Wow, those are some great looking stoves you've got! The more I think about it, the more I think it would be so cool to just go for it, rather than something ho-hum from Lowes. Since we're doing the kitchen from scratch we could make the space as wide as necessary.

Not to change the subject too much, but I was also thinking of installing some boomerang laminate, like my grandma had in her kitchen. I saw some at an ice-cream shop last month and it brought back such good memories. I think her stove was similar, but maybe more from the '60s. This is getting away from my original "Something's Gotta Give" kitchen. I'm so in love with the white kitchens with shaker cabinets, dark countertops, oak floors and an island. Any ideas for how to pull it all together? I know I want my pot rack accessible and my cookbooks visible - they both make a statement for me.

Peace, I love the look of the boomerang laminate too! You could still do white shaker, vintage stove, one of those very cool vintage hoods and a dark colored boomerang. Formica makes boomerang in charcoal, but there is another company that offers lots of other colors including a black with turquoise boomerangs (pretty subtle turquoise, not loud). Anyway, maybe you could successfully mix the 40's - 50's with the Somethings Gotta Give look. Keep the oak floors and an island. Why not?

As for the hood, would it clash too much to use something modern like this: http://cgi.ebay.com/36-WALL-MOUNT-STAINLESS-STEEL-KITCHEN-RANGE-HOOD-VENT_W0QQitemZ380128900680QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item588172b648&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=65%3A1:66%3A2:39%3A1:240%3A1318:301%3A0:293%3A2:294%3A50

Or does anyone know where to find vintage hoods?

I couldn't give my O'Keefe & Merritt away (I tried, but in the end it went to the recycle center). I think ours was a late 1930s version (and in rather sad shape). The ovens were way too small to be useful, and the 42" footprint made it rather difficult to incorporate. I think the vintage "hoods" were windows ;).

It's funny how things "come back around" isn't it?

It wasn't that long ago that old stoves and refrigerators were banished to the basement, garage, or "hunting cabin" and now people pay thousands of $$ for pristine restored examples! :)

I wonder how many indeed went to the scrap-yard? But that being said, a lot still seem to turn up on Craigslist, eBay, or just on the roadside. So there must be thousands out there still. After all, every "modern home" had some stove at one point, especially after WWII.

There is a recent/current thread on City Data where this topic was just being discussed:

http://www.city-data.com/forum/house/685903-vintage-cooking-ranges.html

Bottom line, most of these old stoves were built better than many modern "commercial" units, and they weren't built with obsolescence in mind. They can be serviced, repaired, and will probably outlast all of us if cared for. With that in mind, they really are a responsible alternative to new "disposable" appliances. And of course their aesthetic is timeless.

Although specific to Chambers stoves, check out the following treatise on why one should KEEP these stoves instead of replacing them:

http://www.chamberstoves.net/KeepYourChambers.html

And BTW, to "farmhousebound", that is a great Chambers Imperial model 7960 you have there. You may already be aware, but the Imperial line was Chambers commercial line. And as such they are both a bit more rare than the residential units and also a bit "heavier duty". So it is always interesting to find one in a home, unless it is a an "estate".

Chambers models:

http://www.chamberstoves.net/Models.html

Great thread, and keep those old stoves and refrigerators. Many will last just about forever and are so much more interesting than the plain slabs of stainless steel out there today.

Cheers,
Al

Peace-rose,
I love that Red Stove on the link. Wonderful idea!

Here is a GardenWebber KLB2000 who used a Modernaire
hood with her beautiful range. Just one idea. The link
below shows some others.

Here are some great pics.
~boxerpups

Coastal Living magazine
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GenevaVintage kitchen
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Cococozy
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Pontchartraincs

Oldhomesfromnew

Modernaire hood
{{gwi:1882458}}

here are some links too.

http://www.antiquevintageappliances.com/vintage_hoods.htm

http://bigchillfridge.com/site/stoves

http://www.antiquevintageappliances.com/

Here is a link that might be useful: KLB2000 and others with hoods for ranges

Al, thanks for those suggestions - you may have swayed my opinion back toward getting a vintage stove!
Boxerpups, I'm loving all those pictures you posted! Thanks for the links, too!

