Framburg - A Century of Design and Craftsmanship

Teddy Roosevelt was President and Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. was on the Supreme Court.  Automobiles were slowly replacing the horse and buggy and would become ubiquitous in a few years later when mass produced vehicles like the Model T were introduced.  Chicago was one of the fastest growing metropolises in the world and reflected the extremes, both good and bad, of the rough individualistic style of American capitalism and society.

The American Arts and Crafts movement was just beginning; Frank Lloyd Wright and the Prairie School would emerge a few years later.  The seeds of revolution were sprouting in Russia and social justice movements like labor and suffrage were gaining momentum in the United States.

Electricity was replacing gas as an illuminating energy source.  Light fixtures often used a combination of gas and electricity.  Bamboo was the material in early bulb filaments and would later be replaced by carbon filaments.  But it wasn't until the tungsten filament was perfected a few years later that electricity was able to supplant all other forms of artificial light.

Many changes have occurred since 1905 - social, economic, political and cultural.

But some things haven't changed.  Framburg is still producing the highest quality commercial grade and residential lighting fixtures.  And each Framburg is designed and handcrafted in the United States of America.

"Framburg fixtures are commercial grade and are in some of the finest hotels, residences and institutions in the world."

During the 1920's Framburg was solidifying its reputation for high quality, commercial grade lighting fixtures.  The photo to the left is an example from the Framburg 1925 catalog.  Notice the all cast construction and intricate detail.  This piece has been reproduced by Framburg as the model 1641 in the Framburg Centennial Collection.

Some pieces in our product line have been produced for over 50 years - a testament to their timeless style and enduring quality.  The picture at right from the Framburg Yorkshire Collection is an example.  Notice how each glass is bent in two radii and the seams are bound to create a clean and structurally sound attachment of the glass panels.

Some Framburg designs, such as the one shown at left, are exact reproductions of period  lighting.  This fixture is from the Framburg Chancery Collection and replicates the Victorian gas light fixtures from the 1800's.

Often, Framburg seeks to capture the essence of a genre or design philosophy without being confined by its methods or materials.  From the Framburg Fin de Siecle Collection, the chandelier on the right is inspired by the organic elements of Art Nouveau styling.

In the Framburg catalog you will find several designs that utilize iconographic images that have profound symbolic meaning derived from myth and legend.  This gargoyle adorned lantern at left is from the Framburg Carcassonne Collection.

An early Framburg logo circa 1910.  Notice the "H. A. F." in script and the man carrying a lantern.

During WWI and WWII most of Framburg's production was dedicated to satisfying its military contracts.

During WWI, Framburg made searchlights for the Armed Services.

Today Framburg manufactures all of its product in a 75,000 square foot facility in Bellwood, Illinois; a suburb of Chicago.

Each Framburg product is designed and manufactured in Bellwood, Illinois, U.S.A.

This photo was taken in the Framburg assembly department in 2004.

Each Framburg fixture is the beneficiary of refinements in metal forming, finishing, design and engineering techniques that have been refined through the generations.  Not long ago designs were rendered painstakingly by hand such as the custom fixture at left.

While much of the design process is aided by computers, much of the metal-working and finishing is done by hand.

Tubing and sheet brass are hand-bent and components are hand-rubbed or hand-polished.  The result is a product of enduring quality and authenticity.

Today Framburg designs are modeled on a computer and are the distillation of countless iterations that allow Framburg to achieve superior form, proportion and scale.

Framburg is one of the most integrated manufacturers in the lighting industry and one of the few companies still manufacturing product in the United States.  Our manufacturing capabilities allow us to produce fixtures of superior quality, thematic consistency and design integrity.

Framburg's capabilities allow them to create a virtually infinite array of custom designs.  The large chandelier pictured here resides in a monastery.

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