Merritt and O'Keefe gas ranges

[JHZR2]

Hi,

My home has a neat early 1960s 40" electric range in a kitchen redone at that timeframe which is very functional, solid, but starting to show it's age. We are looking to redo our kitchen to a modernized variant of it's original 1930's form (we have a few of the original cabinets and will get more made like them.

What we would like is to move to a gas range, and we like the Merritt and O'Keefe 505. These are late 40's/early 50's stoves but would look great in our home.

Does/has anyone owned one of these?

Has anyone ever bought a refurb antique stove? They are a few thousand, but so are nice, large ranges in that sort of size anyway (eg wolf).

I have seen a bunch of refurbishing companies out in CA. Lots are available out there versus what I've seen of antique stove availability on the east coast.

I think u-hauling one back cross country would be a fun trip...

Anyone own these sorts of things?

 

[JOD]

Yeah, I have a late 40's/early fifties Wedgewood stove. It's a 36" stove, with 4 burners on the sides and a griddle in the middle, an oven and a separate broiler. I'll post a pic later.

Our house is a 1906 4 square that was falling down when we bought it, and we spent about 10 years restoring it, including jacking it up, pouring a new foundation and making a full-light basement below. A stove like this would probably look a little silly in a modern place, but it's fits our house perfectly.

I think it looks awesome, but that aside I like it way better than a conventional stove. I chef'd my way through college, so I got used to stove that would throw a ton of BTU's and also simmer really low. This fits the bill on both accounts. Since there are pilot lights and not ignition, you can (generally) get an infinitely low simmer, and this one (as many do) has a separate simmer ring inside the main burner. The BTU output is probably against every modern regulation in any industrialized nation... It gets really hot for searing. The middle griddle is the best part, and I use it almost daily.

Besides what I've said above, here are some pros and cons

PROS

-pilot lights for the burners

-incredibly easy to work on. A flat blade screwdriver disassembles the whole stove. No press-fit anything

-parts are readily available, more so than most new stoves

-looks dope

CONS

-pilot light for the stove (you could upgrade this--I never bothered)

-needs occasional TLC. You have to re-pack the valves every couple of years, at least on the burners you use all of the time. This is really easy for any BITOG'r though!

-if you get one missing parts, the missing parts may be $$$

-ovens are generally small. Mine fits a standard size sheet pan, which is perfect for me. Some people like giant ovens, though

-thermostat may need re-calibrated. You can send it in and have it done if it's way off, or use an oven thermostat

-looks funny in new construction

That should about cover it. After seeing mine, 3 of my friends opted for going this route, and I helped all of them get their stoves up and running. Things to look out for:

-porcelain on the sides is in good shape. Anything else can be sent out to be re-porcelained. Shipping the sides is $$

-missing parts. This is where things start to get $$

Besides that, there's nothing on these stoves that can't be fixed/replaced. The more things that need re-chromed/re-porcelained, the more expensive renovating the stove becomes. I was happy with mine not being "perfect", after all, I use it every day. I got mine for $350.00 and spent a few bucks on some valve cream and stove insulation. The rest was elbow grease. A friend spend about $600.00 total including new porcelain with fancy colors for part of the stove top.

There are some incredible deals on the bay area and LA Craigslist on these stoves, and it would definitely be a fun trip.

Obviously, I love to talk about stoves so feel free to ask any questions!

 

[Win]

Ar our primary residence, we have a Majestic that came out of the kitchen at a local elementary school.

Ten burners across the top, two independent ovens, and totally industrial looking. I had a friend with a roll back car hauler bring it to the house. It took four temps and dismantling a door frame to get it in the kitchen.

Personally, I would get a modern commercial or near commercial quality stove. The thing we have uses enough gas to heat a small home. The Majestic is totally my wife's deal. It is easy to get parts though, and I'm sure it will last forever.

 

[JHZR2]

Interesting. Look forward to pics.

Thanks!