space-saver and time-saver ever!” — ad
After our recent article about Chris’ kitchen, which spotlighted his restored GE Wonder Kitchen, I decided to pursue some true academic research into this wonderful design from mid century America. GE Wonder Kitchens were, “An internally plumbed and wired G-E ‘Kitchen Center’ combining an automatic dishwaher, range, Dispoall-equipped sink, and a washer dryer. All mounted under one stainless steel counter.” The basic unit was 9.5 feet long, I believe.
I went looking for more info and golly, what with the power of the Google, my most basic questions were answered fast. Right away, I found this June 27, 1955 advertisement from LIFE. This ad indicates that the first GE Wonder Kitchens are about to be launched. It features William Levitt, and says that these kitchen-laundry units will be installed in his development in Levittown, Pennsylvania. The ad proclaims:
In the words of one woman enthusiast, “It is the most magnificent, yet most sensible work-saver, space-saver and time-saver ever!”
After I found the 1955 ad online, I then went into my stash of vintage marketing materials, and super quick, located several ads for GE’s kitchen appliances from 1955. GE must really have been making a big push this particular year. In addition to spotlighting the Wonder Kitchen, they also were promoting other built-ins including their now-famous refrigerator that looks like a wall cabinet. The built-ins that were part of the Wonder Kitchen also could be purchased separately.
In fact, the Wonder Kitchen ad says: “… 55 out of every 100 women think G.E. makes the best home appliances.”
Also pretty groovy: See the GE 1955 color palette — Canary Yellow, Turquoise Green, Petal Pink, Cadet Blue and Woodtone Brown. Note — they are promoting to “mix and match” these colors. Indeed, we occasionally see two-tone kitchens in the wild. More so in ads, though. Methinks that most women were pretty conservative about getting too trendy with their purchases of this big ticket items.
… and, Cadet Blue — golly, I’ve never heard of that one before! Must be as rare to see today as Frigidaire’s short-lived 1960s Poppy Red.
Above, a GE Wonder Kitchen in the famous 1960 “Scarsdale time capsule house” that we showed here a few years ago. I am thinking: The Wonder Kitchen was high-end.
In a comment added to the story about Chris’ kitchen, reader Lori reminded us that she also has a GE Wonder Kitchen. And — she has a husband who is a professional — he rewired it, and she is using this daily!
Lori provided lots of detail, writing:
Hi There! Love the kitchen remodel. And the fact that another one of these rare GE kitchen centers has been saved. I was fortunate to pick up one of these kitchen centers about six years ago on EBAY. MIne’s in PINK and it’s still has the original paint. Pam was so kind to feature my entire kitchen on the site here last year titled Lori’s Whole Lotta Lovin’ Fun kitchen.
The date on my GE KITCHEN CENTER is Oct. 1956. I have the combo washer/dryer, dishwasher, stove and cleaner container compartment. My husband is an electrical engineer so he rewired the entire center and brought it up to code so that I could use it. I have the sliding doors for my center but when I put them on I couldn’t see my vintage figurine display so I opted to leave them off. Also I have in storage the matching stackable ovens. I have an original 1957 GE CALENDAR and the month of JULY features the GE KITCHEN CENTER. The bottom of the page reads: “GENERAL ELECTRIC KITCHEN CENTER. New, Deluxe Package Kitchen. Available in five, beautiful Mix or Match colors. Four time saving, work saving appliances, range, dishwasher, Disposall (copyrighted), and combination washer/dryer all under a seamless, long-lasting stainless steel counter. Many deluxe features – cabinettes, fluorescent lights, retractable cord center, custom radio, and cleaner container compartment – gives you more glamour…more utility…more beauty.” When I was looking for my GE KITCHEN CENTER I found some manuals for 1955, 1956 and 1957 so I’m not sure if those were the only years but I’m pretty sure that the first centers were either 1954 or 1955. And I know they didn’t have a long production run. They were designed to be used in a small space giving you all the appliances you need at your finger tips. So I’m thrilled to see another GE KITCHEN CENTER being reclaimed and displayed so beautifully! GREAT JOB!!
I am not sure when Cabinettes were added to the mix.
The GE Wonder Kitchen: pretty cool. Now you know.
Sally Walker says
We are installing our new to us turquoise 1957 wonder kitchen in Phoenix, Arizona next week! The house had to be built to fit the kitchen but we couldn’t be happier with how it turned out. Does anyone know the best way to track down replacement parts for the dishwasher or the stove? It’s currently in working condition but I’d like to know where to find back up parts.
Pam Kueber says
Hi Sally, how fun! I don’t know the answer to your question specifically, but here’s a story on places that might be able to help: https://retrorenovation.com/2011/08/29/parts-service-and-advice-to-fix-old-stoves-and-other-vintage-appliances-a-list-of-9-online-resources/
Send me photos when you’re done!
Sally Walker says
Hi! I recently acquired a 1957 turquoise green wonder kitchen and noticed on the plug-in center a specific outlet for an “automatic griddle”. Does anyone know the details on the griddle?
