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Vintage Mid-Century Modern Mengel Drop Front Secretary Desk by Raymond Loewy
Description
Handsome vintage mid-century modern Mengel drop front secretary desk by Raymond Loewy. Comprised of an oak case, cerused oak drawer …
moreHandsome vintage mid-century modern Mengel drop front secretary desk by Raymond Loewy. Comprised of an oak case, cerused oak drawer fronts, and black iron hardware and legs. Beautiful condition, keeping in mind that this is vintage and not new so will have signs of use and wear. It has been thoroughly cleaned and restored. There were a couple very small veneer patches made on back edges and a scratch in the top touched up and repaired as best could be without refinishing. Please see photos and zoom in for details. We attempt to portray any imperfections. Circa, 1950-1959.
NOTE: If you love this magnificent Secretary Desk or Gentleman’s Chest by Raymond Loewy for Mengel we have a matching Telephone Bench listed here for sale if it is still available!
Simple, Stunning, and Superior Style!!! This is a GORGEOUS drop front Secretary desk designed by Raymond Loewy for Mengel!! It is comprised of a limed oak veneer case, an oak veneer drop down door that doubles as a work surface and original light blue painted interior including a cubby and a top drawer with a center divider, 3 large lower drawers with interior dividers and charcoal colored cerused oak drawer fronts, black iron hardware, and straight outward angled black iron legs. IT. IS. FABULOUS!!!!! Obviously, it is going to be wonderful in the study, den, or home office used as a desk, but we also think it would be a great Gentleman’s chest or cabinet. Use the bottom drawers for clothing, blankets, or larger items and behind the drop-down door is a perfect place for watches, jewelry, and other accessories. There is tons of storage space for all of your de-clutter needs! This desk has the handy feature to fold away and hide your mess! Just fold up the tabletop and you have a gorgeous free-standing cabinet and no mess! It’s like having your office in a box so it would work perfectly for smaller rooms, apartments, or lofts.
C.C. Mengel formed the Mengel Furniture Co. sometime following the Civil War in Louisville, Kentucky. In addition to household furnishings, they also produced wooden washing machines and boxes in various sizes. In order to ensure an adequate supply of lumber they operated mills in Belize, British Honduras, and Arizona. C.C. Mengel Jr. and C.R. Mengel took over the firm at the turn of the 20TH century, which was now called C.C. Mengel & Brothers Co. At the time it was the country’s largest manufacturer of wooden boxes. New product lines appeared in the early twentieth century including the very popular Mengel Playthings line of wooden toys. Their primary products were wooden wagons, tricycles, and wooden slides. Mengel had also been supplying automakers with wooden components since the erection of the Ford Motor Company’s Louisville assembly plant and Monroe convinced the firm’s directors to build a new facility to supply similar products to additional manufacturers. In 1924 Mengel took out a license to manufacture Meritas-clad composite bodies using Kenneth L. Childs patents for the Louisville Ford distributor. Their town car bodies were marketed as an upscale alternative to the standard Model T and were available with a Rolls-Royce-style radiator. They also offered a line of commercial bodies and are one of the known body builders for the US Postal Service. The disappearance of the composite body ended Mengel’s work for Ford and other automobile manufacturers. The firm chose to concentrate on their successful door and furniture business which included some beautiful art-deco radio cabinets for Philco. Following the war, they started manufacturing doors and windows for the growing construction industry and also built a popular line of home furnishings, bedroom sets, dining room sets, and living room furniture. They were purchased in 1956 by the Kroehler Manufacturing Co. who slowly eliminated their furniture line, electing to concentrate on their popular doors and windows. -coachbuilt
Raymond Loewy, an iconic French American designer who was dubbed “the father of industrial design,” had many well-known projects; and over his career span he consulted with over two hundred companies, leaving his mark in the design world. Some of his most notable achievements include the popular Shell, Exxon, BP, and TWA logos; a Greyhound bus; an S-1 locomotive; the Lucky Strike cigarette package; the Coldspot refrigerator for Sears; the Avanti for Studebaker; plus, designs for Harley Davidson and Coca Cola. He also designed NASA Skylab, the Airforce One livery, and the John F. Kennedy memorial postage stamp, among other notable items. From products such as furniture to public transportation Raymond Loewy took pride in making what he called “the mundane side of the 20th Century more beautiful.” He worked for Mengel from 1950 to 1959. Notably Raymond Loewy was featured on the cover of TIME magazine in October 1949 and in 1975 the Smithsonian Institute opened “The Designs of Raymond Loewy,” a four-month exhibition dedicated to his life’s work and achievements. Mr. Loewy passed away in 1986.
