Victorian and early twentieth-century lighting. (Design Notes).(Brief Article)

The Far West abounds in buildings that date from the turn of the twentieth century, ranging from large Victorian mansions to pared-down bungalows. These buildings are sought after but often need a great deal of restoration to bring them back to their original appearance, because in the 1960s and 1970s many of their period features were eliminated when their owners deemed them hopelessly old fashioned. As a greater appreciation of these styles began to develop, owners wishing to reinstall period features, particularly electric lighting fixtures, found them difficult to find. To meet this need Jim Kelly founded Rejuvenation House Parts in 1977 in Portland, Oregon, to sell old fixtures and architectural details. When demand exceeded supply he decided to start manufacturing reproductions under the name Rejuvenation Lamp and Fixture Company, concentrating on the period between 1890 and 1950.

Kelly starts the manufacturing process by disassembling a period example and using the components as patterns. In some cases he has been able to locate old dies and molds for some of the parts and the glass shades. For example, nearly 75 percent of the glass ...