Maura says
I have a 1955 Liberator stove and it has an automatic griddle with the outlet. It is a wonderful griddle that plugs in there and covers two burners. One burner you turn on high with the push button control, then the calrod burner with a dial controls both burners while the griddle is plugged in. I love it!!
Cece DuBois says
My grandmother had the wall-hung refrigerator. Hers was turquoise. I always loved it, and wish I’d snagged it when the house sold.
la573 says
The really hard-to-find Wonder Kitchen component was their available, huge 30 inch wide dishwasher. They were made in the late ’50s and well into the 1960s, sold seperately or with the Wonder Kitchen, but few seem to have survived. The only other 30″w full-height dishwasher I’m aware of is the Dacor unit from about 10-15 years ago that also isn’t common.
The wall-hung fridges find their way to eBay and craigslist occasionally. The laundry machine (combination washer/dryer) is neat, and easier to come by nowadays than the dishwasher at least. All but the oldest ones have a square glass window in the door, and these were made until ’80s or so. These both wash *and* dry your clothes in one shot, and unlike any current machines of that type are 30″ wide rather than the usual 24″ or rare 27″. If you’re in the mid-Atlantic area, a good source for these is the Calypso condominiums/timeshares in Ocean City, MD at the intersection of 62nd st & Atlantic ave., a high-rise built in the ’70s where these were installed in all the units when it was built. The apartment I stayed stayed in recently still had the original (don’t know if other GE wonder kitchen components were there too, but the wall-mount fridge wasn’t). Sometimes owners replace the original appliances with new ones, but scavengers that still have the original appliances often use the ones in the disposal area to pull parts from to fix their original ones.
GE stopped making cabinets a long time ago, and sadly left the appliance business last year, selling it to Chinese manufacturer Haier.
Cynthia Sedgwick says
We just bought a house with a old retro kitchen, the oven has a wire coming out the side, inside that looks like a thermostat . Does anyone know anything about these ovens.
pam kueber says
Hi Cynthia, this is not a fixit site, check out this story for possible help: https://retrorenovation.com/2011/08/29/parts-service-and-advice-to-fix-old-stoves-and-other-vintage-appliances-a-list-of-9-online-resources/
Good luck.
Alan says
I live in South Florida, in a co-op apt.built circa ’56-’57. The apartments were all originally equipped with these kitchens. My grandparents were the second owner of the unit, which they used sparingly as a winter retreat from their New England home. I still use the kitchen every day minus the original washer/dryer, cabinet fridge, and original dishwasher. I must say it is a joy to use, and the stainless is a breeze to keep clean. I too am going to have to rewire the stove top…
Gwen Billiot says
I have a 1955 GE electric kitchen, pink in color. the kitchen faucet is not in working order. trying to find a replacement faucet for this sink. is there any web site that you can find replacement parts for this kitchen.
pam kueber says
I have a few suggestions:
1 – You can try The Old Appliance Club and see if anyone there can help you re: replacement parts for the faucet you have. Also try Deabath.com
2 – Looks like Chris just replaced his with a different wall-mount faucet. We have numerous stories on where to find these in our Kitchen Help/Faucets category. You can also get Dishmasters as wall-mount! Re any of these, you will need to ensure you get the right center-on-center design to fit your existing holes. https://retrorenovation.com/category/kitchen/faucets/
Robert Ross says
I have a 1956 Wonder kitchen with an extended top. I need to replace either the oven, or the baking and broiling elements in the oven. Can anyone help?
pam kueber says
See Kitchen Help / Appliances subcategory or FAQs / Appliances for our story on where to find help with this question.
melissa says
What’s an extended top? I have a wonderkitchen with an 8.5′ top, but I’m intrigued by the idea of an even longer top! Would love to know more!
Joe Felice says
And don’t forget that GE/Hotpoint was the first to have plug-in elements for easy replacement, starting in the ’60s. As a young man, I remember replacing burned-out elements in the oven & on the stove top, as well as the door seal, with no training or special tools. But those clocks were impossible to set.
anonymous says
To stare balefully into this colorful memento of 1955’s “futurist” past is to know, somewhere deep inside the sad, tired, and utterly bland and exhausted soul of present-day America, of what has been irretrievably and painfully lost, and will not return, “retro” or otherwise.
pam kueber says
Golly, I think everyone is doing the best they can… And, the past had its awful issues, in so many ways…
David Tauber says
I am looking for the oven handle to my unit (or oven drawer, as they are the same). Are there any parts or resources out there for parts?
pam kueber says
See our subcategory Kitchen Help/Appliances for our story on where to find such resources.
Shari D. says
Oh my goodness, yes! “The Good Old Days” we’re not all they were cracked up to be, that’s for sure! Look at all the social battles that have been fought since then. Some for the good, some for the better, and some are still not quite there yet! But, considering the social ills that were so prevalent back in those times, in no particular order – sexism, ageism, racism – just to name a very few, all is not lost even now.
Like the Virginia Slim’s cigarette commercial jingle used to say – “You’ve come a long way, baby, to get where you got to, today!” And we sure have.