Cherry is a rare reclaimed wood. The trees are more prized for fine furniture than an agricultural related use. So when they do show up in the mix, we try to find an application where all the beauty of the hardwood grain and the rustic charm of the weathered re-sawn face is revealed. The beauty is further amplified alongside fresh fruits and vegetables, where the wood has been crafted into bins at this Union Square, NY Whole Foods.
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Redwoods at Washington Square Park
The NYC Parks Dept. recently complete their new building on the south side of Washington Sq. Park. The structure arc gently between the parks dog run and a walking path. The stone face of the building is capped by a rim and overhang of reclaimed Redwood supplied by Sawkill Lumber.
Redwood, though a very soft conifer, has exceptional resistance to moisture and rot, and along with the warm tones of Redwood, provide natural beauty and a modern color pop to the historic park.
But the woods themselves are far older than the park, starting in the California forests a millenium or more ago, before a stopover in a mid-Century Ohio cooling Tower and ultimately arriving at Sawkill Lumber and then Washington Square Park – with hopes of many peaceful decades at the park.
Toddler Sized Timber
These massive reclaimed Douglas Fir timbers (approx. dimensions 17 x 22 x 18′ — toddler, 35″ tall) were originally cut from the world’s second largest conifer tree (after Redwood). It’s lumber and timber began arriving from the Northwest in the early 20th c., as the Longleaf Pine forests of the Southern U.S. were reaching low levels. Today, reclaimed Doug Fir timbers yield beautiful framing members, wide plank flooring or in this instance, bound for exterior bench seating at the Highline in New York.
Antique Pine Floors Reclaimed from Domino Sugar
The Domino Sugar factory was primarily built with steel and brick, with a finishing coat of sugar and molasses over the eras. But demolition of the building still yielded a large volume of antique Longleaf Pine, used for the sturdy industrial decking.
Following the Civil War, New York City became the biggest provider of refined sugar to the U.S. and for a period, the Domino factory in Williamsburg was the largest sugar refinery in the world. After 150 yrs of service, it closed.
Most recently, it’s housed an unlikely sugar product, an epic sized sculpture by the artist Kara Walker. Her “Marvelous Sugar Mama” is a tribute to the individuals in distant lands that harvested sugar cane and a statement about the exploitations and sacrifices that trailed the 3 million pounds of sugar that were processed each day.
Featured Species: Reclaimed American Beech
The Beech tree has been a reliable barn timber through the eras, as it’s logs yielded hard and large beams. Resawn, Beech makes exceptional interior flooring and furniture stock. It’s fine reddish-white figure and interesting grain patterns, along with the character marks picked up over eras of service within agricultural structures. The tree also has a special place in the hearts of many young lovers, who have engraved their feelings for one another into its smooth grey bark.
Antique Beech from barn beams produces a stunning reclaimed figure that is often a substitute for Oak. Beech has a range of character marks within it’s light-colored honey and golden hues with hints of pink, along with natural scratch marks, some knots and sound cracks and insect tracks that provide evidence of it’s age. Our hand selected reclaimed Beech can also include a beautiful mix of hardwoods that work well together, such as Maple and Oak.
