ABANA Members in Action
Searching for Samuel Yellin with Gabriel Craig
Gabriel Craig is the co-owner of Smith Shop in Detroit, Michigan. He works with his wife and business partner, Amy Weiks.
In October 2022, after finding a reference to a Samuel Yellin work in the index of Jack Andrews’ Samuel Yellin Metalworker, Gabriel Craig of Smith Shop visited the Metropolitan United Methodist Church in Detroit, Michigan. Not knowing what the work was, he scrutinized each piece of metalwork in the elaborate late 1920s basilica plan church. Finally, Gabriel discovered an auxiliary chapel with an interior entrance gate whose form and style were immediately familiar. The gate was commissioned in 1927 by one of the church’s most prominent patrons and sure enough, the touchmark read “Samuel Yellin”.
“Samuel Yellin (1885-1940) forged a prodigious body of decorative ironwork, handwrought by himself and the blacksmiths working to his designed and directly under his supervision. His work adorns a vast number of public and private buildings constructed in the United States during those years. To appreciate Samuel Yellin’s achievement one must grasp not only the personal vision and skill of this inventive and versatile artist-craftsman, but also consider the vast spectrum of revival architecture in this country prior to World War II. Variations on Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance and eighteenth century French styles determined to a large extent the physical character of our cities, college campuses and residential suburbs during that era. Samuel Yellin’s talents were called upon at a moment in architectural history that coincided with the need for monumental metalwork which Yellin himself termed ‘the salt and pepper of architecture.'”
-Excerpt from Richard Wattenmaker’s article, “Samuel Yellin in Context”
The maker of the gate, found in the Metropolitan United Methodist Church at 8000 Woodward Ave. in Detroit, Michigan, was unknown to the church.
The 1927 gate commission and auxiliary chapel were donated to the church by Anna Kresge (whose family founded K-Mart).
Using, Samuel Yellin, Metalworker, as a guide Gabriel has spent about a year attempting to track down Yellin pieces in his native Detroit. Although there are job cards included in the book, it isn’t always an easy task. Works were sometimes produced for churches that have since changed names, for private individuals who are long deceased, or for structures that have been demolished. Other times it is difficult to know what to expect at a site. As he explains it, the scope of the work is not mentioned, so when only some basic hardware is found in a building, it begs the question of if there was more to see once upon a time. Was it simply a small job or were there potentially larger pieces like grilles or railings that disappeared over time?
These images are from the John Blodgett Residence, built in 1926 in East Grand Rapids, Michigan by the New York architectural firm Walker and Gillette. The interior storm door and grand staircase railing are by Samuel Yellin. Again, the current owners were unaware of the historical significance behind the ironwork on the property. Sharing these images on social media, Craig observed, “This work is in the Colonial Revival style appropriated from late 18th Century British Georgian estate ironwork. While not known for this style, Yellin executed many commissions in this style, and to date, this is among the best examples I’ve seen in person or images.” Now an institutional building that is not open to the public, Craig’s work to uncover and share his discoveries is nothing short of a gift to the smithing community.
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