Rambusch Decorating Company
Rambusch Decorating Company, founded in 1898, is based in Jersey City, NJ.
The Rambusch Company has two main divisions where custom design marries superb craftsmanship.
The Lighting Division, building new and restoring old decorative fixtures, chandeliers, lanterns and sconces in all types of metals. Rambusch developed and built engineered high-bay downlights patented in 1936, uplights and accent lights for institutional buildings and spaces such as churches, theaters, historic restorations. All products are individually built in our own workshops.
The Rambusch Craft Division designs and fabricates in its own studio’s stained glass windows and art metal works. Rambusch designers have an professional network of craftsmen for marble, mosaic, and painting work related architectural decorative arts.
History
The firm was founded by Danish master painter/decorator Frode C.W. Rambusch in 1898. Its earliest work involved the decorative painting of churches and theaters. In 1908 it became involved in designing and fabricating church lighting fixtures so that its painted interiors would be properly lighted. In the 1920s, it decorated hundreds of movie palaces including the Roxy and the Loews Palaces in New York City. It opened its own stained glass studio in 1930. Its lighting division patented its first downlights in 1936.
Rambusch was very active building exhibits at the NY World’s Fair in 1939. During World War II some of its’ commissions involved camouflage of airports on US soil. Also, Rambusch invented porthole blackout vents to protect our merchant fleet. In the 1950s, 60s it was very active furnishing church interiors and lighting state capitals and theaters. In the 1970s, it became involved in historic preservation projects such as the US Capital and the Houses of Parliament in Ottawa, Canada. It helped implement the liturgical changes asked for in the Vatican Council Reform.
In 1999, the fourth generation of the Rambusch family, twins, Edwin and Martin Rambusch, took over the management of the two divisions.
Lighting
- Beacon Towers, Jersey City, NJ
- Citibank Chandelier, New York, NY
- Hermitage, Historical, Nashville, TN
- Adam Plaza Bank, College Station, TX
- St. Joseph’s Church, New Orleans, LA
- Hilton Hotel Chandelier, Baltimore, MD
- St. Francis de Sales, Muskegon, MI (Marcel Breuer, Architect)
- Utah State Capital. Salt Lake City, UT
- Taft School, Watertown, CT
- Yale Art Gallery Historic, New Haven, CT
- Empire State Building Lobby – New York City
- Pritzker Library, Chicago, IL
- Winnipeg Airport, Winnipeg, Canada
- St. Mary’s Church, Wichita, KS
- Maryland State House Historic, Annapolis, MD
- St. Steven’s Episcopal Church, Durham, NH
- Frick Museum, New York, NY
- United Nations Fixture Renovations, New York, NY
- Penn State Auditorium, Happy Valley, PA
- St. Matthew’s Catholic Church, Washington, DC
- St. Mary’s Church, New Haven, CT
Stained Glass
- St. Gregory’s, Hamilton Square, NJ
- St. Bernadette’s, Port St. Lucie, FL
- St. John the Baptist, Draper, UT
- St. Francis Hospital, Phoenix, AR
- Buckingham Hotel, 57th Street, New York, NY
- Seton Hall Seminary Chapel, South Orange, NJ
- Assumption Greek Orthodox, Fairview, NJ
- St. Louis Church, Penfield, NY
- Our Lady of Lourdes, Wellfleet, MA
Church Interiors & Craft Projects
- St. Raymond’s Church, Bronx, NY
- Italian Chapel, National Shrine, Washington, DC
- St. Joseph Cathedral, Wheeling, WV
- Christ Church, Short Hills, NJ
- St. Mary Cathedral, Lafayette, IN
- St. Andrews Church, Rochester, NY
- Fireman’s Memorial, Ground Zero, New York, NY
- 60’ Diameter mosaics, National Shrine, Washington, DC
- Holy Cross, DeWitt, NY
- St. George Church, St. George, UT
- St. James Church, Charlestown, VA
- St. Joseph’s Church, Biddeford, ME
Secular
- NYC Firefighter’s 9/11 Memorial – 56’ Bronze Bas relief
- 1896 replica Bronze Orbs surrounding 18 story building
Awards
- AIA, Post 9/11 Project Medallion, Architects of Healing Award
- Arthur Ross Award Institute of Classical Architecture, 2007
- Lucy G. Moses Award - NY Landmark Conservancy, 2008
- Craftsman Aware - General Society of Mechanics and Tradesman, 2008
External links
- Rambusch Decorating Company
- Rendering of the interior of New York's Roxy Theatre Courtesy of the American Theatre Architecture Archive, Theatre Historical Society of America, Elmhurst IL.