I love old houses because they come ready-filled with a history of love. Today: Judy’s lovely story about the 1958 kitchen that her mother Doreen still uses today, after moving in when it was brand new.
Yes, 58 years in the same kitchen… which even after hearty duty serving up three squares a day to five children, remains in great condition … with the same pots and pans, same glitter laminate, same checkerboard tile… little changed from the day it was built. What a testament to quality — and to tender loving care. Judy’s key question — in return for sharing this story — is: Can we connect her with someone in Calgary, Alberta, who would be interested in visiting, documenting, and perhaps even agreeing to remove the kitchen and set it up somewhere so it can be visited? This is a time capsule story she would like to see endure.
I asked Judy if she could tell us the story of the kitchen. She wrote:
We quickly outgrew the two bedroomed bungalow my father and his brother built in the northern outskirts of Calgary, and moved in 1958 to a new four-bedroomed ‘split-level’ in the city’s expanding southern suburbs. We soon became five children surrounded by countryside, biking everywhere, and always came home hungry.
My mother’s kitchen was her domain – organised, clean, polished, and productive with home-made bread, tins of cookies, three meals a day, plus snacks like popcorn and fudge for seven of us. The ages from father to youngest child were spread over 52 years; this may explain why no changes were ever made, there was never a break in the cooking. At the age of 91, my mother still cooks for herself, as well as her middle son and grandson who look out for her.
A 25 lb. turkey was slow-roasted for seven hours when an extended family of up to 14 gathered for Thanksgiving and Christmas. (We’d have to take turns for the roasted skin flap, which meant the prize came only every couple of years). For New Year, we would tuck into her homemade noodles and turkey broth.
Her cupboards still hold to the same arrangements as in the beginning: tea, coffee and crackers above the gas stove, flour, sugar and other baking needs above the single square metre of workspace she had.
The original, giant, Whirlpool fridge, working until recently, is now stored in the basement.
The linoleum floor, regularly waxed is still in great condition.
Formica work top, mahogany plywood cupboard doors with copper knobs and pull-down copper pendant lights are just as they were in the beginning; even the full set of heavy, aluminum, Wear Ever pans with copper lids and Bakelite handles.
Wall-mounted knife holder and rotary can opener have been in place since the beginning. Tappan oven and gas stove top still work perfectly.
Is it exceptional for a kitchen of this period to exist, still be in use, and be almost intact? I’d love to know. Also, I’d love to think that the kitchen might be preserved. Anyone buying the house after she’s gone will tear it out. Can anyone help? My main question is this: Would anyone be interested in visiting, documenting, and perhaps even agreeing to remove the kitchen and set it up somewhere so it can be visited? I’m grateful to find a like-minded, knowledgeable and enthusiastic ear for this. It would mean a lot to have someone in Calgary look at it.
Judy, I do know someone in historical preservation in Calgary. I will be sure to email her this story, to see if she has any ideas for you. Meanwhile, I take a stab at one of your questions:
Q. Is it exceptional for a kitchen of this period to exist, still be in use, and be almost intact?
A: Yes. We do see them, but they are getting more and more rare. Your mom’s kitchen is particularly notable, I’d say, because it still has the laminate countertops and original flooring — these often get replaced over the years. I see that you have changed out the fridge and the dishwasher, possibly the faucet, too; but these are easier to replace with authentic vintage if that is a goal. Flooring and laminate: Not so much. In fact, there is no known source, worldwide, for glitter laminate right now. So this kitchen is a delight to see. It’s also so incredibly heartwarming — and again, rare, I’d say — to see cookware and decor still in place, still in use. Such a testament to enduring quality, care and thrift.
I will also say: Unchanged vintage kitchens and houses — time capsule houses — have become increasingly desirable over the past few years. Many readers here are actively seeking them out. We want the original glitter and floor tile and wood cabinets and appliances — all of it! So don’t give up hope that the next people who live in this house won’t love it as much as you do; it’s possible. That said, yes: Gut remodels happen. More often than not, that’s the harsh reality. So we will do what we can to help you — maybe a museum WILL be interested. We’ve seen it happen before.
Thank you so much, Judy, for sharing this story with us. It’s just wonderful. xoxo
Carole says
The fact that the kitchen remains in nearly original condition is awesome. Appliances fail – but wow, what longevity (translation, quality!), but what really grabs my attention – original owner. Very few people remain in one house their entire adult lives, by circumstance, or by choice. It simply isn’t how most people live in this day and age. That is also an extremely rare occurrence, and one that I find so very cool.
I do hope that this kitchen can be preserved, either by a new owner of the home someday, or by a museum.
