Woah. This is the most AMAZING kitchen faucet slash appliance: EVER! A 1963 Electro-Sink Center, spotted by reader oldgun31 on ebay and posted to our Forum (now closed). As oldgun31 points out:
For history’s sake, I will archive what the listing said:
To start off with, here is a link to see what a new one looked like when the door to door salesman came a knocking on your door in 1963. PHOTOS (of discussion on another Forum of same piece found at an estate sale by another person-Pam). This electronically controlled faucet that I have was installed in 1963 in a house in Portland Oregon. Looks like they paid 399.00 for it, but made payments of $13.08 a month for 36 months, ($470.88). I was at an auction at that house and found it in the basement in one of its many junk rooms.
It took me a while to find the items that went with it, but I wasn’t able to find everything. It did surprise me that I found the book and original receipt. I’m sure that the rest of it was there, but lost in the clutter, (These folks never threw anything away. It just went on a shelf in the basement, then later years, things were stored in one of the bedrooms or in the huge attic). Needless to say it is untested, and sold for parts or repair. The heavy glass bowl is in good condition, (No nips, chips, or cracks found). The ice cream maker also looks very good and appears complete.
AND, here is another link, which oldgun31 added, and which is referenced in the Photos link. It is for a 1964 Electro-Sink Center brochure!
Finally, someone mentions that perhaps Laura Petrie had this in her kitchen in one of the early episodes of the Dick Van Dyke Show — ????? If anyone can spot this watching the show online — grab a screen shot, and I’ll post it.
Wonders!!!
Carrie says
I’ve been looking for this forever. I started to think I’d hallucinated it! (All this time I’ve been typing in “Electric” instead of “Electro.” Silly me.)
We had one when I was a kid.
Upside: The mixer and blender were cool. The soap dispenser, too. And the red and blue buttons, felt, well, modern.
Downside: It didn’t work when the electricity went out.
I was kind of afraid of the blue light. If it could sterilize dishes, what might it do to me?
Sven says
Growing up my Grandmother had one of these Sink Centers. When she later moved to the retirement home, I asked if I could have the functioning sink center before she sold the home.
We took it and installed it in our home in Chicago where we used it for about 6 months before the cold button started giving us trouble. We took it out to save it and still to this day have it in boxes.
At one point, we attempted to get it on display at the Smithsonian. I have a wonderful letter from them saying that the piece wasn’t well suited for their modern kitchen display – surprising I know.
I’ll be happy to dig it out of the boxes and send you pictures if you wish.
Sven.
Bill says
That was a great find too.
It was so cheap I almost bid on it myself.
And, it too was new!.
I had emailed the seller to let him know what I had but he didn’t seem interested.
Bill says
Hello all.
What a surprise to find this forum with the Electro Way that I sold, yes, those are my photos and description.
The reason I was doing a search for this unit is because I just purchased 2 more of these.
They are a little different in that they are still in their original shipping boxes and one is still sealed shut.
As the boxes are about 30″X 24″X 24″, I assume they are complete units.
The elderly gent that had an estate auction said his father was an electrician in Sweet Home Oregon and sold and installed these units. These were in the back of his shop and forgot about for all these years.
I will need to inventory the opened box to determine if everything is still in it and if not, I might sell it in pieces for those folks out there that might need a component to complete their unit.
The used one that I sold was $400 installed in 1963 and as can be seen in my photos wasn’t complete anymore.
I have yet to decide how much to ask for the NIB unit, maybe someone out there can throw me a good offer.
Same for anyone looking for components.
I have clicked on the button for follow-up comments to be emailed to me.
Bill
Bill says
Well, false alarm.
I don’t have the complete sink center unit.
I opened the sealed box and went through both boxes and what I found was:
5.) Mixing bowls with dough hook and beaters.
5.) Juicers for use in mixing bowl.
5.) Complete Ice cream makers.
5.) Complete Salad maker kits for use with mixer bowl.
Of course they were all in their sealed boxes w/part numbers on them, except the salad bowls and 2 of the juicers, and I opened them to confirm what they were.
So, sorry to get anyone’s hopes up for the complete unit, but I still think this is a great find.
Bill
Bill says
PS. Also a stack of single page fliers and owner Instruction books as seen in the second photo above.
Scot says
And their elusiveness continues.
Bill says
I thank you, and I just shipped the 1st set to you 2 hours ago.
pam kueber says
yay! i bought a base last week… we’ll see if i can get the whole thing working!
