The GE wall refrigerator-freezer is the vintage kitchen appliance that perhaps draws the most gasps from readers when they see one for the first time. And, it’s one of the appliances that inspires many folks to ask, “Why don’t they make this today?” Why did it disappear? I have a few hypotheses. According to the copy in these marketing materials (part of my personal collection), the GE wall refrigerator-freezer was introduced in 1955 — the same year that GE introduced the Wonder Kitchen and a whole suite of kitchen appliances all meant to encourage the “built-in” look.
Here’s what the ad says about this exciting new invention:
… This magnificent refrigerator-freezer that hangs from the wall provides a completely new and advanced concept of modern living. Truly, it is the most convenient and magnificent refrigerator-freezer ever produced!
The advantages of this new G-E Wall Refrigerator-Freezer are obvious: there’s no need to bend or stoop for foods because everything can be seen at a glance… It can be installed directly above a work counter to provide extra counter surface. And, there’s room in the kitchen for extra base cabinets because this compact new appliance occupies no floor space.
…Six Mix-or-Match colors including white.
Specs: “This de luxe refrigerator-freezer has 10.7 cubic feet of storage room — 8.7 cubic feet for fresh food and 2 cubic feet for frozen foods. It is 5 feet 4 inches long, 3 feet 3½ inches high and 17½ inches deep.
- Long-lasting baked enamel with a wide band of textured aluminum.
- All 3 doors are kept shut by famous alnico magnets. No handles, no catches.
- Separate vegetable and fruit compartments have transparent sliding doors.
- Top shelf provides space for tall bottles. Shelves are adjustable to various levels.
- Separate compartments inside door or butter, egg rack; and door shelves for small jars and cans.
- Zero-degree food freezer has room for up to 83 packages of frozen foods.
- Four new-style Mini-Cube® ice trays.
- Frozen fruit juice storage rack.
- Dependable whisper-quite ealed-in G-E refrigeration unit is built into the refrigerator. No need to install it separately.
Above: Note the special hanger gear on the wall. Readers experienced with this units advise: If you find one to buy for your kitchen, Be Sure to Get The Hanger Thingie!
I don’t think I’ve ever seen one of these “live” working in a reader’s kitchen. But I see no reason that these could not still be used. They may require some refurbishing.
Mix-and-Match style: Above, this image produced to advertise Armstrong Flooring shows just how the different GE cabinets and appliance colors could be mixed and matched Mondrian-style.
Above: Another interior design from Armstrong floors — Note here, how the GE wall refrigerator-freezer unit is built into an appliance wall. Cool to the max. Plus: Love that floor!
Above: Here’s the GE Wonder Kitchen.
Above: Reader Chris scored a GE Wonder Kitchen, refurbished it, and installed it in his apartment, which is in a building designed by Mies van Der Rohe.
Okay, so can I now really blow your mind? Above: A full GE Refrigeration Center — combining the wall refrigerator-freezer with base cabinets refrigeration and even tucking in two Cabinettes. I don’t know the year of this ad, although this marketing image is somewhere in my files. First uploaded as part of my slide show of 73 pink kitchens.
Above: And this one blows our minds too: The GE Partio Cart, introduced in 1960.
Why did GE wall refrigerator-freezers fade from the marketplace?
I hypothesize: (1) An 8.7 cu.ft. refrigerator was not “enough”, especially as manufacturers continued to offer new, larger refrigerator designs. (2) Kids could not reach the refrigerator. (3) Many women [average height was 5’4″, I remember reading once] themselves had trouble reaching. (4) I’m guessing these were expensive.
What do you think, readers?
Why did these not endure?
Would you like one for your kitchen?
Love vintage refrigerators? Also check out these stories:
- Revco Bilt-In refrigerators, 17 pages of designs from 1956
- Greg & Tammy’s 1953 Kelvinator side-by-side refrigerator-freezer, before & after
- A vintage Sub-Zero
- A New Old Stock Amana Stor-More
- A 1964 GE Americana refrigerator-freezer
Counter-depth refrigerator-freezer from Ikea 
A counter-depth, side-by-side, Energy Star refrigerator in white — good design potential for a midcentury kitchen 
Red refrigerators — 10 places to buy one 
Greg Pearson says
I think these are very cool! I have always loved the looks; they weren’t “too” built in looking, say like the Revco. They had color & style!
To Pam’s question on why they disappeared, I always felt a major reason was just the replacement factor. It is really easy to replace a traditional freestanding fridge. These built-ins were a real commitment. If you had a problem, you HAD to get it fixed, otherwise it was truly wasted space. The small size doesn’t help. Size was a major reason we decided to go with our Kelvinator Foodarama. We originally liked a smaller vintage fridge and were going to by a small modern freezer to supplement. With the Foodarama, you don’t have to worry!
Wendy in St. Louis says
While looking for houses, I came across the two kitchens with wall hung fridges. The second one in the link below is part of a pink wonder kitchen 🙂
http://www.pbase.com/weed30/metal_kitchens
Janet in CT says
Wonderful Wonder Kitchens! I love that countertop! Thanks for posting this for us to see! I was also glad that someone saw the value in advertising vintage kitchens.
Anne Walker says
Somehow I missed this response when it was initially posted. It gives me hope that somewhere in the St. Louis metropolitan area there is a pink fridge out there waiting for me to claim it. 😀 I clicked on the link, reviewed the info & left a message. Thanks for the post!
Wendy in St. Louis says
And in this link, (after the first 3 pics, which are my appliances), is a home with *all* pink everything. About midway down is the pink wall fridge. Not sure if these were featured here or something I came across on my own, but the guy sold it all. Sigh.
http://www.pbase.com/weed30/pink
Janet in CT says
My father sold GE; I don’t know if he ever sold a Wonder Kitchen but I do know he did install the wall fridges and metal cabinets. Several months ago I asked our elderly appliance serviceman about these refrigerators. He told me the same thing that 52PostNBeam mentioned, that there was a man that GE flew all over the country to service them up until the eighties, if I recall right. He said that one reason they stopped producing them was an overheating problem. Some were installed in the wall and flush rather than sticking out like a cabinet, and in a closet area they didn’t get the air circulation they needed and the compressors would burn up. I am sure some burned up just because of heat in the kitchen. You also had to clean them frequently which was difficult to access. And they were very small compared to regular fridges, and especially new models today! I admire all of you for saving the ones you have and so hope to find one some day for myself! Sadly, I only have one of the cabinettes that hangs underneath them right now.
52postnbeam says
This makes sense. Most of the ones I’ve seen installed are completely enclosed on the back, with a soffit above, which means all the cooling and exhaust from the motors have to come out through that rather small vent area on the top. After a few good years in an active kitchen, that vent would be clogged with greasy lint. That traveling repair man probably lectured people about cleaning the vent until his face was as blue as his GE uniform!
I love that the service repair men used to wear uniforms 🙂
Sandra says
Laws of physics: big bodies hold their temperatures better. The thinner you spread them, the more they resemble radiators or air-conditioners, rather than a root cellar (which efficiently uses the earth, a very big body, as its cold-storage).
The drive for efficiency has made it hard to find even an apartment-sized refrigerator, and those small office refrigerators use just as much energy as a big one.