COSTIKYAN CELEBRATES MILESTONES
WITH "TRIPLE BIRTHDAY PARTY" OCT. 19

NEW YORK -- Restoration by Costikyan will celebrate the 150th birthday of its founder, S. Kent Costikyan, with a "triple birthday party" Oct. 19. The gala event also marks the 125th anniversary of the company's founding and the 80th birthday of company principal June Costikyan. 

Founding and History

S. Kent Costikyan, emigrated to the United States in 1884 from the Anatolian city of Marsovan (now part of Turkey) to complete his formal education in Hamilton, NY  at Madison University, now known as Colgate University.  He planned to become a Christian minister. After two years  studying American history, he wrote home to his father, “I believe I could play a more useful role in life if I devote myself to creating a successful business and to helping as many as I can to making a success out of their lives.”

When a New York dealer forfeited payment of rugs from the Costikyan family export business in Constantinople (now Istanbul), S. Kent Costikyan  was instructed to reclaim the shipment.

He sold the Oriental rugs to faculty members at Colgate University. The interest and demand for similar rugs inspired a shift in Costikyan's professional direction.

In 1886 S. Kent Costikyan established the importing firm of Costikyan Freres in Rochester, NY.  In 1900 he dissolved the importing firm and founded Kent Costikyan, Inc. in New York City. The company became known for its collection of museum quality period carpets, as well as its selection of 19^th and 20^th century carpets from the Mid East, Far East and Europe. He also created a division that handled fine carpeting manufactured both in the United States and abroad.

S. Kent Costikyan's son Clarke followed in his father’s footsteps after graduating from Yale in 1925. Both men were highly respected experts in their field. Clarke was the outside consultant for both Parke-Bernet Galleries and the U.S. Customs for more than twenty years.

The Costikyan heritage was passed on to June Costikyan, Clarke Costikyan's daughter and subsequently her son, Phillip. Armenian artisans who were employed for more than 50 years in the family business trained Phillip and June Costikyan.

Costikyan now specializes in restoration and cleaning services, appraisal and rug fabrication.

Phillip Costikyan, now president, directs the family’s restoration facility and along with his mother, continues to service the Kent Costikyan clientele, as well as the younger generation of collectors of fine antiques, modern carpets and decorative floor coverings.

 

 

10.10.11