Stieff Silver
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Kirk Stieff Company was a silverware manufacturer based in Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.A., created from the acquisition in 1979 of Samuel Kirk & Son, Inc., a long-established firm of silversmiths by the Stieff Company, another manufacturer of silverware. Charles Steiff began working as a silversmith in 1892. In 1914 he started the Stieff Silver Company. Manufacturing ceased in 1999, but the name survives as a brand name for stainless-steel flatware from Lenox, Inc., the company that owned the silverware manufacturer. There were 75 employees when the company ceased operations at the Baltimore site. [1]
Before the merger of the two companies in 1979, Stieff Company was a piano manufacturer.[2] The former factory building, called the Steiff Silver Building, located in Baltimore, Maryland's Roland Park area has been converted into an office building, but the exterior has remained unchanged, as the site is a national historic landmark. The Stieff Company began operations at the site in 1925.[1] [3] Prior to 1925, the company was located in a small shop on downtown Baltimore's Redwood Street.[2]
Samuel Kirk & Son was known for its repoussé silverware, where the design was created by pushing the silver alloy from the inside. Both it and Stieff were known as prestige silversmiths. One of the company's most well known creations is the Woodlawn Vase, a trophy given to winners of the Preakness horse race.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ a b "Baltimore's Kirk Stieff Silver Firm Will Cease Operations in January," Nancy Kercheval. The Daily Record. Baltimore, Md.: Oct 22, 1998. pg. 5.A
- ^ a b c Rasmussen, Frederick. "Way Back When." The Baltimore Sun 7 Nov. 1998, Final ed. ProQuest Newspapers. ProQuest Information and Learning. Boys' Latin School Library. 6 Nov. 2006 <http://proquest.umi.com/login>.
- ^ "Silver Charm," Regina Raiford Babcock. Buildings. Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Jun 2004.Vol.98, Iss. 6; pg. 76
- The Online Encyclopedia of American Silver Marks - Silver Marks S
- Flatware Profile: Kirk Repoussé
- The Silver Queen Inc. - Stieff Rose includes a brief history of the company
- Sea Kayak: Samuel Kirk & Son
