{{for|the surname|Roycroft (surname)}} {{Use American English|date=July 2025}} {{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}} {{more footnotes needed|date=February 2016}} {{Infobox NRHP | name = Roycroft Campus | nrhp_type = nhl | image = Roycroft Copper Shop.jpg | caption = The Copper Shop, first building of the Roycroft Campus to be restored | location = Main and South Grove St., [[East Aurora, New York]] | nearest_city = [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]] | coordinates = {{coord|42|46|04|N|78|37|04|W|display=inline,title}} | area = | built = 1895 | architect = | architecture = | designated_nrhp_type = February 26, 1986<ref name="nhlsum">{{cite web|url=http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1460&ResourceType=District|title=Roycroft Campus|date=2007-09-18|work=National Historic Landmark summary listing|publisher=National Park Service|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090911042746/http://tps.cr.nps.gov/nhl/detail.cfm?ResourceId=1460&ResourceType=District|archive-date=2009-09-11}}</ref> | added = November 8, 1974<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2007a}}</ref> | visitation_num = | visitation_year = | refnum = 74001236 | mpsub = }} '''Roycroft''' was a reformist community of [[craft]] workers and artists which formed part of the [[Arts and Crafts movement]] in the United States. [[Elbert Hubbard]] founded the community in 1895, in the village of [[East Aurora, New York]], near [[Buffalo, New York|Buffalo]]. Participants were known as '''Roycrofters'''. The work and philosophy of the group, often referred to as the '''Roycroft movement''', had a strong influence on the development of American architecture and design in the early 20th century.
==History== [[Image:Roycroft printing press.jpg|left|thumb|[[Golding Pearl]] letterpress used by the Roycrofters]] The name "Roycroft" was chosen after the printers, Samuel and Thomas Roycroft, who made books in [[London]] from about 1650–1690. The word ''roycroft'' had a special significance to Elbert Hubbard. Hubbard believed "''roycroft"'' meant "''king's craft"'' in French.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Elbert G. Hubbard: Roycroft Arts and Crafts by John H. Martin |url=https://www.crookedlakereview.com/books/saints_sinners/martin15.html |access-date=2022-04-03 |website=www.crookedlakereview.com}}</ref> In [[guild]]s of early modern Europe, king's craftsmen were guild members who had achieved a high degree of skill and therefore made things for the King. The Roycroft insignia was borrowed from the monk [[Cassiodorus]], a 13th-century bookbinder and illuminator.
Elbert Hubbard had been influenced by the ideas of [[William Morris]] on a visit to England.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Koch |first=Robert |date=January 1967 |title=Elbert Hubbard's Roycrofters as Artist-Craftsmen |url=http://dx.doi.org/10.1086/495764 |journal=Winterthur Portfolio |volume=3 |pages=67–82 |doi=10.1086/495764 |s2cid=162706305 |issn=0084-0416|url-access=subscription }}</ref> He was unable to find a publisher for his book ''Little Journeys'' so, inspired by Morris's [[Kelmscott Press]], decided to set up his own [[private press]] to print the book himself, founding '''Roycroft Press'''.
His championing of the Arts and Crafts approach attracted a number of visiting craftspeople to East Aurora, and they formed a community of printers, furniture makers, metalsmiths, leathersmiths, and bookbinders. A quotation from [[John Ruskin]] formed the Roycroft "creed":
<blockquote>A belief in working with the head, hand and heart and mixing enough play with the work so that every task is pleasurable and makes for health and happiness.</blockquote>
The inspirational leadership of Hubbard attracted a group of almost 500 people by 1910, and millions more knew of him through his essay ''[[A Message to Garcia]]''. [[File:A door of the Chapel, Roycroft Campus.jpg|thumb|A door of the Chapel (not a religious building but a guild hall)]] The Roycroft Press is also credited for publishing partner publications, such as Carl Lothar Bredemeier's ''The Buffalo Magazine for Arts'' in 1920.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Publications, Volume 24|publisher=Buffalo Historical Society|year=1920|location=Buffalo, NY|pages=384}}</ref>
In 1915 Hubbard and his wife, noted [[suffragist]] [[Alice Moore Hubbard]], died in the sinking of [[RMS Lusitania|RMS ''Lusitania'']], and the Roycroft community went into a gradual decline. Following Elbert's death, his son Bert took over the business. In attempts to keep his father's business afloat, Bert proposed selling Roycroft's furniture through major retailers. Sears & Roebuck eventually agreed to carry the furniture, but this was only a short-lived success.<ref name="Roycroft_Hubbard">{{cite web |url=http://roycroft.org/elbert-hubbard.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140729162105/http://roycroft.org/elbert-hubbard.html |title=Elbert Hubbard - The Man. |website=Roycroft.org |archive-date=July 29, 2014 |access-date=December 17, 2015}}</ref>
Fourteen original Roycroft buildings are located in the area of South Grove and Main Street in East Aurora. Known as the "Roycroft Campus", this rare survival of an [[art colony]] was awarded [[National Historic Landmark]] status in 1986.<ref name="nhlsum"/><ref name="nrhpinv">{{cite web|url={{NHLS url|id=74001236}} |title="Roycroft Campus", July 1985, by Carolyn Pitts (National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination)|format=pdf|date=July 1985|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref><ref name="nrhpphotos">{{cite web|url={{NHLS url|id=74001236|photos=y}} |title=Roycroft Campus--Accompanying 3 photos, exterior, from 1973. (National Register of Historic Places Inventory-Nomination)|format=pdf|date=July 1985|publisher=National Park Service}}</ref>
The Elbert Hubbard Roycroft Museum, housed in the [[George and Gladys Scheidemantel House]] in [[East Aurora, New York|East Aurora]] is the main collection and research centre for the work of the Roycrofters.
