This week’s vintage Hall-Mack miniseries concludes with 18 special accessories found in my 1962 catalog. Above: The Tow’lescope (I have two MIB) and the even more rare Extendo-Bar, which I have never seen in real life.
We’ve seen this a few times – the Concealed Scale.
Above: I’ve never seen this one – a Recessed Conceal-A-Roll.
Update: Now spotted in the wild — photos from our story about this giveaway.
Above: Ah, the Concealed Vanity Shelf. Notice the enclosed electric plug in the last image.
Above: A reader favorite, the Concealed Lavatory Unit.
Above: Concealed Lavatory Unites in place. Notice the Concealed Tissue Holder… the medicine cabinets with sliding glass doors, the ladder towel holder in the background, and that curved piece is a grab bar, I think.
Above: This is very cool, a grab bar with an attached soap tray.
Above: That’s a dolphin on the left, a shell on the right. Both “winsome as a water sprite.”
Above, the three-in-one towel rack is so named because it adjusts to three positions. At the 45-degree angle it “shows off three rows of decorative face towels to excellent advantage when guest are in your home.” I’ve never seen on of these, either.
Above: Internet poltergeists seem to have munched on the catalog photo, but I think this was the Concealed Toilet Paper Holder (single roll.)
“Towel Ladder.”
Shower Recess, and Corner Fixture. Careful, though, my experience is that chrome-plated stuff ultimately degrades within a tub or shower enclosure.
And of course, everyone’s favorite, the Hall-Mack Relaxation Unit.
Just now seeing this post…..I remember the Concealed Vanity Shelf. My in-laws had one in their 1950s ranch (which they still lives in) before they remodeled the bathroom. It’s still ranch like, but they added a full mirrored cabinet in it’s place sometime in the 80s.
Love the toilet paper holder. That is really cool.
I have several of these items in my old house in Sunnyvale, CA. I was very surprised to see them in your list. Does anyone have any others for sale?
Hi Len, they do come up for sale now and then on ebay. They always get snapped up!
Do you know where I can purchase a Hall-Mack Borg hidden wall scale #350? It was manufactured in the early 1960’s. I have one but it is falling apart.
Thanks
Vintage is the only source I know of …
I saw one on a plumbers site
Do you have any of the transparent curved soap dishes that went in to the recessed chrome soap holders ?
We don’t sell anything. Note, however, I see these for sale on ebay a lot….
This will be a comment in three parts:
A confession, an appreciation and a question.
First, the confession: it was while I was searching the Internet for a replacement for that “old magazine rack” in my 60’s-era bathroom that I realized what I have is one of those fabled Hall Mack relaxation units. So, I’m definitely new at this.
An appreciation: thanks to this blog and all you lovely commenters I now understand that this relaxation unit is part of what makes my have special instead of just another old piece of hardware. Thanks!
And now the question(or two): So I should definitely keep this thing, even though it’s not totally going to jive with the other bathroom updates I have in mind (neither the bathroom nor house is particularly mid-century in style anymore, tho most was built in 1941), right?? And if I’m going to do that, then I need to deal with the brown paint that’s all on the edges…so what do I do? Sanding seems like it would scratch the chrome that doesn’t need fixing…are there other options?
Thanks again!
Sherry3, if you decide not to keep your relaxation unit, i’d buy it in a heartbeat. teresa (at) culturemap.com
Easy off oven cleaner will do it safely and easier than anything else. Just did it for the handles and plastic bezels for my Geneva cabinets and they look new. Ideally take it off spray it to excess and wrap in Saran and leave for 15-30 minutes then scrub off with a non abrasive pad- I used a Dobie pad. Will look like new
We recently took down a 1956 California ranch inRI. We kept the cancelled toothbrush holder and toilet paper holder because it was so cool… now we do not think we are going to put them in the newly built house. Is there a market for these?
This is my bathrooms recessed scale, hidden soap dish with cup and toothbrush holder, also have the convenience toilet paper roll holder. I have these in 2 baths house was built in 1963 also has the whole house intercom with units right by the toilets which bolt to the wall not the floor
Dustin- I just read this almost two years later! It is now Jan 13, 2019.
I am trying to find the recessed Hallmack soap, toothbrush and tumbler unit. E-Bay hasn’t had it nor any plumbers supply.
Karen, keep watching ebay. This stuff DOES come up. Note, no buying/selling in the comment threads here or it becomes chaos.
Not sure what your price point is, but here it is for $295.
https://deabath.com/product/hallmack-concealed-combination-lavy-unit/
Note, it’s polished brass. Again: Watch ebay, several of these come up each year, in my experience.
I freaked out when I read this blog! I apparently have the ‘Relaxation” unit in my bathroom, for TP, magazines, and (yikes) an ashtray! I always wondered why this extra space was next to the TP holder, and I always thought it was for a spare roll. Now, to find out that people would sit on the throne and puff away made me cringe!