Marland’s Grand Home inherits original patio furniture

Recently donated vintage Marland cast iron patio furniture now graces the east terrace of the historic 1916 Marland’s Grand Home in Ponca City.

Marland’s Grand Home is a 22-room historic house museum owned by the City of Ponca City, and is open for tours and special events daily.

The set of a bench and two chairs, along with a dining table, were donated by Margot Smith. Smith and her husband, Truman, were close friends of Lydie Marland before her passing in 1987.

Four missing chairs, which accompanied the outdoor dining table, were deemed unusable years ago due to their deteriorated state. New vintage looking chairs were purchased by Marland’s Grand Home to complement and provide table seating once again.

Smith acquired the cast iron pieces from Grover and Ruth Blackard. Grover Blackard, longtime manager of the Marland Estate and friend to E.W. Marland, acquired many pieces after Marland’s death in 1941 to keep, sell, or give away.

“The pieces were in need of cleaning, as rust and chipped paint had taken over their patina,” said Jayne Detten, Assistant Director of the Marland Mansion and Marland’s Grand Home.

“We enlisted the help of Weinmann Metalcraft of Tulsa, well known metal artisans to clean and repair the pieces,” she said.

In the late 1970s, the Weinmann Company hand-crafted the long handrail and banister, which helps visitors navigate the long expanse of stone stairs in the Marland Mansion entryway down into the gallery corridor of the lower level.

“This railing was an exact match to the existing corridor hand railings created by European artisans in 1927 and is impeccable in its style and precision crafting, so we knew we had the right company to work with,” Detten said. “The Weinmann Company understands the importance of Marland vintage pieces and were eager to help even though most of their work consists of larger projects.”

The vintage patio pieces can be viewed by visiting Marland’s Grand Home, located at 1000 East Grand Avenue.  Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

Go to marlandgrandhome.com for more information, or call (580) 767-0427 for tours or special event rentals.