Whew -- ... my taste tends to lean more toward the modern and streamlined but those vintage stoves and kitchens are positively breathtaking. Thank you to everyone who provided links and inspiration photos!

Whether something is your personal style or not, beautiful is beautiful and those stoves ARE a thing of beauty!

This is slightly off topic, but I wouldn't trade my 1950's Singer 401 Sewing Machine for anything. Some things were just built to last!

Have to agree that they are things of beauty, but my old stove will probably end up in another home when we do our kitchen reno.

I have had a terrible time finding anyone within 200 miles to repair it (both ovens leak gas and there is a serious insulation problem too); between round-trip shipping to the nearest refurbishment place plus the cost of the work, I'm halfway to a Wolf 36" all gas.

Aside from that huge hassle, the six burners are so small and close together that I can only use 3 at a time by staggering my pots/pans in a V-shape. Can't see the point of taking up 52" of wall space for three-burner cooking.

When we bought the house and inherited the stove, I was ecstatic because it does have character and beauty and style. Having cooked on it for a year, I know now it's not suited to me or my kitchen.

BTW, my stove is a 1930s Magic Chef, like the one linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Magic Chef model like mine

Here's a picture of the "one that got away". I wanted this range so bad I could just taste it, but I chickened out. I was afraid I would not like the gas ovens. It didn't occur to me that I could install an electric wall oven and still have this thing of beauty in my kitchen. This is probably my only regret with my kitchen design. I do love the cooktop I have, but I just adore this range. It would have been the focal point of the entire house!!

Oh no! Zeebee's post makes me very nervous. We've bought a 1930s Magic Chef - the 6300 with all the chrome trim - and are getting ready to have it restored, The restoration folks (of course) were all very encouraging about how practical they are to cook on and how easy to work on because of their simplicity. I really never thought about the burners being too small. Sigh.

I love this thread! I could go on and on about my beloved O'Keefe & Merritt, nice to find some fellow fans. The thing I think most folks don't realize is how little gas stove technology has changed over the years, and how easy it is to get one of these up and running -- and how amazingly easy it is to take care of the enamelled finish compared to any of the modern finishes.

peace_rose: I hear you on the Singer. I have a modern Pfaff with all the bells & whistles, but still find myself turning to my iron-solid reliable 1947 Singer Featherweight most of the time.

al_roethlisberger: I'm glad to see you out and about -- in the course of tracking down parts for my OKM, I read all about your awful saga with the evil vintage stove repair guy and his bankrupt business out in Kansas. Man, that just tore my heartstrings for everyone who entrusted him with a cherished family treasure. Did you ever get restitution for your beautiful stolen stove?

zeebee: I'm so sorry about the burner issue with the 6-burner model. My 4-burner 40-incher has great spacing and all my pots fit very nicely plus room to move them around and off the burners onto the center stainless grill.

nutherokie: that's a gorgeous model! Where did you find yours? Why don't you experiment placing your most-used pots and pans on it to check whether they all fit at once?

Oh, as a lover of vintage stoves, there is much I could say on this topic! And, in fact, when I began my kitchen reno, approximately 3 years ago, I had intended that my 1920's Smoothtop range would be the star of the show. (I think some of you who have been around here for awhile will remember some of my posts which started out with proud plans and then became agonizing 'plaints about my "grand old dame.") :-) At any rate, I'm not going to repeat all I've had to say on the subject. No need to. Check out the link below that has a pretty lengthy account of why my beloved vintage stove did not go on to become the star of my kitchen remodel. Sigh.

Here is a link that might be useful: An Older Vintage Stove Thread

Thanks for the thoughts "circuspeanut". In the end we lost both stoves to the scrapper, which was disappointing on several levels, both financial and historically as the old Estate was apparently a "one-off" custom unit from what most experts on Estate stoves told us. It had even been featured in a Williams Sonoma catalog at one point, but now it is gone.

Details of the travails or ours and 40+ other customers' stoves can be found at the following like to the blog and news articles:

http://digg.com/business_finance/Beware_Stevan_Thomas_Vintage_Stoves_Kansas_AG_Investigates

To answer your question directly, the KSAG did receive a summary judgment against "Vintage Stoves" for about $670,000 in property damages and fines. But we'll likely never see any real collections. So far we've received $110 out of our over $7000 in claims, and we're one of the smaller claims.

