A vintage Magic Chef range used only 28 times since 1955… a pristine pink bathroom… and more “frozen in time” features in this amazing time capsule house in St. Louis…The owners only ever lived downstairs! Thanks to Meredith and her connections for spotting it and sending it right in. Real estate agent Christopher Thiemet reports that the original listing agent interviewed had advised the sellers to gut-and-renovate-ala-2009 before selling the house. He saw the gem this was and advised otherwise. Thank heavens they listened. Christopher sold the house faster than the speed of light and before it was officially listed – to a buyer who bought the whole thing kit, kaboodle, furniture – and clothes hanging in the closets. Hurray.
Read on for the story – and be sure to see even more photos at Christopher’s excellent website here.
I am also reminded of this post – another family whose virtually unused kitchen was put in a museum. From the listing:
Circa 1955: The best way to describe this awesome find? “NEW CONSTRUCTION FROM 1955!”
This awesome 50′s bungalow, located on a quiet, cul-de-sac street on the Hill, has seriously never been lived in… at least on the main level. This ONE-OWNER home was resided only in the lower level during their stay here, so the main level has been frozen in time and perfectly preserved. The vintage Magic Chef gas oven had a head-count of 28 turkeys cooked in it for 28 Thanksgivings — that’s IT. The other meals prepared in this home were in the lower level kitchenette, where the family resided full-time. The quality of the 50′s shows, as everything is in great working order, the original wooden sash windows are in perfect shape, the tile is impeccable, the hardwoods are pristine (they’re there under the wool carpet)… the list goes on and on. There is an entry foyer, large living/dining combo, large eat-in kitchen, 2 bedrooms with hardwood floors and double (large!) closets, and bath on the main level. Downstairs, you could eat off the floor it’s so clean, and features an additional full bath (offered as-is). The yard is neat and tidy, and fully fenced, and has a 2-car garage with electric opener. Newer low-maintenance siding has been added to the home.
Offered for 129,900 — seller open to negotiatng furniture/furnishings to remain. Truly one of a kind to find. WILL NOT LAST
I almost cried tears of joy (and envy)!
Whoah!! I don’t know what to make of this! I watched the slideshows and read the text. The neighborhood is as pretty as that jewel of a house. Leave it to the original realtor to suggest it be thoroughly updated! And it’s actually cheap at its selling price! The pink lamps in the one bedroom look similar to my Goodwill find. The sofa is a three piece sectional, the curved piece was near the tv set I think. One picture had the range in the garage, unless that was the basement range. I hope the new owner treats it the way the original owners did!
astrosonical, at one point the magic chef was put into the garage. but it did remain with the house and the new owner will keep it. it is a real beauty – as is all of this fantastic time capsule home.
What a find! That is fantastic. I am envious of the new owner.
The tub doesn’t even need caulking.
wow, quite amazing. One has to ask WHY the owners lived in the BASEMENT?? Inquiring minds want to know!!
JQ
Living downstairs was common among immigrants or first-generation Americans. The upstairs was considered for company only and kept pristine. Families did all their-day-to-day living in the basement, out of sight to visitors. Don’t ask me why. I just learned this a few years ago when I moved to Buffalo, which has a huge population of first-generation Americans. Also, in homes without air conditioning, many folks had a “summer kitchen” in the basement where it was cooler to cook.
tailfin, i think you are absolutely right about the customs that many first generation Americans had toward their homes. It’s actually quite interesting, the care and esteem that they held for their homes.
My Romanian mother-in-law has a summer kitchen, which is in a separate building outside. I never really thought about it, but her home in Romania is practically a time capsule.
Thanks Pam, mystery solved! My sister and her husband had a house briefly that had a killer electric range from that era, they pulled it out and hopefully donated it to a charity. What’s the fridge in the ’55 house? It almost looks like a late model.
This is like pulling the covers off a pristine ’55 Bel Aire that’s been garage sat all these years. Hmmm, I wonder if it still has that new house smell … that Magic Chef range blows my mind. What a find.
yes… i keep thinking about this over and over… how amazing it would be to walk through this house…. a dream
This is simply amazing! I would love to do a walk through too!!
