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1963 Electro-Sink Center: The most wonderful kitchen faucet ever?!

pam kueber - Updated: December 12, 2021

Retro Renovation stopped publishing in 2021; these stories remain for historical information, as potential continued resources, and for archival purposes.

electro sink center 1963
From our followup story on New Old Stock Electro Sink Centers that turned up at Hippo Hardware.

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!!!

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89 comments

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  2. Alicia says

    I was cleaning out a garage in an old 1947 home and came across one of these sink centers. It appears to have all the parts there and is in really good condition. Does anyone know how I would go about selling it?

    Thanks!

    • Victoria says

      Let me know if you list it, would love to have one! Our vintage kitchen would ROCK that sink…and I had one when I was a kid so really interested!

      • Alicia Mitchell says

        Victoria,

        I’ve tried putting it on eBay, but it’s incredibly heavy and they will not allow the shipping to exceed a certain amount. If you would like to contact me by email, I am very interested in selling it and would like to work something out.

        I’m renovating an old house and I found a full sink center in a box in the garage. It appears to have all the parts as well as the instructions. If anyone is interested in buying it or could give me a reference on websites that purchase the items I would appreciate it. Thank you

        • pam kueber says

          Alicia, no buying/selling here on the main blog.

          You can list it on our buy/sell Forum, but please read the instructions carefully, you must include all info requested for the listing to remain. https://retrorenovation.com/forums/

          I see heavy stuff on ebay all the time. I bought my Electro-Sink Center on ebay. Surely there must be a way. That is your best bet.

        • Victoria says

          I don’t want to violate any rules, just asking for a heads up if it gets listed. It would look so pretty at my little one-room B&B, Victoria’s Last Resort in Cambria! cambriahermit@aol.com

  3. Bren says

    WOW, thank you. I was trying to figure out what in the WORLD Laura had above her sink. I thought maybe it was a hot water unit, or water purifier but there were additional outlets, now I know why. $400.00 was a LOT of money back then. I guess Rob really was doing well….Laura had some top of the line stuff. (Ever notice they had 3 phone extensions in their house? Not typical.

  4. Joe Felice says

    I recall another faucet/device, from which one could control lights and appliances in the kitchen. Can’t remember the name, but, when I saw it, and by today’s codes, I think it would be unsafe. I mean all that electricity so close to water, and they didn’t have GFCIs back then. Now I also wonder if anybody remembers the Ronson “Can-Do” from the early ’60s. It was a cool little gadget that hung next to the sink, and had a coiled cord, so you could extend it around the kitchen. It had different attachments that snapped in the end, for mixing, whipping, drink-making and knife-sharpening. But when you popped up the side, it was an electric can opener. My parents had one, and gave it to me when I got my first house. Of course, like a fool, I got rid of it when I moved 33 years ago, and I still regret doing that!

  5. Patty Kenney says

    This past week on the Dick Van Dyke show that electronic sink machine has been on the program it’s the one that has Robert Vaughn on it, and the episode where Laura threw a surprise pajama birthday party for Rob.

  6. Tracy Middleton says

    My brother’s mobile home has one. It was the first thing we removed. SCARY to say the least. It has the blender bowl. No ice cream maker. No manual. It has been thoroughly used. Anybody interested?

  7. Bill says

    Just in case you need them for later, you can search greedbay for;
    1960s Electro Way Push Button Sink Center Fliers Instruction manual with recipes

  8. Victoria says

    We HAD this sink. It was amazing and so much fun for us kids. We never really used the ultraviolet lamp that sterilized things, but I have coveted this since I was a kid…my mom tossed it! The side parts had a multitude of attachments from blenders to meat grinders and mixers. We had them all. You could preset the water temps so the degree of “warm” was the same every time. My mom bought it from a door-to-door salesman. She also bought the full Kirby floor system…and we didn’t have any rugs. 🙂 I might need one…who has one to sell? 😉

      • Victoria says

        Thanks, Bill, I am hoping to locate the actual sink but I do appreciate you telling me about the brochure!

    • Joanne Wulf says

      We had this too. Every house in the development had an Electro-Sink Center (Westminster, California, 1964). If the power went off, you couldn’t get water at the kitchen sink–had to go to the bathroom or an outside faucet. Ours was set so close to a wall that it was impossible to clean behind it, so those UV lights sterilized a lot of debris.

      I liked my Hamilton Beach mixer and my Osterizer much better.

    • pam kueber says

      Yes, we have a separate story on this — that is, the fact that the Electro Sink Center was in the show!

      • Bill says

        Hi Pam,
        Did you ever get yours up and running?
        I sold all the NIB accessories that I had for these, but I still have a lot of fliers and owner/instruction/recipe manuals left.

    • Mark E. says

      I do believe seeing in the literature that there was a lesser model that simply managed the water flow but did not include the side motors for the accessory appliances. That must have been the version installed in the Petrie kitchen.

      • John DVDfan says

        The unit on the Petrie’s sink was the Electro Queen – sort of a light version of the Electro Sink Center. The Queen did not have the swivel sidecars with motorized attachments, but the center control unit appears to be the same – push buttons to operate solenoid valves that turn on hot and cold water, plus the dishwashing wand. In Season 2 DVDs, Rob and Laura are shown dispensing cold water into the coffee maker at different points.
        Interestingly, in Season 1, they had a valve unit
        on the sink that also seems to be an Electro-Way design – same swing-arm faucet and dish wand, but no pushbuttons. Instead of the sheet metal box with lights and buttons, it is a small stainless-looking tank – the detergent reservoir maybe? I call that one the metal bullet. I have searched for info on the bullet and the Queen without result.

        • John DVDfan says

          Update -a search of your excellent site turned up the Magic Queen faucet. This must be the metal tank on kitchen sink in the first season of Dick Van Dyke. The Magic Queen has the same logo as found in the Electro-Way documents for the Electro Sink Center – the genie with magic wand. The Electro Queen on Laura Petrie’s kitchen sink was obviously the child of the Magic Queen – same name, style of swing-arm faucet and same dish wand, just updated with electric lights, switches, and solenoid valves. The Queen was augmented by the motorized side units to become the Sink Center. I am not sure if Electro Way Corp. designed the original (non-electric) Magic Queen or if they acquired it from someone.
          Does anyone have manuals for the Magic Queen Faucet ?

    • taylor says

      I literally am watching the Dick Van Dyke show now and had to stop and look up what in the heck that was in the sink! How funny!