But right now we've got an Okeefe & Merritt that we really like, but is just a stand-in until we begin our own DIY restoration of a Chambers Imperial we have in storage with the fella that runs www.chamberstoves.net

We hope to begin that project in earnest in Oct/Nov of this year, and in the meantime have been sending some small pieces off for repair and re-enameling directly from his site.

But that's a great segue about repairing and maintaining these stoves. It is true that in smaller markets it may be hard to find a "repairman" that will work on these old stoves. But in reality, if one calls around I bet you can find some "old timer" that still does repairs on these stoves in his spare time. Or, if you can find the service/operators manual for your type of stove(readily available on the Chambers site above for example) you may be pleasantly surprised that you can do everything yourself if you are very basically "handy". And along with the aesthetic, that's one of the huge advantages of these old stoves, their simplicity and serviceability. They really are built to last, and when they break, to be repairable.... not disposable.

I'm sorry to hear about the experience with the ca 1930 Magic Chef, but that is something to consider with pre 1950s(late 40's) stoves. The styling and design of these stoves really changed quite a bit between the 1930s and 1950s, with many adopting the layouts we are used to today in that timeframe. Some stoves made before the late 1940s, and almost certainly before the 1930s, are a bit more "archaic" in some ways with burner spacing, oven arrangements/sizes, potentially lack of thermostats, etc.

Now, that's not to say that any stove made before 1950 isn't practical. One can find many examples, especially "estate" or large stoves like the Magic Chef noted above, that have many "modern" features such as multiple ovens, timers, thermostats, large range areas, etc. But a lot were smaller or much more limited in features. They were often just very basic. And it was after WWII that, just like cars, the manufacturers started really going wild with features, contemporary configurations, and other innovations we find commonplace today.

If one is in the market for a vintage stove, I'd recommend taking the time to browse the many online vintage stove dealers/restorers and see the styles and types available. Go find some "antique appliance" forums and just read about the various brands, features, etc. And check out eBay and CL to see what the average person may be selling.

You don't have to spend thousands on a fully restored stove to have a nice serviceable unit, although that is certainly an option. But one can definitely find them for anything from "free, please get this outta my house" to just a few hundred. Then you can take your time to restore it to perfection yourself if you want to, or just clean it up and use it "as is" with all its years of character :)

Al

Ah, and BTW "circuspeanut".... our Okeefe & Merritt is very similar to yours, almost identical actually, although we don't have the glass door oven or the "Grill-o-Vator"(isn't that a great 50's marketing name?!). So we just have the broiler under the oven on the right and a storage cabinet or what some call a "warming oven" on the left, although I think it really is just for storage.

I think that makes ours a 450 or 420 if I recall from memory. Ours is white as well.

And yes, the simmer function is very nice. Many have said that this generation of O&M burners may actually be as good or even slightly superior(mostly because of the integrated simmer function) than the famous Chambers "daisy" burners which to this day are still considered "state of the art".

We never have really gotten into using the built-in griddle though. It almost seems like more trouble than using a separate cast iron griddle. But maybe it just takes a "knack" :)

Al

Al - thanks for the compliments on our Chambers--we absolutely love cooking on it! It's funny, but when we first started looking at vintage stoves, I was leaning toward an O'keefe & Merritt until I came across "Baby" (as I affectionately refer to her!) and it was love at first sight. DH and I took a long road trip to pick her up (Georgia to Michigan) and had a lot of fun antiquing along the way. Other than a general clean up and a conversion from natural to propane gas, we haven't had anything else done and love her the way she is!

Our Chambers along with the MA hood will be the main stars in our kitchen (they are they only things in the kitchen right now) and everyone who visits to see our progress oohs and ahhs over them. We are still a way off of completing our renovation-- qs oak floors have gone down, waiting for them to be sanded, and then we will finish ourselves--but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel and can't wait to post final pics!

I love looking at all of these vintage stoves - thanks for this thread!

