ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, November 30, 1996 TAG: 9612020022
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C1 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: RICHMOND
SOURCE: DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITER
A RARE TREASURE was recently transferred to the new state library - chewing gum, scrapes and all.
Some documents in the Library of Virginia are so rare that armed guards will be hired next month when the collection is transferred to a new building two blocks away.
No special security measures were necessary, however, when the library recently moved its most unlikely treasures.
After all, for nearly 60 years this collection has been sat upon, scraped across the floor and, occasionally, spotted with chewing gum.
"This was used in the staff lounge, and we have the gum to prove it," said library official Jan Hathcock, pointing to a couple of dried wads on the underside of an aluminum-frame table.
Some 100 pieces of Depression-era furniture from the old state library - which closed Wednesday - have become the state's most sought-after surplus property.
The furniture is the work of Warren McArthur, an obscure American designer and manufacturer who in recent years has emerged as a kind of cult figure for art collectors.
"We have some pieces you won't find anywhere," Hathcock said.
Because the furniture does not match the new building, library officials plan to sell most of the McArthur collection. The General Assembly has exempted the furniture sale from standard surplus property rules, allowing the proceeds to be used to acquire rare books for the library's 700,000-volume collection.
There is talk of a possible auction in New York, if the library's pieces are appraised at sufficient value. The library has received pointers on how to proceed and an appraisal from Sotheby's, a premier auction house.
"It would attract some interest," said Nicholas Brown, a New York dealer who has helped revive interest in McArthur's work.
State records from the late 1930s do not indicate how library officials came to select the Warren McArthur Corp. of New York from companies that bid on the furniture contract.
But their reasoning becomes clear when viewing McArthur's work, now locked in a windowless storeroom in the new library.
Aluminum tubing gives the furniture a functional look suitable for use in a public building. Yet, the curving lines give the furniture the panache suitable for the Art Deco building.
"It's sort of like the American Bauhaus," Brown said, referring to a German school of design that stresses style and function. "It has sort of an industrial look, but yet it's definitely got a strong sense of style."
Brown said one of McArthur's innovations was to combine the streamlined look of the international style with a modular design that drew attention to juncture points, such as where a chair's arms and back intersect.
"The juncture points become a source of decoration," he said.
McArthur stood out among other Depression-era designers because he took the extra step of opening his own manufacturing facility. He struggled, suffering two bankruptcies before going out of business in 1948.
In addition, his work was a casualty of war.
During World War II, McArthur converted his factory in Bantam, Conn., to help in the war effort. His company, according to some accounts, manufactured the majority of seating on military aircraft.
The drive for strategic metals during World War II and the Korean War meant that an undetermined amount of McArthur furniture was melted down for its aluminum. Brown said this was particularly true during the Korean War, when the Deco style had fallen out of favor.
Brown and his wife, Shaunna, say it is difficult to estimate how much the library's collection might fetch at auction. The price, they noted, would depend upon condition and timing.
Shaunna Brown said their gallery usually comes across McArthur furniture a piece or two at a time. The Library of Virginia collection, with 100 pieces, could flood the market if it all became available at once.
"That's a very large lot," she said.
The library's collection may have limited appeal for collectors because many pieces - library tables and chairs - lack high style that draws top dollar.
Some of the library's more interesting pieces were placed in staff areas.
A vanity with an oval mirror in the women's lounge.
A pair of aluminum hat racks.
A sleek ashtray stand.
The furniture shows definite signs of wear and tear. One sofa suffered at the hands of a former state librarian, who in the 1980s recovered the cushions in an unfortunate multi-colored flame pattern.
One can imagine that McArthur would be content to know that his works may soon regain their luster.
LENGTH: Long : 101 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: MOTOYA NAKAMURA Virginian-Pilot. 1. The old stateby CNBlibrary is to be replaced by the new library across the street on
Jan. 3. Some 100 pieces of Depression-era furniture from the old
library have become the state's most sought-after surplus property.
2. The new library's spacious entryway invites in browsers, readers,
and those who want to check out Warren McArthur's furniture. 3. Many
rooms at the new state library have high ceilings and big windows.
The room above is the State and Federal Document Room. color. 4.
Above, the original collection room of the new state library has
glass windows with rice paper to diffuse the sunlight. Right, old
art deco furniture from the old library is stored in the new library
for possible reuse.