Reader Question: Broyhill Sculptra and Lenoir Chair Company

Melissa left me a question in the comments of an old post.
Hello,
I have acquired a Broyhill Sculptra hutch and a Lenoir Chair Company dining set but have not been able to find any sources online that tell me about them? Do you know of any good sources? Thanks so much!
My first guess is that by hutch you mean Broyhill Sculptra china cabinet, although Broyhill did make a Sculptra room divider that I've seen called a hutch from time to time.

The first place I'd start reading about mid-century Broyhill Sculptra furniture is right here. I also have a post on the history of Broyhill Sculptra. If you want the super long version of the history of Broyhill furniture, this is the best source I've found. If you want the Cliffs Notes version: Broyhill Sculptra furniture was made for eight years, 1957 to 1965, and is part of Broyhill's Premier line, which is why, if your piece still has the tag, it probably reads Broyhill Premier Sculptra.


And this is where your two pieces share a bit of history.

From the Broyhill company history page:
Thomas H. (T.H.) Broyhill made his initial investment in furniture manufacturing in 1905 in Lenoir, North Carolina. In 1919, T.H. Broyhill became the majority owner of Lenoir Furniture Corporation, manufacturing bedroom and dining room furniture.

Broyhill Furniture continued to grow through the early years of the 20th century. In 1926, James Edgar (J.E.) Broyhill, T.H. Broyhill's brother, established Lenoir Chair Company. This expanded the company's product line into upholstery.
Also, the production of the Broyhill Premier line was handled at the Lenoir Chair Company plant. So, if you read the long version of the Broyhill history I linked to above, you'll also get the history of the Lenoir Chair Company.

7 comments:

  1. Was happy to find your blog. Found it through another blog. I also run a blog out of Tampa on Heywood Wakefield furniture and refinsihing at http://amodernline.blogspot.com. and will link to yours for people that are interested. Tampa and Austin share a bunch of friends and we love SXSW...

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  2. Nice blog yourself. Thanks for sharing this one with your readers.

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  3. I don't know if you will see this but I have my fingers crossed!;-) I just purchased a mid-century Broyhill Premier Division china cabinet, dining table and 6 chairs. After searching around online I found an old catalog on E-bay that told me it came from a line called " Inspirations". It's described as having arabesque panels. It took me all day just to find that, lol. I was trying to find out the exact year and maybe some pictures of other items in that line. So far no luck! Maybe you could help me find some more info and value? I'm happy to show some pictures of the pieces!
    Marissa

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  4. I've got a Broyhill french provincial DR set purchased new in 1969. Lenoir chairs have numeral 88 in the backs. Haven't been able to ID the collection. any help?

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    1. Could you send some photos to MadForMidCentury@gmail.com

      It's always easier to identify something when you can see what you're talking about.

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    2. Hi, I've run across a console/entryway table that has a sticker with the name Hibriten. The only reference I was able to find to that name was a Lenoir News issue from Dec 11th 1924 stating the a pair of gentlemen by the name of Robbins were buying the Lenoir Chair Manufacturing Company and were planning to incorporate it under the name The Hibriten Company. The sticker's is obviously no older than maybe 1960s so I'm definitely a bit lost, especially now that i'm finding that the Lenior Chair Company is actually Broyhills....

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    3. I think the "Lenoir Chair Company" and the "Lenoir Chair Manufacturing Company" were two separate companies with incredibly similar names. One is part of the Broyhill furniture family, the other was bought by The Hibriten Company which was then in turn bought by Bernhardt Furniture.

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