I’m so impressed. Everything looks brand new. If you take care of things, they will last. It’s too bad the owners didn’t enjoy the upstairs, more. I didn’t know about living in the basement. That’s interesting.
So, the family lived in that basement? Oh well, it made for a wonderful time capsule! Is that a 50′s TV in the living room? I’d kill for that couch! A-MA-ZING!!!
I think I understand the whole “living in the basement” thing. I come from a family of Arkansas share-croppers of the dirt-poor variety. My mother grew up without electricity or indoor plumbing. She gained those “necessities” only upon her marriage to my father in 1952. My maternal grandfather had a dirt floor in part of his house in rural east Texas until his death … and a planter in the front yard made from a large tractor tire that was painted white (!!!!).
The result of that impoverished (but still American) background is that I grew up in a house where certain portions were absolutely off-limits. As children, I and my brother were forbidden on pain of corporal punishment to even set foot in the living room or dining room. They were for company only, and seldom used.
My elderly mother explains to me today that after growing up so poor and working so hard to gain access to “the American dream,” she felt a strong need to protect and preserve the fruits of that labor. Using the furniture and certain parts of the house meant “wearing them out,” in her mind. And because of years of poverty, she had a great fear that there would be no money to replace those things if they did become worn out or damaged. After having literally nothing for most of her life, she thought it better to have some nice things and only look at them rather than to use them and lose them.
I might add that my mother, thanks to a lifetime of her own hard work and careful savings, is literally a millionaire today. Yet parts of her newly purchased condo in an uber-posh golf resort community in wealthy Rancho Mirage are STILL absolutely off limits and used only when special company visits! She still has hissy-fits if I sit on a certain sofa or chair lest I “wear it out”!!! Her knee-jerk reaction is that there won’t be any money to replace worn out items … a patently false but deeply seated fear.
Thank you, Palm Springs Stephan. Exactly. I recently found out that my grandmother and mother did not live in a place with indoor plumbing until 1950. My grandmother was over 40 by then, my mother entering her teens.
A side line on the “company only” use of certain parts of the house…….In one of the last episodes of season 3 of Mad Men, the family gathered in the living room to talk about the separating of the parents. The daughter, Sally, has a frightened look on her face and asks, “Why are we in the living room?”. Kudos to the writers of the show for that little bit of dialogue detail which relates to the subject at hand.
My Mom grew up in the 30′s and 40′s and though I do not know much about her in those years, I do believe that is where her need/desire for cleanliness was embedded. Growing up, Mom would spend all day on Saturday cleaning the house. The furniture that was bought in the mid 60′s was still as pristine when we relocated to Florida in the mid 80′s. Mom’s living room in the Florida house was seldom used and then mostly when guests visited. Same with the dining rooms of boths houses.
I, myself, love the vintage look and now that I am living in Mom’s house…..and as much as it pains me to remove the decorating that she did……I am enjoying “retro-ing” the house out for a late 1950′s appearance.
The St Louis home featured should serve as an inspiration to many of us. Thanks.
Palm Springs Stephan – Thats actually a good explanation! I hadn’t even thought of it but my house growing up, the dining room and living room were relatively off limits. It wasn’t forbidden, but we definitely were not allowed to play in there unless it was passive play like a board game. That still where my mother keeps her nicer things and the family room is where all the grand-kids toys are and where she watches TV and “lives”.
I guess this house is just the extreme version of ‘fine china’ for most of us!
Thanks for sharing this amazing story. As I looked at the photos, I felt like I was stepping back into the past, because a lot of the furnishings are similar to ones in homes of relatives such as my maternal grandparents. No one in my family was so extreme when it came to preserving furnishings, but they did believe in holding onto things. “There’s still a lot of life left in it,” was/is a common saying of my 96-year-old grandma, who still uses a bedroom set very similar to the light wood set with the yellow bedspread in these photos.
What an amazing find, and in a good part of town too. I’ll have to keep that realtor in mind. I am very jealous of the new owner(s). What I wouldn’t give to do a walkthrough.
