Antique Holly Stickley Bookcases

Commission

24L x 12 1/4W x 42H

This pair of bookcases is made from walnut and antique holly. The holly wood used in the top and side of these two pieces came from a tree growing under the foundation of a pre-Revolutionary home located on Cape Cod. Although we normally see holly as a shrub, this tree had a base diameter of three feet. Given the age of the house and the size of the tree, this particular specimen could be 300 years old. Because the tree endangered the house foundation, the owner was forced to have it taken down. Not wanting to lose a piece of history, he had the lumber milled and dried. Some of that lumber has gone into these two pieces, which will go into a dining room and provide a place of pride for a collection of cookbooks.

The design for these pieces was adapted from an open backed Stickley bookcase circa 1904. Credit for bringing the design into the twenty-first century goes to master woodworker Laurie McKichan. Her plans can be found at Popular Woodworking at https://www.popularwoodworking.com/projects/stickley-bookcase. I adapted her plan to fit the owners specifications.