Gosh, Al Roethlisberger
I had no idea you were treated so badly. I posted a link
above to VintageStoves.com. NOt sure if this is the same
place you had to deal with. I just did a seach. I need to
be more careful just posting what seems like a nice
company. My heart truly breaks for your situation.
Truly terrible.
~boxerpups

The picture from Coasting Living with the boy, those are actually Northstar from Elmira Stove Works. They have the fridge, stove, and range hood. I would love this exact kitchen.

We sold my late mother's house a couple months ago, and she had a 1960's gas stove (I'm thinking it was Magic Chef) that was white cast iron that also had a spaceheater function. It worked great. I don't have the space for it here, but my sister-in-law took it. I'm just glad somebody wanted it. I tried to look as to where it could be sold as I figured somebody had to be interested in this

It shouldn't be a problem finding a hood for a 40" range. A quick search at Sears turned up 17 hoods between 40" and 42". None are as pretty as the few above boxerpups posted, and a few are pricey, but for the most part you should be able to find something.

Nicole

Here is a link that might be useful: 40

I have a 48" gas Wedgewood from the late 40s I believe that I used for many years. Like Circuspeanut's it works extremely well, and I definitely would recommend it. My only problem was that I used the whole thing, including broiler and griddle, all the time and just wanted a break from cleaning it. Only the broiler is a bother, though; the rest is easy to clean. It's just that there is so much of it--plus the floor underneath (grease will trickle down from the broiler if it's not cleaned frequently). Nevertheless, even though I chose a glass counter unit and built-in oven for this gasless kitchen (love the cleanup!), my Wedgewood is sitting in our shed waiting for our next one some day...

Sorry, it doesn't look like that link for the fan hoods linked correctly. However, you are able to search Sears for hoods by size and should easily find the 40" and 42".

Nicole

Thanks Nicole, those are good references for hoods. My problem was finding something 40" that wasn't stainless or glass. I suspect I will ultimately jimmy something together of my own design for tiling or stucco.

boxerpup: the company that cheated Al is no longer in business or on the web, so don't worry. It's too bad in a way, since they had some of the best detailed photos of the various models. But the owner sounds like he had some serious psychological problems.

Al, I don't use the griddle too much either, since the stainless griddle pan is so heavy to take out and clean, and we have some castiron griddles we love. But it's nice to have whenever we want to show off for houseguests on a Saturday blueberry pancake morning. I love the glass oven window -- we replaced the old stained and pitted glass ourselves (a long tale involving gooey high-heat caulk and lots of swearing) and it turned out great.

It's funny how these stoves almost all involve great road-trip stories, too. Ours was in a tiny hamlet in New Hampshire, where the seller told a story of having rescued it from the Newport RI Vanderbilt estate where he was a contractor back in the 70's. It's true I've never seen my yellow knobs/handles anywhere else, and they must be a custom job.

!! Warning for anyone doing a long-distance self-pickup of an insanely heavy vintage stove: be sure your relationship is very strong. We broke up about three times during the course of the trip. ;-)

I love your road trip advice circuspeanut! I actually bought my stove from a fellow in Rhode Island based on pictures on the web and phone conversations. The stove is now in New Hampshire awaiting restoration. Both are a long, long way from Oklahoma. Not having seen the stove in person, my courage waivers from time to time. I don't know if we'll go pick it up or have it shipped.

Marthavila, I remember your gorgeous old stove. I was so disappointed when you had to give it up, but your red AGA range and matching hood leave me drooling!

As mentioned above, that photo of the blue set with the boy on the stool is a modern Elmira product. I know a lot of folks like their products, but I've always felt that aesthetically there was something just a little "off" proportionally with the Elmira stoves, almost a caricature to some degree as compared to actual old stoves.

Another "new vintage" manufacturer is "Big Chill" and they just announced a new stove and dishwasher line. If one is a fan of Rachael Ray, you've seen the blue "Big Chill" refrigerator from them(although that too has an interesting Vintage Stoves/Stevan Radakovich drama... but that's another story that was no fault of Big Chill *laugh* )

http://bigchillfridge.com/site/

But man-o-man, these retro-reproductions are big money. If I had that much money to spend on a stove or refrigerator, I'd almost just go for a restored original unit.

Al

farmhousebound: Would you mind dropping me an email? I'd like to ask you a few questions about the day-to-day usability of the Imperial since they are a bit different in design from the B/BZ/C models(such as 50% larger burners).

