Heads up - Rare Thor built-in oven and range - Hamilton, ON

[hydralique]

Toggles is right . . .

about the poor design of the oven and cooktop cabinet. It's terrible, with no room to the right hand side of the cooktop, which is both an inconvenience and a potential fire hazard. The cooktop is also tiny, much smaller than a standard 30" unit. My guess is that this built-in setup replaced a large freestanding range in the same location. If it were my house, I'd do away with that cabinet too, and either completely rearrange the kitchen floorplan, or if the budget didn't stretch that far install a freestanding range.

In addition, not everyone likes coppertone applicances. I don't, in fact coppertone is my least favorite appliance color of all time so I'd replace the oven on that basis alone. If it were turquoise, then things would be different!

 

[turquoisedude]

If it were turquoise....

I probably wouldn't have shared with the board... LOL!!
Slightly off-topic - wasn't coppertone of the longest-running vintage appliance shades?? IIRC there were versions by Frigidaire (Aztec Copper) in 57 or 58 and the last I recall seeing was GE's 'New Naturals' colour line in 1980.

 

[norgeway]

Id rather have pink or turquoise,

I agree on the layout, its awful, my comment was concerning the quality of the appliances as compared to new ones,and of course the floor is a shade of pink, so that sells it to me.

 

[toggleswitch2]

Gotcha.

But that bad layout may explain the need to go to a one-piece freestanding range or some other suitable arrangement.

There are so many reasons to change those, depsite quality concerns. For me a small 24" (60cm) oven and 24" cooktop are quite limiting.

 

[norgeway]

I have!!!

I have used everything Toggles, my Frigidaire in the kitchen has the smaller oven, considered full size when new,the Norge has 2 ovens one large one small and short as well, I use it more than anything,great for one dish meals, biscuits etc,the large Norge oven gets used for cookies,large roasting pans etc, the Frigidaire gets used for most pound cakes and such,it is limiting to have 1 small oven,that cooktop would be unhandy for canning and large pots,so I do agree with you on those points,im just obsessed with originality.

 

[turquoisedude]

You know, I thought the 24-inch oven in GE Kitchen Centre would be a problem (at least that is the reason I used to convince Hubby that I HAD to keep the 59 Kelvinator...LOL) but honestly, I haven't any trouble with cookware or when baking 2 or 3 items. Granted, it is just the two of us 95% of the time... I guess I adjusted my baking and oven habits!

 

[norgeway]

59 Kelvinator!!

I would have kept that fine thing anyway...its great! so is your G E .

 

[turquoisedude]

Yeah, I brought that range in from a LONG way away, so I had to keep it. Besides, I have the matching refrigerator... LOL

 

[vacbear58]

Speculation

Just a guess but perhaps when the house was designed there was space for a range (I am guessing that the oven and cooktop housing would have been about 48 or 50 inches) but when the owner came to design the kitchen they decided to compromise of the design to have the convenience split level. At 6'4" tall I have had a split level since 1984, even in my smallest kitchen (9 1/2ft x 6 1/2ft). When I moved to my current home and starting out fresh with both kitchen and cooker an under counter oven was not even on the agenda. Most conventional stoves sold here have a small oven/broiler compartment above the main oven and I would have to get right down on my knees to see into the main oven.

Getting back to the oven, we had Moffat oven sold here in the 1960s which I believe were Canadian made - they were BIG - 28 or 30 inches wide. The had a single oven with broiler in the top (like US ovens) and the smaller compartment underneath was just for warming plates and keeping food hot. Typically in the UK the broiler (grill for UK readers) would have been in the smaller compartment, latterly on having additional elements and a thermostat to have a second oven. So the Thor would be rather like the Moffat we had in design. It looks good though, I hope someone is going to get it. I too could not believe the depth of the cook top, that is WAY bigger than any I have seen. Nowadays they are mostly no deeper than the thickness of the counter top - 40mm

Here is a pocture of the Moffat of similar vintage - picture nabbed from ebay
Al

 

[vacbear58]

And the controls

..