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A toast to American craftsmanship: Amish artisans built the hotel's martini bars.
TWA Hotel Millwork

Amish Millwork

American craftsmanship raises the bar

The TWA Hotel features custom-built millwork proudly crafted in the U.S.A. by expert Amish woodworkers.

Despite receiving lower bids from vendors in China, Malaysia and Vietnam, MCR and MORSE Development turned to Ohio’s Amish Country for the elegant walnut martini bars and tambour walls that grace the TWA Hotel.

Family-owned Highland Wood Products of Millersburg, Ohio, and Hilltop Woodworking of Fredericksburg, Ohio, manufactured the specialty pieces from locally-grown walnut trees.

Tambour by the Numbers

5
Months to Complete
13
Miles of Wood
20
18 Wheelers’ Worth of Logs
200
Amish Craftspeople
500
Miles Between Ohio’s Amish Country and Queens
40,000
Square Feet of Tambour at the Hotel
400,000
Pounds of Cut Logs
TWA Millwork Process
TWA tambour comes to life: Unfinished walnut boards are cut on angles and later varnished.

Run of the mill? Not even close.

Creating the TWA tambour was a true labor of love — and proof of the Amish commitment to producing pieces that stand the test of time. After the walnut was cut, the wood was steamed to bring out its rich color and dried for weeks. Millworkers then carefully sanded and shaped the boards before putting them through a moulder to achieve the distinctive tambour style. From there, artisans stained, sealed, sanded (again!) and — finally — varnished each panel to perfection.

Throughout the production, nothing went to waste. Lumber scraps were tossed into factory furnaces for heat. Sawdust turned into bedding for horses and cows.

 TWA Millwork
Next stop, Queens? Tyler Morse, CEO of MCR and MORSE Development, took the reins during a buggy ride.

Tyler Morse, CEO of MCR and MORSE Development, visited the Ohio factories with TWA Hotel team members to witness the production. Joe Yoder, owner of Hilltop Woodworking, and his father, Eli, who started the company 25 years ago, hosted a tour of the Amish- and Mennonite-owned facilities — and a buggy ride courtesy of their horse, Charlie. The visitors also planted walnut trees as part of the community’s regrowth program.

 TWA Millwork
Eli Yoder and his horse, Charlie, provided transportation.

“We value our craftsmanship and heritage greatly — and we feel so blessed to be able to produce furniture for this prestigious property,” says Joe Yoder. “It’s very special when someone is truly dedicated to buying American, even when money could be saved overseas. Tyler Morse is what I call a Great American Warrior!”

 TWA Tambour Millwork
TWA Hotel team members planted walnut trees with Eli Yoder as part of the local community’s regrowth program.

“The Yoders and their community build top-quality furniture with integrity right here in the U.S.A. That makes them the perfect partner for the TWA Hotel,” says Tyler Morse, CEO of MCR and MORSE Development. “We know our guests appreciate their work — and we’re looking forward to hosting the Yoders at the TWA Hotel.”

TWA Millwork Team
The TWA Hotel team visited Amish woodworker Joe Yoder (far left) at his Ohio factory to watch the tambour production process.

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