For example, I am curious how well you are able to maintain low-temp simmering with the push-pull controls versus rotary on the B/BZ/C models with smaller burners.

Thanks,
Al

Vintage stoves are like old houses - they take some extra effort but there aren't many new things that can give one the same thrill!

However, in boxerpup's first photo of the set she's showing, isn't that a Lacanche Cormatin? I've been eyeing that stove for quite a while, because I have a space too tight for today's 30+" ranges. The Cormatin is only 27-3/4" wide, and a thing of beauty to rival even the old O'Keefe & Merritt I used to cook on in my last apartment.

My very practical Kenmore/Whirlpool works well (outside of the expensive circuit boards that eventually fail) but the enamel is absolutely awful to clean, compared to the OKM I used. Actually, the current range is terrible to clean even compared to the pre-1989 range I had. When they had to remove the lead from the porcelain enamel coatings, the lower- and moderate-priced enamel finishes became much more fragile and difficult to clean.

Does any one know where he would post an ad? It is one of the wider models and has a broiler on the top next to the burners.I am sure it would need to be rewired etc. It is pretty cool looking. How much would you ask for one that needs to be reburbished? I do not think it is chipped or anything. thanks for any information. It is in the Houston Texas area!

I have a 1950's kenmore white stove, and I am looking to sell it. My father could not remember what didn't work on it, he thought it was the pull out roaster, but everything else works. It is missing a burner on. It is in mint condition body wise and the light works. Does anybody know who would be interested in the detroit area in purchasing such a stove??

Please contact me, for I have to move and it is a cool stove!

Carolinagirl-- is your "new" range installed? Any chance of a photo? We have a red O'Keefe & Merritt, so I'm definitely intrigued.

A friend has a stove that I'd guess to be 1920's. It is not hooked up, it is just taking up space in his kitchen, piled with stuff. I know he will never get it restored....at his age, it will never happen. The outside is just beautiful: green and a soft yellow. But I have no idea what it might need inside.

I told him, reading this thread before, that there is a market for such things now. Is there any way to sell it apart from Craig's List? He is too anxious about having strangers come to the house.

He might be able to sell it to one of the companies that restore them.

Here's my O'Keefe & Merritt, circa 1948. I've owned it since Jan 1982 - bought it when we lived in LA. I wouldn't part with it for the world! The key to any repairs (they rarely need to be repaired!) is to call a company that services commercial ranges - they are far more similar than today's gas stoves. Mine has never been restored but it's still in good condition. Best stove I've ever had!

This is great and I am so glad I found this site. I have a chance to get a beautiful Okeefe & Merritt gas stove. It will have to be converted to LP just because we do not have NG where we live. My wife is very concerned about old technology and safety. She loves cooking with gas but is uncomfortable with pilot lights and so forth. Is there any way to update this stove so that it might not be a hazard? I am a newbie at this but am very excited to learn...Thank you for any and all assistance

...

New tech is induction. 90% efficient. More responsive than gas. Quicker to boil. No waste heat in summer or other byproducts. Paper towel wipe up cleaning. Investigate this option by demoing at a store. No one who makes this choice goes back to gas. Check out the Appliance forum. And for you the added saving of no LP.

Yes, you can update the safety features on your range, glm. See this, for instance, for help with restoration and info on LP:

http://www.desiredcreations.com/blog/

Hello Dan1888 - re No one who makes this choice goes back to gas. Hello - I did. Nothing against induction, but I moved and redid another kitchen and decided I missed banging pans around. I never had that feeling of abandon with the induction unit. And, I must confess, I stressed during big occasions that the electronics would fail at the exactly wrong moment. They didn't fail, but I stressed at the thought nonetheless. If my space had been able to accommodate wall ovens, I would have opted for induction and gas modular units, but alas it was not meant to be. Maybe next house....

There is NOTHING dangerous about these old stoves! Pilot lights are not dangerous - they've been around forever.

I bought my O&M in 1982 when we lived in LA and wouldn't trade for the world - induction or no induction. It WORKS! It's maintenance free! It is SO easy to take completely apart to clean. That cover on top is THE BEST! Keeps dust and dog hair off the cooktop. My stove is right next to the door to the outdoors and dust does come inside, plus dogs are confined to kitchen when I go out. The coat on a Cavalier sheds all the outside dirt and dust with one good shake, thus dust and dog hair being a MAJOR issue in my kitchen. It's just the best stove ever.