Rainer says
I used to work for the company (Electro Way Corp) in the 60’s. First in Culver City, then in South El Monte. I built and tested many of these units. They were really amazing at the time, and still are. The solenoids used were actually derivitives of those used in washing machines. Yes there were problems, but if anyone is old enough, even cars required attention every 5,000 miles. You had to pull the plugs and clean and regap them, check the points and set the timing, and don’t forget the condensor and what would happen if it went bad on you. The sink center was the same way. You had routine maintenence that had to be done occassionaly else it would, and did, fail. There were filters that needed to be cleaned (at least on the later models) and you would need to clean the diaphram seat every once in a while, especially if you had galvinized plumbing that would deteriate and leave “rocks” in the seat which led to you not being able to shut-off the water flow. I still have one of these units in my house (since 1963), and since we have had the house replumbed with copper pipes, the maintenence has become very infrequent. I love the dishwashing capabilities, and have upgraded the hand washing wand to that from the DishMaster unit so that I can still get replacement parts.
Scot says
aHA! Rainer….you might have just exposed yourself as the one who has the only working model left in the world. I’m jealous. Can we see pictures or videos? With close-ups? I bet Pam would love to see them as well.
Bruce says
@ Scott,
Did you happen to live in the Sol Vista tract in Westminster, CA.?
We moved to Sol Vista in 63 and had one in our 2 story. They were a regular feature in most of the homes there along w/the Caloric ranges and ovens. Always saw them on Dick Van Dike show. Your description is right on the money. Ours lasted till the early 70’s.
Scot says
Yes! I grew up on Yale Ave. My best friend Richard had an older brother named Bruce. They lived on the corner of University and Cambridge. It would be pretty wild if you happened to be him.
When I called Julie about her dad’s sink center we laughed about the Caloric oven on the Dick Van Dyke show which was just like ours. I lived in a 2-story as well.
We also had those built-into-the-wall dispensers. It had 3 slots and 3 rolling knobs to dispense aluminum foil, Seran (or plastic) wrap and wax paper. You folded down the front to open it up and load the 3 slots then close it…use the rolling wheel to dispense and then tear it off….but eventually the stuff would get all caught up inside and you were forever trying to untangle it. Another cool idea at first that proved to be a bust.
Bruce says
Scott,
Not that Bruce, older brothers name is Jim. We lived on Loyola near Bolsa Chica. Yes we had one of those 3 roll dispensers too. Great modern homes for the time. They were going for well over 1 mil before the housing bubble burst. 28-32,000 in 63.
Scot says
If I may cut in….I grew up with one of these sink centers in our house. In fact a lot of the houses had them. The housing tract was built in 1963/64/65, and we moved into our brand new house when I was 7. The sink center was pretty cool at first, push a button for hot water (red light comes on) another for cold (blue light comes on) both for warm. Another button activated the water scrub brush with soap dispenser… button at the thumb…soap refill reservoir on top of the unit. Housed inside the chrome ends were motors that drove the blender on one end and the food processor on the other. One of the bazaar features was the blue lights called “sani-lights” or something like that. At night when you’re done doing dishes and the kitchen lights were off you could turn on the sani-lights which glowed blue under the unit. Don’t ask me…..but it did look cool.
Now…..all of that said….these things didn’t last too long before they started having issues. The blender and food processors quit working, the hot and cold buttons began having problems and when you can’t turn the faucet on anymore you cuss and swear and then get rid of the damn thing. They began dropping like flies all over the neighborhood. People began to replace them with regular faucets until pretty soon they didn’t exist anywhere. HOWEVER, the girl who grew up next door who has always been my sister’s best friend, and who we still see regularly says her dad’s sink center (he still lives in that house today) still works! He’s fixed a few things using parts from all the discarded ones and has managed to keep his working almost 50 years later.
pam kueber says
That is such a great story, Scott! Any chance you could get me connected to sister’s best friend’s dad so’s I can talk to him about his sink center and get some photos. Maybe he’s not too far… I could even go get some video!
Scot says
Ok, boy is my face red……Since you asked, I called Julie to see if her dad could take some pictures and she told me he no longer has it. He couldn’t fix it anymore and finally took it out a few years ago. I said “Your kidding!! I just told the world he still has it and he’s the only one!”
I must be getting old because I’d swear it seems like only yesterday that we were talking about it. Those things are getting more rare by the minute.
Mark E says
Solenoids – solenoids – solenoids, Once they started going, the end was near.
My dad still has the mixer, the ice cream maker, the dough hook and the ice crusher on a dusty shelf.
GW says
We had one of these for years in our kitchen in Portland, OR in the late ’60’s. We all loved the thing, and have many fond memories of it. I would love one now, if I could find an updated one. We used the sterilization lights a lot, I do remember that!
KM says
OMG! My grandma had one of these in her kitchen!
Jen says
That is FABULOUS! Love it! It reminds me of the Dishmasters, too. My mom had one when I was little. That thing was incredible…I knew it even then.