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of-the-art workshop. Although the oldest mantel they have restored dates to 1790,
most of their pieces are from the 19th century. Many have mirrors, columns, and
carving. "We specialize in attractive, quality mantels that real people can buy----
they're not for the Taj Mahal," Park says. Occasionally, Pigott does sell the unusu-
al: One elaborately carved walnut mantel he restored dates back to about 1880 and is
more than thirteen feet tall and nine feet wide. It was purchased by a Florida client
who added a room to her home to showcase the piece.
In 1995, Mantels of Yesteryear launched its own line of 16 reproductions, rang-
ing in style from Adam to Victorian. Each mantel is copied from an antique once
owned by the Pigotts and is made from oak, poplar, cherry, or mahogany. Because
the sizes fit new construction, the mantels are popular with new home-builders.
Park buys mantel parts from companies that make architectural components, and
some are made to his specifications by smaller custom shops located in Georgia and
Tennessee. All reproductions are built in the family's workshop.
After 10 years, the business has grown to be one of the largest of its kind in the
South, but for the Pigotts, what's important is enjoying the slow pace of rural life in
their cabin beside a trout stream. They enjoy, in the words of William Wordsworth,
"A genial hearth, a hospitable board, and a refined rusticity." CH
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A B O V E L E F T: The circa 1891
mantel on the left is one of 22 removed from
the old Briarwood Hotel in Boston, Massa-
chusetts, before the structure was demol-
ished. The Pigotts are currently making a
custom reproduction in cherry, right, for a
client in Northville, Michigan.
A B O V E R I G H T: In the family's work-
shop, Park Pigott applies molding to a
reproduction half -mantel with Neoclassi-
cal embellishments.
B E L O W , L E F T T O R I G H T: An acan-
thus-leaf-carved corbel supports a man-
telshelf. The colonnettes on this antique
mantel feature finely carved leaf capitals.
A winged griffin adorns a mahogany
mantel dating to 1889. The piece was
removed from a house in Peoria, Illinois
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