Very few homes in Saint Louis had any air conditioning in 1955. Let alone central air. Anyone who has ever experienced summers in Saint Louis can understand staying in the basement, at least during those months. Both sets of great grandparents that I knew had kitchens and baths in their basements.
My grandmother didn’t have indoor plumbing until around 1990 (she would have been somewhere around 70 years old). She lived in an old farm house that had a rural water spigot outside the kitchen door, and she would go out and fill up a bucket full of water for her needs. She had a sink in her kitchen that only had a drain, and the drain (to the best of my knowledge) just drained to the outside. You don’t know how thankful you are for indoor plumbing until you have had the experience of having to use an outhouse, or the chamber pot when it was too cold to make the trek out to the outhouse.
And my other grandmother keeps the living room in her house off limits except for family gatherings and company. She has turned her dining room into a combination dining room/family room which is where we all gather when we visit, so I can relate to the idea of keeping an area pristine.
Wow, only here in St. Louis! ::shakes head:: You know, I go to alot of estate sales and people put the darndest things in the basement. I know there is some clever joke here…I just can’t find it.
I purchased a ’57 house in 2001 that was not as preserved but was
pretty close. I became the 2nd owner to occupy the house.
The owners never had kids, pets, didn’t smoke etc.
Other then
the crappy job the seller (executor for the estate) did in painting it,
and the vinyl sidding adding in 1968 everything was original, even
to orig refrige,and there was even a Bendix washer/dryer in the
basement, sad part it got thrown out when I bought it. My agent
also kept talking about ‘gutting’ the place and modernizing it.
I’ve become a 50′s nut, and have preserved it as much as
possible. Some day will restore the 1962 TV set !!
-pete
-pete
Pete in PDX – this is awesome. Welcome to the site. I will email you – we need to see photos! It is SO FUNNY (or not) how the real estate agents apologize and talk of gutting. But – there are more now who are realizing the value. Be sure to see the post about the time capsule from the other day – that’s a great example.
My grandma’s ranch house had a large finished basement with a kitchen in it, she did her canning down there, I guess because it was cooler since there was no AC.
I’m still sick that my family sold the house when she died – my grandpa, dad, and uncle built the entire thing! I still hold out hope that someday it will come back on the market and I will be able to buy it.
She used her entire upstairs, but my other grandma had a “front room” that was only used for visitors and on holidays. The “living room” was right next to the kitchen, where a dining room would normally be.
I can’t believe what a steal this house was – $130K?!? Amazing! Someone is very lucky in St. Louis!!
Oh my godness tht is amazing
Thanks for sharing! I will be sure to pass this along! Thanks so much for letting me know!
Anna
Thanks, Anna – be sure to let me know, though, of any rsvps.
I pulled this comment about the same listing from another blog (www.lovelylisting.com), the earlier comment regarding immigrant families seems to be dead on!
: “Anonymous said…
For some immigrant communities this was typical (certainly typical of my, and my husband’s, families). People would buy a new gem of a house, decorate it with new and very good quality furniture and then build a second kitchen and bath in the basement and do all of their real living in there (or often in the garage in good weather). Bedrooms were used, but the carpets would be protected with plastic.
Kitchens, dining rooms, main baths and living rooms were preserved as a showplace and used only for special occasions or company. In some families, every non-used room got a huge cleaning and polishing once a week too. Keeping the nice things nice was a way to show that the family was prosperous. It’s just a cultural custom.
February 12, 2009 2:30 PM”
So a good and reasonable explanation. It’s not much different from my grandmother keeping her ‘sitting room’ spotless and absolutely child-free when I was growing up – which I’d known then, but it was full of such BEAUTIFUL early 60′s furniture. I was too young to know.
My parents have the same headboard and dresser. Good memories; except that time I snooped inside those little drawers on the headboard. Geeeezz.
I have the same pink/gray mosaic tile in my bathroom! I’ve not seen it elsewhere and I’m grateful that it’s relatively subtle. Much to my surprise since I purchased my house 20 years ago, I’ve come to embrace my pink and gray bathroom in my Nashville Tennessee 1949 cottage-style home. I only wish it were easier to find more linens and accessories in the pink/gray combination. Shower curtains, towels, etc. And I haven’t found anything but dreadful bathroom light sconces with a plug in the bottom. Referrals welcome!