===Roycroft Inn=== [[File:Roycroft Inn, Lobby bar, Roycroft Campus.jpg|thumb|Roycroft Inn, Lobby bar, Roycroft Campus]] Part of the Roycroft Campus, the Inn is a hotel with a restaurant and lobby bar across the street from the primary buildings. It first opened for visitors in 1905 and in 1986, as part of the Roycroft Campus, became a [[National Historic Landmark]].<ref name=nrhpdoc>{{cite report|type=none|url=https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75315730 |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration: New York NHL Roycroft Campus|publisher=National Archives and Records Administration |author= Carolyn Pitts|date= July 1985| access-date=October 21, 2025 }} ({{NationalArchivesNote}})</ref> A nine-year restoration was completed in 1995, with funding from the Margaret L. Wendt Foundation; the total cost was $8 million.<ref>{{Cite web |last=SCHULMAN |first=JAMES HEANEY AND PAUL CARROLL, PAUL CARROLL, PAUL CARROLL AND GENE WARNER, PAUL CARROLL AND SUSAN |title=RESTORED ROYCROFT INN TO REOPEN E. AURORA LANDMARK REBORN IN $8 MILLION RENOVATION |url=https://buffalonews.com/news/restored-roycroft-inn-to-reopen-e-aurora-landmark-reborn-in-8-million-renovation/article_bddc59c5-6179-5967-994d-c869f3ec5423.html |access-date=2022-04-03 |website=Buffalo News |date=April 30, 1995 |language=en}}</ref> At that time, the facility re-opened. The Salon area contains restored murals by Roycroft artist [[Alexis Jean Fournier]].<ref>https://roycroftinn.com/our-history/, Our History</ref>
The inn also hosted a [[training camp]] for the [[Buffalo Bills]] from 1960 until 1962.<ref name=train>{{cite web |title=Throwback Thursday: Bills Training Camp history |url=https://www.buffalobills.com/news/throwback-thursday-bills-training-camp-history-10537441 |publisher=NFL Enterprises |website=BuffaloBills.com |access-date=June 30, 2019 |archive-date=July 1, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190701040406/https://www.buffalobills.com/news/throwback-thursday-bills-training-camp-history-10537441 |url-status=live}}</ref>
==Gallery== <gallery mode="packed" heights="170"> Image:Visitor Center, Roycroft Campus, East Aurora, NY.jpg|Visitor Center, June 2019 Image:Aurora Town Hall - former Roycroft Chapel - Dec 2008 - 01.jpg|Front of the Chapel Image:Roycroftrestaurant.JPG|Roycroft Inn Image:Aurora Town Hall - former Roycroft Chapel - Dec 2008 - 02.jpg|Side of the Chapel Image:RoycroftCrest.jpg|The Roycroft Renaissance Logo Image:RoycroftCampusWelcome.jpg|Roycroft Campus welcome sign from the 1990s Image:RoycroftSign.JPG|Sign about Elbert Hubbard Image:Roycroftsign2.jpg|Sign with Roycroft crest and lettering Image:Portrait of Elbert Hubbard, Roycroft Campus Visitor Center.jpg|Portrait of Elbert Hubbard at the Visitor Center </gallery>
==Famous Roycrofters== *Arthur H. Cole (1899–?), coppersmith *[[Jerome Connor]] (1874–1943), sculptor of Elbert Hubbard statue, North Wind on the Roycroft Chapel, and others. *[[William Wallace Denslow]] (1856–1915), illustrator of ''[[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]]''. *[[Alexis Jean Fournier]] (1865–1948), American painter, including 20 murals at the Roycroft Inn. *[[Dard Hunter|William Joseph "Dard" Hunter]] (1883–1966), American authority on making paper by hand, as well as printing using handmade type. He published a number of books on traditional, pre-industrial, techniques for making paper. *Walter Jennings, coppersmith and jeweler *Karl Kipp (1882–1954), worked in the bindery in 1908 and later established the Roycroft Copper Shop. *Fredrick Kranz, created find leather goods. *Victor Toothaker (1882–1932), coppersmith *Samuel Warner (1871–1947), book designer, artist and illustrator for many Roycroft books.
