Manufacturer: Scammell China
User: Huyler's
Pattern name: Design Patent #75,075
Date of example: Circa 1928 – 1953
Notes: John S. Huyler was born in Manhattan in New York City in 1846. In 1875, at age 29, he opened a store at 869 Broadway, selling his freshly made taffy.
The business expanded into chocolate candy, grew rapidly, and in 1881 he incorporated it as the John S. Huyler Company.
By 1885, there were about 60 Huyler stores; 23 were in and around Manhattan, and the rest in cities as far north as Boston. A new six-story factory was located on Irving Place and 18th Street.
When John passed away in 1910, his four sons took over the operation. In the early 1920s the company, with about 60 stores, began transitioning from just retail candy sales into the luncheonette and restaurant business.
Between 1923 and 1924, 22 new Huyler stores with restaurants opened. In December 1925, the Huyler family sold Huyler's Inc. to a New Orleans syndicate for $7.5 million, and 10 new restaurants were added in 1925-1926.
On June 17, 1927, Huyler's was sold to the Schulte Company, operator of 5¢-to-$1 stores as well as United Cigar Stores. Schulte established Huyler's Luncheonette Inc., which they wanted to install in the United Cigar Stores, with the plan to open 500 new restaurants within the next five years. This expansion plan was halted, however, by the Great Depression that began in the fall of 1929.
During that time, Schulte merged with the Whelan Drug Co., which, as Schulte-United Stores, went into receivership in 1931.
In 1942, the 24-store Huyler's operation was sold to another syndicate. By 1952, only nine Huyler's restaurants remained in operation. In June 1953, it was sold to John S. Swersey, who died suddenly on Sept. 22, 1953. And the remaining Huyler's restaurants died with him.
In 1927, Emil L. Schnepf, Scammell's head designer, created a border band of laurel leaves with six-section circles and panels containing bowls of fruit. This design was patented on May 1, 1928 (Des 75,075). Scammell used this border on the Lamberton China they made for Huyler's. These pieces are backstamped "Made Expressly for Huyler's." The backstamp also contains "Design Copyrighted." Why it says copyrighted rather than patented is a bit of a mystery. So far, the only Scammell copyrighted patterns that have been found were issued in 1932.
The border was probably also made for other customers because it has been found on a sauceboat with a red pin line added.
Sources:
Buffalo Architecture and History, by Jennifer Walkowski – detailed history of Huyler Candy Company
Chuckman's Photos – Huyler's Chicago restaurant postcard
Culinary Institute of America, digital collection – menu
The Soda Fountain (trade journal), March, 1921 – tea room article
Wikipedia – Huyler's history
Contributor:
Larry Paul: author