While poking around CL the other night, I came across this listing for a Vent-A-Hood range hood. It was late so I emailed the seller and she called yesterday afternoon. I was thrilled to have come across a range hood 40" wide, many are 36", 42", etc. and won't work in my kitchen over the '57 GE range. This one looked to be in good shape (and relatively clean) so I went and picked it up last night. Vent-A-Hood was probably one of the most heavily built hoods of it's time, and still is. I've seen these, new, on CL priced at $500 and more so I was very glad to get one for far less, and even talked her down a bit more.
The house was built in 1961 and according to pictures she'd seen, with a 40" Flair or upright style range. She said there was a "show house" story in our local paper about the house, but I couldn't find anything. She is an architectural historian and along with her (unseen) husband, are trying to restore some of the original features of the house. There is a swimming pool in the front courtyard of the house they will try to bring back next year, but they've painted the house back to it's original turquoise and white color scheme and have refinished the wood floors among other things. Apparently, the original house did not have a hood in the range space, when the larger range was removed, a wall cabinet was also removed and this hood installed at the soffit level. The base cabinets had been cobbled together on each side to reduce the opening to 30" at that time and that still remains today, with the addition of the new, boomerang Formica counters. While not exactly "restored" to original as some might, the details they've chosen and new stainless steel appliances have made them happy.
In the ad, she had posted a link to a Vent-A-Hood brochure in her ad for reference.
The house was built in 1961 and according to pictures she'd seen, with a 40" Flair or upright style range. She said there was a "show house" story in our local paper about the house, but I couldn't find anything. She is an architectural historian and along with her (unseen) husband, are trying to restore some of the original features of the house. There is a swimming pool in the front courtyard of the house they will try to bring back next year, but they've painted the house back to it's original turquoise and white color scheme and have refinished the wood floors among other things. Apparently, the original house did not have a hood in the range space, when the larger range was removed, a wall cabinet was also removed and this hood installed at the soffit level. The base cabinets had been cobbled together on each side to reduce the opening to 30" at that time and that still remains today, with the addition of the new, boomerang Formica counters. While not exactly "restored" to original as some might, the details they've chosen and new stainless steel appliances have made them happy.
In the ad, she had posted a link to a Vent-A-Hood brochure in her ad for reference.
