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Family business restores national treasure Laplata man may have saved President Herbert Hoover's desk ____________________________________________________ As seen in the Maryland Indepentent Newspaper ________________ By Suzanne White Independent staff writer _____________________
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Larry Manoly stepped out of high school and into a family business that would eventually put him in touch with a possible national treasure. Manoly, owner of Manoly Furniture Service, restores antiques and other furniture for residential customers and a list of commercial entities which include the U.S.goverment. The goverment, Manoly said, is careful with its money and prefers to recycle old desks in its custody rather then spend money to purchase new ones. So, Manoly was not surprised when he received a call to refurbish and repair a mammoth desk that was about to be removed from storage in a Washington, D.C. warehouse. But the desk was different because it was rumored to have been used by Herbert Hoover, who was the 31st president of the United States from 1929 to 1933 when the country was swept by the Great Depression. For years, the immense old desk had sat in the branch chief's office at the Department of Commerce's Bureau of Economic Analysis office on K Street, N.W. When the bureau moved to L Street, N.W., in 1993, the desk was placed in storage until commerce's undersecretary for economic affairs requested it be removed from storage, redone and placed in his office. For Manoly, the desk, with its 20 drawers,-10 on each side -was a challenge. Extensive work was needed to restore the piece to its original condition state, and twice as many men were needed to hoist the desk into a truck that would transport it to a Southern Maryland workshop. It was probably one of the largest desk we have done because it was so massive, said Manoly, who lives in Laplata where his office is based. "Four of us had to load it. Usually, it takes two guts and a dolly to load just about anything." At Manoly's workshop, the desk was disassembled before it was stripped, treated and refinished in a deep mahogany custom-matched stain reminiscent of its original finish. Brass locks and pulls were replaced by hardware that reflected the era. But, Manoly said, despite the beautification of the desk, it had to be functional. None of the locks worked, and the runners for the multiple drawers were worn, which caused them to shake when pulled in and out. The repairs were made in addition to restoring the old desk that reportedly served President Hoover. A month and a half after the desk was delivered to Manoly's shop in Waldorf, the job was done. The desk's new occupant at the commerce department was delighted with the transformation, and a letter of appreciation was sent to Manoly thanking him for his fine craftsmanship and "attention above and beyond the normal restoration."
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________________________________________ While the Hoover desk was Manoly's most historical restoration assignment, he has done work for other well-known political figures such as former Secretary of Commerce Ronald Brown, who was killed in a plane crash, and James Baker, chief of staff and secretary of the treasury under President Regan. Manoly's customers also include sports professionals with the Bullets and Capitals, high-profile law firms in Washington, D.C., that want their office furniture maintained, moving companies and residential customers who would like a family heirloom restored to be passed down to the next generation. "When I got out of school in 1971, the business was there for me," Manoly said. "I went into business with my father." Manoly's grandfather, Nicholas, who started the business, was a bedmaker in Austria before coming to New York. His father, Larry Sr. who eventually took over the business with an uncle before Manoly became its president. "It's rewarding to take a piece of furniture and restore it," said Manoly, who opened a web site three months ago. "You cannot explain to a person what it is going to look like until they actually see it." |
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