Hi Paula,

Thank you for contacting Mearto with your appraisal inquiry.

Established in 1895, Scholle Furniture Company was one of Chicago's better-known furniture retailers during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was run by President Charles H. Scholle and marketed itself as a retailer of "honest furniture"—well-constructed pieces designed to last generations rather than inexpensive, fashionable furniture. Its advertisements emphasized craftsmanship over price. That language reflected the era's emphasis on quality construction and traditional design rather than mass-market novelty.

It's location at 121 South Wabash Avenue was significant: the street was Chicago's premier furniture district. Furniture stores, piano dealers, decorators, and house-furnishing businesses clustered along the avenue, making it a destination for homeowners and interior decorators. The location at 121 S. Wabash placed Scholle among some of the city's leading home-furnishing merchants.

Although it never became a nationally recognized manufacturer on the scale of firms like Berkey & Gay or Grand Rapids makers, Scholle developed a reputation in the Midwest for selling well-made, historically inspired furniture and serving an affluent urban clientele.

Most surviving examples date from approximately 1900–1935 and reflect the trend and appreciation of Colonial Revival styles (during the 1933 World's Fair in Chicago, the company's advertising and displays featured reproductions of Hepplewhite furniture).

Pieces by Scholle come up for auction in the Midwest significantly more often than they do on the East or West Coasts, suggesting that its audience was largely local - more so than other makers whose goods had a larger, more geographically diverse location.

Your desk and bookcase - sometimes called a 'secretary' - is modeled after others made in the late 18th Century, usually referred to as George III (if English) or Chippendale (if American) style. Desks with slant lids became somewhat outdated in the home computer era as they couldn't hold the large monitors and towers that used to come with computers (this is less and less the case with the prevalence of laptops and tablets, though the form has not 'come back' among collectors).

Given the current market for Colonial Revival style, this would likely bring between $500 and $700 if offered at auction, which is the secondary market. If you're interested in selling this, you might price it higher and closer to what other retailers might ask for similar pieces. If you need to insure this, you might need to pay as much as $2,000 for a similar example.

Based on the photos and information provided, and subject to examination, this is:

A vintage Scholle Chippendale style cherrywood desk and bookcase
early 20th Century
In two sections, the upper with outset molded cornice over mullioned glazed (glass) doors opening to a shelved interior, the lower with hinged slant lid opening to a divided interior, over two short over one long drawer, all raised on a frame supported by cabriole legs terminating in ball and claw feet; bearing a partial Scholle Company label.
70 inches high, 36 inches wide
CONDITION: this appears to be in good condition; evidence of normal wear and age would include some scratches, scuffs and minor edge losses, none of which would diminish its value.
PROVENANCE: Acquired from a gallery or dealer
$ 500-700*
*represents a fair-market value for auction purposes; retail or asking price may vary.

Please let us know if you have additional items to appraise, or questions/concerns, and thank you again for using Mearto.
~ Delia