I had a vintage stove for several years... bought out of a neighbor's house, from new owners who were about to gut their kitchen (live in a neighborhood of old houses). It was in fine working condition, but not "restored", we spent a few hundred getting the grates blasted and re-coated with new porcelain enamel, and getting the gas valves freshly lubricated.

It was quite the show piece in our kitchen, and the stove top was fun to cook on. However, there is one thing to really pay attention to in an unrestored vintage stove. In these old stoves the insulation inside the stovebox walls can breakdown (or be eaten by rodents...). Without having the insulation replaced in a restoration, our stove took FOREVER to get up to temperature (hours, plural, literally, to get up to 350F, and it really couldn't get up to 400 even after hours), to it's thermostat's credit, once it reached temperature it was rock sold at holding temperature.

If considering a un-restored vintage gas stove, and not wanting to pay for a disassemble and re-insulate restoration, you may want to test how quickly it gets up to temperature before buying...

For posterity, our 1950 Kenmore "Super Deluxe" stove (yep that really is the model name! - printed in chrome on the backsplash, was Kenmore's top-of-the line model, with all their bells and whistles, in its day) we loved its shinny retro good looks (chrome!). We ended up selling it and buying something new (with convection) when we remodeled the kitchen, instead of going the full-restoration route.

Hey thank you all for the great suggestions, ideas and links to info. I am really looking forward to the project. I am going to contact a service company to see if they will perform the look over and any needed service...

I'm the one who started this thread almost 8 years ago! This is my O'Keefe & Merritt which I absolutely adore! In 2009 I put the word out that we were looking for one, and someone 2 doors down ended up giving it to us for a song. We literally rolled it down the block with a dolly. I didn't clean it up for the picture, but one of the things I love about it is that the chrome and porcelain clean up beautifully. It's a workhorse.

The oven is on the right, and there's storage on the left. We ended up installing an electric wall oven, which I use instead. We were never able to get the oven to stay on and remain on. I think we could have tried harder to make it work, but using the burners for cooking and wall oven for baking works for us.

hi all I am looking for parts for an old Monarch Malleable Iron Range gas stove.... any advice

Hello everyone! I’ve been on the hunt for a vintage gas stove for sometime now as we are remodeling our very small kitchen. We live in a neighborhood that blew up in price literally overnight right when we bought our home and it’s a fixer-upper to say the least we are tiore mod updated aesthetically pleasing comfortable look and feel.

I’ve had my eye on this beautiful blush pink vintage stove here in Ohio not far from where I live. But my family and friends keep telling me that vintage those stoves are dangerous. I believe the cooktop is automatic pilot lights but the oven may require manual lighting. Any advice on how we could rewire it to be automatic if possible so we don’t have to manually light each time for use? Just concerned about safety most of all. But I love this piece!

I have a vintage O'Keefe & Merritt stove, built in 1948. It has 5 pilot lights on it and I do not have to manually light any of them.

I bought my stove in LA in 1982, from a used furniture store that also had tons and tons of vintage stoves, mainly O'Keefe & Merritt. All had been steam cleaned inside and out. All had new piping for the gas. I have had one service call since then and it was a minor one.

Whether the stove in which you are interested would be a good choice, would greatly depend on the brand. I doubt it is an O'Keefe & Merritt as they were mainly sold only west of the Rocky Mountains (stoves traveled by train in those days, so there were "east" brands, and "west" brands). O'Keefe & Merritt were a luxury stove when new and are now considered highly desirable.

Hi do you know how to figure out your vintage gas stove’s BTUs?

@Sandy Wu some stoves will be labeled--our O'Keefe and Merritt has a placard listing the BTU of each burner in the cabinet next to the oven. If you know the model number, there are also some websites that list the specs for older stoves.

Oh ok thank you

this is a 1950s double oven Wedgewood

with 6 burners that has been rechromed and reporcelined. These old gas stoves can't be beat. They are safe, reliable and pretty much maintenance free

I agree - This is my 1947 O'Keefe & Merritt - gas to propane conversion -