==See also== * [[American craft]] * [[Arden, Delaware]] * [[Byrdcliffe Colony]] * [[Elbert Hubbard]] * [[Frank Lloyd Wright]] * [[Gustav Stickley]] * [[Rose Valley, Pennsylvania]] * [[Roy Croft]]
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== *{{cite journal |last=Beyer |first=Rachael A. |title='You must make it the fashion:' selling utopia in Roycroft and Arden, 1895-1915 |website=Iowa State University Digital Repository |date=2013-06-21 |url=https://lib.dr.iastate.edu/etd/13025 |access-date=2018-03-20 |oclc=880379261}} * Cathers, David M. (1981) ''Furniture of the American Arts and Crafts Movement: Stickley and Roycroft Mission Oak'' New American Library, New York, {{ISBN|0-453-00397-4}} * Champney, Freeman (1968) ''Art & glory; the story of Elbert Hubbard'' Crown Publishers, New York, [http://worldcat.org/oclc/274494 OCLC 274494] * Dirlam, H. Kenneth (1964) ''Sinners, this is East Aurora; the story of Elbert Hubbard and the Roycroft Shops'' Vantage Press, New York * Guiler, Thomas A (2025) ''The Handcrafted Utopia: Arts and Crafts Communities in America's Progressive Era'' Richard W. Couper Press, Clinton, New York, {{ISBN|978-1-937370-43-5}} * Hamilton, Charles Franklin (1973) ''As Bees in Honey Drown: Elbert Hubbard and the Roycrofters'' A.S. Barnes, South Brunswick, {{ISBN|0-498-01052-X}} * Rust, Robert ''et al.'' (2000) ''The Roycroft Campus'' (''Images of America'' series) Arcadia Publishing, Charleston, SC, {{ISBN|0-7524-1344-9}} * Turgeon, Kitty and Rust, Robert (1998) ''The Arts and Crafts Home'' Friedman/Fairfax Publishers, New York, {{ISBN|1-56799-455-5}} * Via, Marie and Searl, Marjorie (eds.) (1994) ''Head, Heart, and Hand: Elbert Hubbard and the Roycrofters'' University of Rochester Press, Rochester, N.Y., {{ISBN|1-878822-43-8}}
==External links== {{commons category|Roycroft}} * [https://www.roycroftcampuscorporation.com/ Roycroft Organization] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070312042831/http://www.roycroftinn.com/inn/inn_history.htm Roycroft Inn, East Aurora] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20160319104038/http://www.stickleyera.info/AmericanMakersR-Ste.htm Roycroft shop marks and related historical furniture maker details] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20161109075520/http://www.arts-crafts.com/archive/hdavis.shtml The Roycroft Community 1894–1938 by Hilary Davis] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20101124213821/http://www.arts-crafts.com/archive/ehubbard.shtml The Arts & Crafts Movement: People: Elbert Hubbard] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20070210063221/http://freenet.buffalo.edu/bah/a/archsty/a-c/roy/hp/index.html The Roycroft Campus] * [http://www.ralaweb.com Roycrofters At Large Association] *[http://findingaid.winterthur.org/html/HTML_Finding_Aids/COL0254.htm The Winterthur Library] Overview of an archival collection on the Roycrofters *Roycrofters Collection: Books published at the Roycrofter colony founded by Elbert Hubbard, (97 items). From the [https://www.loc.gov/rr/rarebook/ Rare Book and Special Collections Division at the Library of Congress] * [https://web.archive.org/web/20150707090929/http://www.trovestar.com/ac_antique/index.php?Manufacturer=Roycroft Furniture Items from the 1906 Roycroft Catalog ]
{{NHLs in NY}} {{National Register of Historic Places in New York}}
[[Category:American artist groups and collectives]] [[Category:19th-century art groups]] [[Category:Arts and Crafts movement]] [[Category:History of Buffalo, New York]] [[Category:History of furniture]] [[Category:American furniture makers]] [[Category:1895 establishments in New York (state)]] [[Category:Populated places established in 1895]] [[Category:National Historic Landmarks in New York (state)]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in Erie County, New York]] [[Category:Tourist attractions in Erie County, New York]] [[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Erie County, New York]]