractor, a relationship that continues to today with Jake's offspring. R. H. Welton died in 1960. With his passing a number of changes occurred in relatively short sequence. The Company was sold to Katherine McNeil and her husband. The showroom was consolidated with the workshop on La Madera Street. During Welton’s time, about 90% of the furniture and doors had been custom designed for specific clients. This tradition continued, although with a reduced volume. Under-capitalized, the McNeil’s went through some difficult years. In 1964, Richard Hubbell assumed ownership, starting a tenure of 22 years. For woodworking expertise, Hubbell brought in John Shepherd, who then owned Santa Fe Furniture Co, was an engineer and a teacher of Industrial Education. Hubbell and Shepherd embarked on a new fast track course with the Company. With a complement of over 20 employees, their first big contract was for furniture and fixtures for St. John’s College. The contract was successfully completed, the work itself was in the long tradition of excellence, but the financial results were disastrous. Overnight, the Company was transformed back to a small, elite custom shop with a work force of 7 or 8 men. At that time, Ramon (Ray) Martinez was appointed shop foreman, a position in which he has served with considerable distinction until his retirement in 1999. A master carver and one of the finest woodworkers in the country, Ray has been a mentor to many young carpinteros and has assembled and trained a small team of craftsmen second to none. Ray's successor, Albert Martinez, was well qualified to become shop forman after 21 years with the Company. Enhancing the reputation of the Company, which was now operating under the new name of Southwest Spanish Craftsmen, an array of high-profile projects were successfully completed. The first of these prominent efforts was to custom design and build furnishings for the New Mexico Governor’s Mansion, including the dining table, chairs and a china hutch. This was followed by a substantial amount of work for the University of New Mexico, encompassing a range of pieces from sofas and easy chairs for the library to furnishings for the Fraternity and Sorority system and the President’s residence. Another project was to furnish the VIP lounge at the Albuquerque Airport. In the April 1966 edition of New Mexico magazine, Nancy and Marshall Smith titled their tribute to the Company “Tomorrow’s Antiques”. The opening paragraph, which follows, captures the prevailing ambiance: · “Rare is the shop in this country where time-honored methods of Old World craftsmen have not given way to modern short-cuts and mass production. Rare is the shop in Santa Fe, where the Southwest Spanish Craftsmen continue to diligently create masterpieces of furniture in the tradition of Southwestern heritage. Hand-forged, hand-rubbed, hand-pegged and hand-fitted, each completed piece is an item of perfection.” In their focus on the methods and materials of the shop, the Smiths also highlighted one of the most memorable of the Company’s craftsmen: · In the blacksmith shop, Victor J. Vera is chief blacksmith and metal worker. In his youth, Vic served as gunsmith for Poncho Villa, the Mexican revolutionary General, and his raiders. Vic now has more than 60 years of experience in hand-crafting wrought iron, brass, copper and tin.” In his ongoing efforts to expand the repertoire and sophistication of the Company, Hubbell brought in Hungarian-born John Zoltai. Zoltai became probably the Company’s most skilled and artistic designer. His forte was pieces of the Spanish Renaissance. One of the signature pieces of the Company, the Madrid Desk, was his work. A great carver in his own right, he went on to run his own company and then to teach at the community college in El Rito. The brilliance in the design and execution of these Old World masterpieces separated the Company by a good measure from its competitors. Baron Von Trapp (of “Sound of Music” fame) had the Company build the furnishings for the Trapp Family Lodge in Vermont. A great deal was lost in the fire they suffered, but their Madrid Desk survived, as reported by one of their ski instructors who stopped in at the showroom a few years ago. Another exquisite piece, the Toledo Chest, was commissioned by Paul Harvey. In 1966, Hubbell moved the showroom into the Gerald Cassidy home on Canyon Road. The home had served Cassidy well as a studio, and in turn it served Hubbell well as a wonderful setting for the Company’s furniture and doors. Soon another design specialty was added. A customer by the name of Hal Worth commissioned several pieces based on antiques of early New Mexican vintage he collected. Drawing from his collection, as well as works on display at the Museum of International Folk Art, Ray Martinez and his team developed a very sophisticated aging process that has inadvertently fooled some experts in antiques. The finish became known as the “Hal Worth” finish, of course, and is still employed at the workshop today. The Company’s La Madera Chest is an example of this genre, and one of the signature pieces in the showroom. In 1985, Hubbell decided to retire and sold the Company to Tony and Holly Searer. The Searers launched an aggressive program to build a business that could serve a broad-based clientele. First, they launched an ever expanding advertising program and a succession of catalogs to support this program. Next, they moved the showroom downtown to enhance customer access and visibility. They refurbished the workshop and added some new equipment, although the manual carving, the mortise-and-tenon joinery and the hand-rubbed finishes were not to be altered. As business accelerated, they increased shop employees from five to twelve, the current work force. Eventually, they found an even more inviting showroom space at the corner of Guadalupe and Montezuma Streets. During the Searer’s stewardship, two of the most beautiful homes in the Southwest were built for a Chicago area couple. The first one, in Arizona, was completed in the mid 1980’s and the second home, in Santa Fe, became the couple’s summer retreat in 1993. The owners asked Tony Searer to design and build all of the doors and gates, as well as a great deal of furniture, for both homes. This was not your ordinary order for a bunch of doors! Having meticulously planned every detail for each of the homes, the couple was very much involved in the design process and their input was without a doubt the greatest inspiration the Company ever received from a client. The fact that Ray Martinez was the same shop foreman who had already produced the doors and furnishings for this customer’s first Arizona home in the 1970’s was certainly an important confidence factor. A prolific designer, Tony Searer added countless new designs to the Company’s portfolio and re-created hundreds of drawings of older vintage, which had been lost or destroyed. With literally thousands of drawings of some of the most beautiful furniture and doors, mostly in the Hispanic tradition, the Company became the standard of excellence for New Mexican, and indeed Southwestern, furniture makers. In 1993, Tony and Holly Searer decided to pursue new interests in other directions and sold the business to the current owners, Roger and Ruth Nussbaumer. The son of a Swiss furniture maker and trade school principal, Roger escaped the “industrial rat race” in the Mid-west to devote his time to the rewarding task of building on the great tradition that has kept Southwest Spanish Craftsmen the champion of carpinteros in New Mexico. One of the most gratifying things to happen to the owners of this wonderful Company is the extraordinarily high rate of repeat customers. It shows that uncompromising quality, rational pricing and personal customer service still count in this society! And so goes on the legacy of Southwest Spanish Crafsmen, now standing as one of Santa Fe’s oldest and most respected institutions.