BOSTON (ACNI) – Skinner Inc. will move from its longtime Bolton, Mass., headquarters to a spacious facility in nearby Marlborough, Mass., early next year. The newly purchased site will house the company’s corporate offices, suburban auction gallery and warehouse. The company’s city gallery, at 63 Park Plaza in Boston’s Back Bay, will continue to serve as a venue for sales of fine art, American and European furniture and decorative arts, and other categories for which Skinner has become well known.
Skinner’s new facility is located at 274 Cedar Hill St. in Marlborough, near the junction of I-469 and the Massachusetts Turnpike.
“This move was necessitated by explosive business growth,” said Karen Keane, partner and CEO of Skinner Inc. “Skinner is now one of the largest auction houses in the country and truly a world-class organization. Our operations and facilities need to reflect that growth. With this strategic move, we are addressing the space concerns of today, while preparing for long-term future growth as well.”
Previously used for manufacturing digital equipment, the Marlborough building has 69,000 square feet of space and is about three times the size of the present Bolton gallery.
“The larger space is allowing us to combine our warehouse space that was previously in nearby Hudson, Mass., with Bolton, so those locations will be consolidated,” said Catherine Riedel, director of marketing at Skinner Inc.
“It’s a significantly newer building with a lot of great space, ample parking and about 15 minutes closer to Boston than where we are currently. We’re hoping that for customers traveling between both our galleries it’s going to be a littler bit easier,” said Riedel.
The exact date of the move to Marlborough will depend on when the building is ready for its new occupants and the computer system is installed.
There will be a little bit of build-out in terms of walls and creating some spaces inside. Other than that it’s pretty much good to go,” said Riedel.
Skinner will conduct monthly Discovery auctions and twice-yearly Science and Technology auctions at the Marlborough facility. All other specialty auctions will continue at Skinner’s Boston gallery.
Antiques connoisseur and dealer Robert Skinner started the auction house in the 1960s, and the business incorporated in 1971 in Bolton. The company has expertise in more than 20 specialty collecting areas. Attracting interest of buyers from all over the world, Skinner regularly sets record prices. Recently, Fitz Henry Lane’s painting Manchester Harbor sold for a world record $5.5 million. A previously undiscovered Boston japanned high chest sold for more than $1.8 million – the most expensive piece of furniture ever auctioned in New England.
For more information on auctions, visit Skinner’s Web site: www.skinnerinc.com.
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