Iconic Designer and manufacturer, versatility, high quality, and superior style. This magnificent secretary desk has it all. You know you want it, just make it yours!
Desk Size
• Height: - 47.25 Inches
• Width: - 36 Inches
• Depth: - 19.25 Inches
• Distance from Floor to Bottom – 8 Inches
• Drop Front Size – 15.5 x 35 Inches
• Worktop Height – 29 Inches
• Weight: - 135.7 Pounds
Crated Size:
• Height: - 53 Inches
• Width: - 42 Inches
• Depth: - 25 Inches
• Weight: - 300 Pounds less
Details
- Dimensions
- 36ʺW × 19.25ʺD × 47.25ʺH
- Styles
- Mid-Century Modern
- Table Knee Clearance
- 28.0 in
- Table Shape
- Rectangle
- Country of Origin
- United States
- Brand
- Mengel Furniture Co.
- Designer
- Raymond Loewy
- Period
- 1950s
- Place of Origin
- United States of America
- Item Type
- Vintage, Antique or Pre-owned
- Materials
- Metal
- Oak
- Condition
- Good Condition, Restored, Some Imperfections
- Color
- Tan
- Condition Notes
- Beautiful condition, keeping in mind that this is vintage and not new so will have signs of use and wear. … moreBeautiful condition, keeping in mind that this is vintage and not new so will have signs of use and wear. It has been thoroughly cleaned and restored. There were a couple very small veneer patches made on back edges and a scratch in the top touched up and repaired as best could be without refinishing. Please see photos and zoom in for details. We attempt to portray any imperfections. less
Shipping Options
Estimated Delivery: 4–6 weeks
20147 does not qualify.
Ask the Seller
Returns & Cancellations
Return Policy - All sales are final 48 hours after delivery, unless otherwise specified.
Extended Return Eligible
- Allows 14 days after delivery to notify Chairish of intent to return
- No return shipping or restocking fees applied
- Does not apply to damages that occur post-delivery
Returns
- Does not arrive
- Is broken during transit
- Is entirely different than what you purchased
- Some made-to-order items and a limited selection of other items (noted as non-refundable in the returns and cancellations section of the product description)
-
Orders where Free Local Pickup or Seller Managed Local Delivery were selected:
- Upon inspection, If you decide not to move forward with the purchase, you or your agent must refuse the item at the time of pickup/delivery from the seller
- Once you have taken possession of the item, all sales are final
- International, cross-border returns may require different processes depending on the countries between which the item is shipping to/from, and the buyer is responsible and duties (if applicable, on cross-border orders).
- On approved returns, the buyer is responsible for the full cost of return packing and shipping.
Cancellations
- Prior to shipping or local pickup, buyers may cancel an order for any reason, with the exception of some Made-to-Order items, where supplies have been purchased or work begun on the item.
- Please notify us within 24 hours of purchase if you would like to cancel an order, as prompt cancellation will reduce the likelihood that you will incur return shipping charges.
- Once shipping or pickup has been initiated, the cancellation will be considered a return and you will be responsible for the cost of shipping.
Shipping
Note: Made-to-Order items typically include a lead time or custom delivery window, which is detailed in the product description.
