Mystery Vintage Stove Restoration Project

After spending a very nomadic summer, I have settled in Astoria, Queens.

Through some serendipitous dealings and generosity of many, I was able to move into an old apartment – affordable but in need of TLC. The kitchen had a quarter inch think solid grease coating everywhere. The walls were cracking, mice holes and leaks here and there, and there were reports of bed bugs.

A team of handy guys was assembled to fix up the place. After much peeling, painting, cleaning, debugging, and degreasing, I have come to realize that the kitchen of the apartment has the original enamel stove, refrigerator, and cabinets that were never replaced, and still functioning, since 1920’s when the building was built. The kicthen here has the entire set in tact, including the stove, cabinets, drawers, sink, and the refrigerator.

Under-the-counter refrigerator was rumbling noisily and had to be unplugged for the fear that it guzzles up enormous amounts of electricity. We now use it to store cleaning supplies and cooking oils. One totally “modern” feature of the refrigerator, is that it does not have any handles, and only opens when you push a silver button next to it.

The landlord lives elsewhere, but he lived in the building for a long time. He and his wife moved into the building after he came back from the war (WWII), and they ran a hardware store that used to be downstairs.

Here’s the link to an entire “Before & After Cleaning” Flickr Set.

This unusual combination (nowadays, they don’t make it in all in one piece anymore) has the sink and the stove/oven, as well as the refrigerator under one piece of enamel coated steel. Some details almost look like a well made motorcycle.

the knobs, the handles, cabinets doors, and drawers feel heavier and much, much more sturdy. This kind of tangibility, I think, got lost somewhere in the mid-20th century in the name of efficiency and profit.

A little Googling of the company name on the stove “Murphy-Cabranette” reveals nothing more than a few auction pages and a web Q and A site asking for more information.

Here’s what I found from WebAnswers.com:

“I was given a Murphy Cabranette and I cannot find anything about it on the internet or anywhere. It is a model G 39, manufactured by Dwyer Products Corporation in Michigan City, Indiana. It is enamel white, with two burner stove, sink and fridge. I have contacted both the Murphy Bed Company and Dwyer Products Company and no one seems to have anything on this item. I know that the Murphy Bed Company began manufacturing them in the early 1920’s and stopped either during WWII or directly after WWII because of rationing. Any help on this item would be appreciated.”

Some questions I’d like to ask are:
Who is collecting them?
How many people out there still use them?
Who designed it, and what happened to Dwyer or Murphy division that made it?

Any advice is appreciated!!!

Update January 2010: I managed to clean the oven up to the point where the broiler works now. And the food that comes out of that broiler is so amazing, I can’t believe I could live without it before. I also got an oven thermometer, and preheated it enough that it could be used to bake lasagna. Still working on figuring out how to unblock the tube that leads to the oven gas…