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dutchcolonial_gw

1950s (I think) Kenmore Stove Questions

DutchColonial
9 years ago

We are buying a fixer upper Dutch Colonial house that includes a 1950s Kenmore stove that we'd love to keep and use since it has a lot of character. It also appears to be a pretty powerful cooking machine. It has two burners on each side and a griddle in the middle. Underneath it has a broiler on the left and an oven on the right. Since I can't seem to upload any pictures, I will share the three links to basically the same model that I've been able to find online:

http://www.roomzaar.com/rate-my-space/Antique-Kenmore-Gas-Stove/detail.esi?oid=23438897
http://www.townsquarebuzz.com/restore-offers-vintage-kenmore-gas-stoveoven/
It has the vent-like openings all the way across the back of the stove like the one on this page:
http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/50selectrical.html

My questions:

1. Does anyone have a stove like this or from this era and want to share their experience or any advice?

2. How do we light this thing? I'm pretty sure that at least the oven lights with matches since their is a match dispenser mounted on the wall near the stove. Is there a pilot light for the stove?

3. How do we add ventilation? Currently there is no hood. On the wall behind the left side of the stove there is a place where a vent pipe used to go through the wall � it's about 6 feet up on the wall. But now a entryway stoop has been added beyond that wall and the hole has been filled in and covered with one of those things that looks like a paper plate. On the wall behind the right side of the stove is a window. Do you think the vent-looking openings along the back of the stove have anything to do with a vent system? Like maybe there is supposed to be an exhaust fan hooked up to pull air out through those vents, like a downdraft system? Or is that more likely where the hot air from the oven comes pouring out into my kitchen :/

Thanks for any help you can provide!

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