Solon and Schemmel Tile Company facts for kids
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The Solon and Schemmel Tile Company (often called S&S) was a famous business that made beautiful tiles. It was located in San Jose, California, and operated from 1920 to 1936.
Their amazing tiles can still be seen in many important places. For example, they decorated the Steinhart Aquarium in San Francisco and the grand Hearst Castle in San Simeon, California. S&S also made tiles for theaters like the Orpheum in Los Angeles, the Mark Hopkins Hotel, and buildings at San Jose State University. They even created tiles for war memorials in Oakland and Berkeley. This company's legacy lives on! It later became part of Stonelight Tile. It's one of the few big tile makers from the 1920s in California that is still around today.
Company History
Albert Solon (1887-1949) moved to the U.S. from England in 1912. He studied at the San Jose Normal School, which is now San Jose State University. Before starting S&S, he directed a pottery program. This program helped people with tuberculosis through ceramic art.
In 1920, Albert Solon teamed up with Schemmel to create S&S tiles. Albert Solon was the artistic mind, designing all the tiles. Schemmel was in charge of the business side of things. Both men lived in Willow Glen during the 1930s and 1940s. Their work in Willow Glen included the Willow Glen Theater (which is no longer there) and the fronts of homes on Telfer Avenue, Kotenberg Avenue, and Willow Glen Way.
Schemmel retired in 1936. Albert Solon then partnered with Paul Larkin. They changed the company name to Solon & Larkin. They worked together until Albert Solon retired in 1947. Schemmel passed away in 1950. In 1953, four friends from UC-Berkeley took over the company. They changed its name from Larkin Tile Company to Stonelight Tile. They owned the company until 1979, when David Anson bought it.
The Solon Family's Artistic Legacy
Albert Solon came from a family with a long and impressive history in ceramics. His grandfather, Léon Arnoux, was an art director at a famous company called Mintons Limited. Albert's father, Marc-Louis-Emmanuel Solon, was a French porcelain artist. He was very well known for his special "pâte-sur-pâte" technique.
Albert's older brother, Leon Solon (1872-1957), was also an artistic director. He worked at the American Encaustic Tiling Company in New York. Another brother, Paul Solon (1883-?), also worked there. Camille A. Solon (1877-1960) was a muralist and ceramist. He worked with architect Julia Morgan on painting and tile work. This included projects for the private libraries and indoor pools at William Randolph Hearst's large estates in San Simeon, California. Gilbert Solon (1879-1929) worked at the Royal Worcester Porcelain Co. Ltd. in England.
