The History Girl

Gustav Stickley -  Als Ik Kan Written by NJ Historian Situated in the foothills of New Jersey, about forty miles west of Manhattan, noted designer Gustav Stickley set out to build a complex in the country capable of training boys in various crafts at the turn of the nineteenth century. Although his vision for a school never fully materialized, the buildings he constructed in what is now present-day Parsippany-Troy Hills retain a high level of authenticity as examples of the Arts and Craft Movement, which Stickly embraced and championed in the United States. Encompassing architecture, furniture design, and the decorative arts, the Arts and Crafts Movement prevailed between the dominant eras of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, or approximately the period from 1910 to 1925. Stickley believed in an old Flemish craftsman's phrase, Als Ik Kan, meaning "to the best of my ability." The phrase was his guiding principle in all of his ventures and his high level of craftsmanship remain...