Several years ago we had a museum exhibit on the Columbus Day Storm here in Oregon. There was a time capsule kitchen of the day included in the display, and it was so neat to step into. I got a glimpse into how my parents had lived, just by that one little room on display. 🙂
RAnderson says
Such a happy story, especially for those of us who grew up in the ’50s! Hope this fabulous time piece will survive intact!
Hipkat says
We can put a man on the moon, but we can’t bring back glitter laminate? C’mon! Such a joy to see that beautiful, loved, and carefully maintained kitchen. Please update us if there’s a solution to preserving this gem.
pam kueber says
Call NASA. Don’t hold yer breath.
JaniceW says
Pam, maybe I missed it somewhere, but did Wilsonart explain the technological challenge of producing glitter laminate? I’m sure you would have included it in your new line if you could have.
pam kueber says
I have not explained the issues yet. Yes, of course, I would have included them if I could!
ineffablespace says
I think because glitter laminate was real glitter sprinkled on top of the background color paper, while today digital images are used and they can’t really capture good images of glitter, some of it looks dark (?)
Tom says
Sounds like it’s confirmed that there will not be a line of glitter laminate 🙁
You should do a post about that so we can all move on and start thinking of other options. Why the secrecy about it not coming back? If people know it’s not coming back they will be more likely to buy your boomerang laminate.
I’m now 100% convinced you know it’s not coming back and you’re not telling your readers. Why keep it a secret?
pam kueber says
I just haven’t gotten to the story yet – ricocheting around still in catch up mode. Also on the scent of some “kinda sorta options” I discovered at KBIS. Needed to wait for my samples to arrive in the mail. There is no secrecy involved!
Ali says
I am totally in love with this story. The picture of Doreen today, beaming over her kitchen, is just the best. She should be proud of it, too–it’s a great kitchen, so lovingly preserved! It makes me want to see the rest of her house.
Elizabeth says
This reminds me so much of our family kitchen growing up. My brother and his family moved in to help take care of mom and they still live there and the kitchen is still unchanged. Everything in this kitchen is so functional and perfect – a perfect work triangle. Ditto on the comment earlier – if it ain’t broke don’t fix it!
Amarissa Parker says
I absolutely love ALL of this. What a heartwarming story about a lovely lady who appreciates what she has, and who lovingly cared for her family with it.
ineffablespace says
I think your best bet might be to try and find someplace who would want to take the kitchen or the appliances as a historic document.
As popular as time capsule houses are becoming particularly as a source of visual entertainment, I think you would be hard pressed to find the right person who wanted to completely preserve a vintage kitchen, particularly such a compact vintage kitchen.
The kitchen does have a DW and in the right place, and the prep space is between the sink and cooktop, which is all great but the arrangement of the cooktop abutted to the side of the wall oven is not what most people are currently accustomed to, and it’s not something that meets current ideas about ergonomics. It’s a really Left-handed cooktop arrangement in a Right-handed world, and the lack of a 9″ minimum set-down space on the right side of the cooktop and essentially no set-down space for the oven would be problematic for a lot of people. (And if this were a new design it would not meet local codes in many parts of the US.)
None of these are meant to be criticisms of this kitchen at all. The generation who moved into kitchens like this were coming out of a period of depression and war, and the ergonomics of this kitchen in were a vast improvement over the pre-War or pre-Depression kitchens that generation grew up with. My father is your mother’s age, and his parents kitchen was a freestanding range, a pump at the sink and a refrigerator out on the screen porch until the early 1960s.
I think a vintage bathroom has a much stronger chance of survival simply because since the invention of the flush toilet and the birth of the three piece bathroom put in houses for 100+ years, now, there has not been a major technological change like there has been for kitchens, just minor refinements. Linked to the fact that you can do without a kitchen for months if necessary, but are hard pressed to do without a bathroom overnight, a bath has a much stronger chances of intact or nearly-intact survival.
pam kueber says
As usual, I greatly appreciate your insight and thoughtful comments, ineffable.
I will challenge though: I don’t think there has been any “major technological change” in kitchens, either. Ideas about what is “necessary” maybe – but no great technological changes.
ineffablespace says
As soon as I posted the comment, I thought the same thing, it comes down to ice, fire and water. So it is more about expectations, really. We seem to need more to actually cook less, and cooking has become a more social event. Some people treat cooking as an “event”, rather than the daily production of multiple meals. The technological differences have been subtle, I guess. better/more frozen foods, the microwave, and induction. We need larger refrigerators as a function of storing more prepared foods. But I think most people want or need larger kitchens 1) because there is no longer a single person cooking all the meals and using the kitchen primarily alone, and 2) cooking, and eating at the source of and at the point of production has become a way to entertain in itself.
pam kueber says
I think it may ironically be that: The more you cook, the less storage space you need for foodstuffs — active cooks would be constantly turning over food.
Microwave: Does not require any change to core kitchen design.
