The material

Where the Wood Comes From

Reclaimed wood has a history before it reaches a new home. This is how it is saved, sorted, and made ready to use again.

Where it started

This work started with one salvage job, sorting and saving good wood before it was gone.

Salvage worker standing beside an old wood floor and heavy steel bucket

Weathered reclaimed boards and beams stacked outdoors

Close view of a dark weathered beam with a yellow tape measure

Weathered beam end being measured with a yellow tape measure

Reclaimed boards and beams arranged beside an old structure

The toy factory, and the one still standing

Post and beam material was taken down and saved board by board from the historic toy factory buildings. Three of those buildings were dismantled. One of the old toy factory buildings is still standing, and material is still being pulled out of it today. The same wood is what the Quincy penthouse project was built from.

Interior of the historic toy factory with rows of wood posts and beams

Historic black and white photograph of workers making toys

Historic black and white photograph of toy factory workers at tables

Person standing among saved materials inside the toy factory

Rows of old wood posts and beams inside the toy factory

Reclaiming and milling

The old lumber is pulled out, de-nailed, sorted and re-milled into usable stock, which is how beams become boards.

Salvage worker beside reclaimed boards laid out near a fence

Reclaimed beams sorted into rows outdoors

Long reclaimed beams arranged beside a chain link fence

Reclaimed boards and beams stacked near milling equipment

Sorted reclaimed beams laid out on the ground

Back into a home

Once it is milled, the wood is ready for its next use.

Finished heart pine ceiling beams crossing a bright room with two skylights

Finished heart pine box beams assembled in a bright room

Long finished heart pine box beams resting across supports

Reclaimed rock maple cutting board with a geometric star inlay

The same wood people walked across for a century is now beams, flooring and a cutting board in someone's kitchen.