A pair of monumental and unique Andirons from the E.L. King House, Rockledge, Homer, Minnesota, ca. 1912

This pair of monumental and unique andirons were designed for and originally installed in the reception room of George Washington Maher’s most famous architectural work, the home known as Rockledge. Built in 1912 in Homer, Minnesota, the house was commissioned by Ernest L. King and his wife Grace Watkins King as a summer residence. Wealthy patrons, the Kings hired Maher to design not only the exterior structure but also the whole of the home’s interior furnishings. For this reason, Rockledge represents the most complete expression of the architect’s distinctive design concept, which he termed the “motif-rhythm theory.” Dismantled and renovated throughout the years as trends cycled in and out of style, the house was completely razed in 1987, leaving only period photographs to reconnect the decorative pieces to their original location and context within the home.