For shipping on all other items, please see below:
- Free Shipping
- Free shipping may be offered on select listings.
- Smaller items are typically delivered within 2 weeks of the purchase date, while larger items and furniture may take up to 6 weeks for delivery.
- When an item with Free Shipping is returned, the cost of return shipping fees will be charged to the buyer.
- Free Local Pickup
- Local pickup allows customers to inspect an item at the time of pickup and avoid shipping costs.
- Following purchase, a confirmation email is sent to the email address associated with the order, and includes: Pickup Verification & Seller's contact information
- Please contact the seller within 5 days to coordinate pickup
- Parcel Delivery
- Shipment is arranged through recognized carriers such as UPS, FedEx, and DHL.
- Only pieces that can be safely packed in a box or envelope may be shipped via parcel.
- Shipping charges start at $9 — and vary based on the size, weight, packaging and the value of the item.
- Items are typically delivered within 2 weeks of the purchase date.
- Chairish Local Delivery
- Item is delivered inside your home and placed in the room of your choice (installation and hookup are not included).
- Local rates are available on most items where the delivery location is within 50 miles.
- Shipping charges start at $149, depending on product type, size, location of the buyer and seller, and value of the item.
- Local deliveries typically take up to 3 weeks.
- In-Home Delivery
- Item is delivered inside your home and placed in the room of your choice (installation and hookup are not included).
- Deliveries may take up to 6 weeks, and up to 8 weeks when either the buyer or seller are located outside of standard shipping routes.
-
Shipping charges start at $299, depending on product type, size, location of the buyer and seller, and value of the item.
Delivery Type Under $2,000 Over $2,000 Chairish In-home Delivery $299 $399 Large Handling > 35 cu. ft. < 52 cu ft. $399 $449 Fragile and/or Oversized Handling Price may vary. Based on material, location and size. Price may vary. Based on material, location and size. - Chairish Freight Delivery
- Delivered in a crate, to your front door.
- You will need tools and/or equipment to open the crate.
- Expedited international shipments can take anywhere from 4-6 weeks to be delivered.
- Seller Managed Delivery
- Shipping is offered and managed by the seller, through a shipper of the seller’s choice.
- Available on items at the seller’s discretion.
- Seller Managed Local Delivery
- Local curbside delivery is offered and managed by the seller, within a limited geography.
- Following purchase, a confirmation email is sent to the confirmation email address associated with the order, and includes: Pickup Verification Code & Seller’s contact information
- Please contact the seller within 5 days to coordinate delivery.
- Parcel Delivery
- Parcel deliveries are handled by our European based sister-site, Pamono
- Deliveries are arranged through Fedex
- You will be updated with a tracking number once shipping is booked
- Parcel deliveries can take anywhere from 1 - 6 weeks to be delivered
- Pamono Express In-Home Delivery
- Pamono Express In-Home deliveries are handled by our European based sister-site, Pamono
- Deliveries are arranged by Metropolitan and will be delivered to your room of choice
- You will receive a tracking number once your item has cleared customs and been booked for in-home delivery
- Pamono Express In-Home deliveries can take anywhere from 3-7 weeks to be delivered
- Pamono Freight Delivery
- Pamono Freight deliveries are handled by our European based sister-site, Pamono
- Deliveries are arranged through FedEx and will be delivered in a crate to the front of your home/building
- You will need tools and/or equipment to open the crate; Fedex will not open the crate for you
- You will be updated with a tracking number once your item has been booked for air shipment
- Pamono Freight deliveries can take anywhere from 2 - 4 weeks to be delivered
- Pamono In-Home Delivery
- Pamono In-Home deliveries are handled by our European based sister-site, Pamono
- Deliveries are arranged through Schumacher Cargo and automatically come with in-home delivery
- You will receive a tracking number once your item has cleared customs
- Pamono In-Home deliveries take anywhere from 12-25 weeks to be delivered, depending on our partner’s shipping schedule and your location
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