Benwaar is another alias for John Amsterdam, as he was known around the turn of the century. Benwaar was known for his desks, which have become rather famous among antique dealers as examples of fine American art. John Amsterdam maintains the original tools that he used to create the desks when he was a furniture dealer, and helps his son Omar York out of a financial crisis by creating a desk in the 21st Century to look like one of the original Benwaar pieces of furniture.