“The Christmas pattern” … “the mysterious Mr. McClurg” … 42 million yards purchased inside the first 40 years … These are hints at only some of the problems I spotted about Armstrong Flooring’s well-known 5352 pattern as soon as I talked about its historic previous with agency designer Mark Zeamer. Mark carried out a key place inside the agency’s 2020 revival of this storied pattern. He has labored for the company for 44 years, and he did historic evaluation to rearrange the revival, so he moreover was the appropriate specific individual to ask: Was Armstrong Flooring pattern #5352 the best-selling resilient flooring of the 20th Century? His reply: A robust: Positive! Above: An early image — most likely from the Nineteen Thirties — of a producing line making #5352 linoleum, image courtesy Armstrong Flooring.
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Designed in 1932 by the mysterious Mr. McClurg
In my 2013 story about #5352, readers piped in that that that they had seen this flooring in use as early as 1935. Shut! Mark Zeamer confirms that the pattern was distinctive launched in 1932 as an embossed inlaid linoleum. The company continued to advertise 5352 as inlaid linoleum for some 40 years. And:
“For a really very long time only one coloration – purple,” he acknowledged
Mark knowledgeable me that there is a massive, framed piece of the distinctive product inside the agency’s Lancaster, Pa., office hallway important as a lot because the second flooring. (I am going to ask for {a photograph} of the piece in order so as to add to this story — Mark is working remotely correct now.)
The plaque subsequent to it says the pattern was designed by a “Mr. McClurg.” Mark moreover found McClurg’s surname talked about in an earlier pattern e e-book. Mark acknowledged he tried to do additional evaluation on Mr. McClurg, nonetheless the trail quickly went chilly. No first determine might very nicely be found. Mark and crew suppose he shouldn’t have been a lifelong employee. A thriller!
UPDATE: In a short while after I posted this story on Fb, reader Kim jumped into movement and positioned our Mr. McClurg inside the 1930 Census public doc. She wrote: “I found John E. McClurg inside the 1930 Census in Lancaster. He was 45 years earlier, born in New York, married to partner Edith. His occupation is listed as designer, linoleum plant.” Further Census evaluation signifies that by 1940, he was dwelling up North as a carpet designer. Successfully carried out, Kim!
I’ve acknowledged sooner than that #5352 ought to have been the best-selling resilient flooring design of the 20th Century. True, I requested Mark? “Utterly – I’ve little doubt about that,” he acknowledged.
From 1932 to 1972 alone, the company says they purchased better than 42 million yards of pattern #5352. And, manufacturing continued for a further 28 years after that!
Earlier to 1932: “Embossed Inlaid Designs — Unusual Texture Outcomes”
Sunday night I went by the use of all the traditional Armstrong catalogs on-line inside the Setting up Experience Heritage Library. Actually, in 1931, there was no level out of #5352. You do see, though, that the idea of inlaid linoleum designed to look like a mosaic tile flooring was successfully beneath means.
Mr. McClurg’s 1932 genius: “A gentle, straightforward transgression of design”
What Mr. McClurg did so brilliantly, was to create a primary random block mosaic flooring pattern that blended sizes and hues in a really pleasing, timeless means. The flooring moreover was embossed — pressed with a plate that depresses parts of the design to further mimic the texture of an precise tile flooring.
In regards to the design of 5352, Mark acknowledged, “I really feel it’s a implausible pattern and like the way in which it entails the forefront then fades away then comes once more to the forefront as soon as extra.”
He moreover acknowledged, “It seems good coming down the highway, there’s no monitoring the least bit… there’s a gentle, straightforward transgression of design.”
What’s monitoring? Mark outlined due to this no single design side stands proud over the alternative. The design is so good you don’t see the repeat.
As time progressed, inlaid linoleum was modified by completely different flooring utilized sciences
Mark knowledgeable me, “The 5352 pattern lasted a really very long time in many alternative commodities, starting out in linoleum to Coronelle to felt-backed Imperial Solarian after which jumped to vinyl into the 1970’s. It was inside the 70’s that it was revived as a Rotogravure printed product in Sheet Gadgets and Tile.”
Spherical this time was when the printed design started attempting a little bit of like pointillism – ummm, not so good as the earlier designs. Hey, it was the 70s — quite a lot of stuff didn’t look almost nearly as good. Circa 1975, there moreover was a Colonial Primary Designer Solarium that was stenciled. I forgot to ask, nonetheless my sense is that it regarded increased because of the manufacturing course of.
“We purchased Colonial Primary Designer Solarium almost as a lot as 12 months 2000,” Mark acknowledged. Nonetheless, by 2000, at $35 per sq. yard, the shopper base was getting smaller. In addition to, Armstrong was tearing down an earlier part of the Lancaster, Pennsylvania plant that made the flooring. So, after 68 years of regular manufacturing, the highway was lastly discontinued. Even so, Mark acknowledged, “As soon as we dropped it, there was a number of noise.” Significantly, the pattern had remained frequent inside the Northeast.
As a very long time handed, Armstrong moreover launched the pattern in numerous colors. “Some people had it in brown,” Mark acknowledged. “We had avocado and harvest gold in late 60s. Inside the 70s, good yellow and good orange.”
Discover, Armstrong knowledgeable me that pattern has in no way truly gone away – they nonetheless generally hear from distributors who’ve new earlier stock stashed away!
Armstrong 5352: “The Christmas Pattern”
On our cellphone identify, Mark moreover talked about a fascinating agency story about 5352: At Armstrong, employees understand it as “The Christmas Pattern.”
The story is, that in the middle of the Good Melancholy, corporations in all places within the U.S. had been shedding employees – nonetheless not Armstrong. Positive, the success of pattern #5352 not solely saved the factories working, it enabled the company to ship Christmas bonuses even all through these dire monetary cases. Subsequently: Virtually 90 years later, it’s nonetheless acknowledged internally as “The Christmas Pattern.”
The 2020 revival of 5352 — aka Heritage Brick
And now: Armstrong Flooring pattern 5352 is now coming once more as a participant inside the twenty first Century. Positive, in what’s optimistic to be a very powerful product info of the 12 months proper right here, Armstrong Flooring is reintroducing its well-known #5352 pattern – now dubbed “Heritage Brick” – in 4 colorways. Armstrong Flooring is inside the strategy of rolling out the revived design by the use of flooring retailers and expects it to be additional broadly obtainable as a result of the 12 months progresses. Watch this story for updates on the pattern’s availability nationwide — Armstrong Flooring has promised to take care of us updated.
So there you possibly can have it: Armstrong Flooring pattern #5352 in regular manufacturing from 1932-2000 — that’s 68 years. And now, revived in 2020!
Thanks, Armstrong Flooring, Mark Zeamer, readers, and the Setting up Experience Heritage Library for serving to make this story potential!
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