Furniture by Robert Daniel Gerard, ada Sam Gerard

I live in Rockland County next to the Lamont laboratory and one of my neighbors, Alice Gerard who recently lost her husband wrote a book about his work and their lives. Alice is an archeologist and an anthropologist. She is also the area’s historian. While visiting her I noticed some beautiful pieces of lighting and furniture and learned that her husband Sam had built them in the 60’s and 70’s.

Alice grew up in Palisades and went back to settle there after her marriage to Sam.  They had met at the university of New Mexico where Sam studied sculpture among other things.  In 1955, after a first job on the Vema , Lamont’s new oceanographic ship which took him on a cruise to the Azores, Casablanca and Portugal Sam started a 37 years career at Lamont Observatory. He worked on a series of scientific projects related to the ocean and invented a number of instruments to further research in that field. He was at sea often on the Vema and other boats, travelling as far as Argentina and Africa.

 In the early 60’s when the old teak decking on the Vema was replaced with steel Sam ended up with a lot of teak which he used to make lamps and tables. A boom was used to anchor the staircase in the house he, his wife and father in law had recently built.

The chandelier is reminiscent of work by Franco Albini for Fontana Arte from the 1960’s.  It is about transparency.  The wall lamp with a ceramic shade by a famous local artist is from the 70’s so are the chair, coffee table and other lamps.