I have a completely new perspective on the owner of this house after finding the home I am in process of buying right now. Most 1950′s ranch houses become perfect for aging in place. The accesability to the kitchen from the basement is an easy travel, and often times should a home owner be unable to use the stairs, it is an easy move to put a bedroom into the basement, and set up a second kitchen and moving living into ‘one level’. In the home I am purchasing, a 1959 quad level, the ground floor with access to the carport was occupied by a handicapped women who only went up the stairs to the second kitchen and dining room on holidays and gatherings. her time spent in the living room down stairs was like moving into a smaller apartment, and due to the nature and floor plan of the house.
upstairs, the bedrooms haven’t been occupied since the 60′s, and floors still have the original finishes. the two bathrooms upstairs are pink tile and teal tile. central air was never installed upstairs because no one was using that part of the house!
i can’t wait to share photos with you, my kitchen has the original pink boomerang laminate and everything!!
I just saw this image on your page:
http://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/themes/thesis/rotator/1950s-kitchen.jpg
And.. WOW!…I recently walked back in time, myself…
This was the home of the late mayor of Fairborn, OH (was mayor in late 1980′s)…
http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-detail/1315-Maplegrove_Fairborn_OH_45324_1111050772?mp=1
Check this out:
http://p.rdcpix.com/v01/l144a3942-m1x.jpg
http://img216.imageshack.us/i/0720092056b.jpg/
http://img169.imageshack.us/i/0720092056a.jpg/
If the ceilings weren’t so low, I would have already bought it, probably.. (I’m 6’4″..)
-vulariter
Amazing!! I got all teary!! does anyone know what that sofa in the living room would be called? I’ve been looking for one like it for years! I’m trying to get more 50′s style furniture for our home.
My husband and I bought a 1952 minimal traditional last year, we are the third owners the original owners lived in it until the late 90′s, most everything is still as when it was built. so we are trying to “retro renovate”! This site has been a real life saver!
Wow. Amazing. I can only hope the new owners recognize what a treasure this house is.
Hi Martha, I did some other stories on this house and also tipped the local newspaper to it and they did a story — the new owner VERY MUCH wanted the house for its time-capsule-ness, so I think it is in great hands.
Pam,
Thanks for the follow up…whew, good news! On another note, I just wanted to say that yours is a wonderful, tremendous, informative, and fun site. I live in a 1959 ranch in Miami and am now just getting into this great mcm world. In Miami, unfortunately, if you don’t live in a barrel tiled mediterranean mcmansion, you’re in the minority! One of these days I will have to send you a pic of my bathroom. It still has the original tub, all the original wall tiles (aqua and in mint condition), and two vanity mirrors with “sputinik?” designs on the formica. I have had to change the toilet and sink, but have tried to stay with a streamlined modern look. However, my bathroom has a feature that I have not seen on any other post or in any house featured in Atomic Ranch magazine. Curious? Hopefully, I’ll get that pic to you soon.
OMG! I have nearly that exact same bedroom suite!
I am humbled by the story of the immigrants living. I feel so wasteful!
I bought a 1955 ranch house 12 years ago from the original owners. After living in it for 10 years and enjoying the knotty pine cabinets in the kitchen my spouse, upon marriage and moving into my home, convinced me to remodel the kitchen. I still have regrets. The good news is the cabinets are solid wood and still there, and now have a coating of white paint.
Alas, I have TONS of iron hardware (pulls and hinges) from these cabinets and some from the living room. The ones from the kitchen look like the ones in the picture in the link below. The living room pulls are a heart with a circle pull. I love them. I want someone to have them who will upcycle them in their home. Does anyone have an idea of how I might sell them?
Love this site!
Cabinet pulls like these:
http://retrorenovation.com/wp-content/themes/thesis/rotator/1950s-kitchen.jpg
Wow! Those are both amazing homes! That second one in the low $100,000s is an absolute steal too. Great find, it’s always nice to see owners keeping their homes original