Induction: Still pretty rare, as far as I know. No reason to get it vs. keep what you have, if you have something in place.
Yes, it’s all “expectations” – has little to do with the functional act/requirements, I think.
Another reason for this site: I have found that “modern” kitchen and bathroom design started and spread, for all intents, after WWII. Since then, no real technological changes have occurred that would lead me to say you “must” tear out an existing kitchen or bathroom for it to be functional in a modern way. Yes, there are a few safety / environmental issues that can/should be addressed; but these usually do not require a gut. Of course, yes, original whatevers may be worn out and need to be replaced; often, not, though – our desires are just that, discretionary.
ineffablespace says
The other thing is, that as time goes by, the fate of the individual appliances, and sometimes the failure of an individual appliance can have an unfortunate domino effect.
I remodeled my first tiny kitchen because the newer refrigerator that was present was deeper than the original which meant that you had to open the refrigerator door to load and unload the DW.
So when the original DW failed, the obvious replacement was an 18″ DW which would leave a useless gap in a kitchen already lacking in storage, and it went from there. As it turns out the place has turned over a couple times since my ownership and when one owner “upgraded” to stainless steel, they replaced the “precision fitted” (essentially) but functional appliances with newer ones, and the refrigerator was even Deeper and the range was deeper and now they are back with a crowded tiny kitchen, instead of just tiny.
I’ve seen many kitchens bite the dust over a lack of DW without an obvious place to retrofit one. I’ve seen a number of kitchens with built-in fridges need to undergo complete renovations once they fail. I sold my last place (in small part) because SubZero dropped the 27″ wide fridge, and there was no possibility of fitting anything wider or deeper than 24″ in the current kitchen,
The appliance that needs to be prayed to in this kitchen is, perhaps the wall oven: if it’s 27″ you are still safe but if it’s 24″ it could be a problem to replace it. They *do* still make 24″ wall ovens, but the problem is one of the interior, possibly. A new 24″ oven does not have the same capacity as a 1958 one, to my understanding because of more insulation and thicker walls and such.
Getting a 25 lb turkey in and out of this oven’s successor might be like trying to put a cork back in a wine bottle.
I am not trying to be a downer here, but I do think that sometimes these kitchens disappear not just because someone wants the latest and greatest, but because of factors such as I’ve discussed. And you could (I would anyway) try to recreate the look of that kitchen as much as I could if I had to replace it, but some things are just not available, as you know. And even if you did have the wherewithal to create a facsimile, deep down it still wouldn’t be the original–and somehow would never be quite as good. Historians wrestle with this sort of thing all the time.
pam kueber says
Yes, I understand and agree that appliance replacement can be a real bear. The dishwasher issue, too. I’ve personally lived in several homes without a dishwasher – it never bothered me. When I cook, I always have to hand-wash the pots and pans anyway; compared with that, washing plates and bowls and drinkware and silver is a breeze.
The appliances in many 1950s homes often still endure. Even in Doreen’s — I bet that oven clock can be fixed….
Lou Scott says
The oven clock can be fixed. My 1946 Ultramatic Caloric oven clock works fine after the clock guy told me generally they just need the grease cleaned out of the clockworks. By the way, I don’t have dishwasher either.
Steve H says
I agree, and I must admit that all of this makes me feel a little out of step with the times. I do all of the cooking in our home, and while I take pride in what I make I absolutely don’t believe that the act of cooking should be a source of entertainment for guests. I’m very thankful that we have an old house that is very compartmentalized with the kitchen completely separate from the living and dining rooms. I hate trying to socialize with people while I’m cooking. It makes me very stressed. Pre-dinner entertaining is my husband’s job. If something goes wrong, I want to be the only one in the kitchen to know it. I would loose my mind in one of those kitchens that is center stage in the main living area. Like I said, I’m totally out of step with the times.
Retroski says
I agree and disagree…sometimes it is harder to replace those older appliances and people do “cook to entertain” but I think there is still a sizable contingent of people who cook a lot because they like to and/or they are frugal/want to eat healthy, whole food/need to cook because they have special dietary restrictions…folks like stay at home moms and dads, whole-food foodies, families with food allergies. All these folks need functional kitchens vs large “entertainment kitchens”. I know several people like this.
I’ve cooked in small kitchens and I’m fine with them as long as they’re functional. I’m certainly hoping there is the right future buyer for this house! Perhaps a small frugal couple or family, or an old soul who loves to cook?
Tom says
BEAUTIFUL!
Go Doreen!
Barb says
:o)
Alex klein says
It’s amazing a kitchen that size served so much use todays parents wouldent dare have a kitchen that size. Thinking who would use that. I think it showS that these huge over the top kitchens are just showpieces and nothing elese. The 1950s kitchen would be my dream kitchen