Hillwood House.

[mikael3]

My husband and I were in DC recently, and we went to Hillwood House for part of the day.  It’s a house museum that was once the residence of Marjorie Merriweather Post.  The museum’s claim to fame is that they have two of the Imperial Fabergé Easter eggs.  The place is actually packed with Russian art and all sorts of jewelry and porcelain.

 

The kitchen is not what most tourists want to see, but I absolutely love it.  There is a very large kitchen and a very large butler’s pantry, all lined wall to wall with Geneva cabinets.  I have attached a few pictures, along with the refrigerators, which I am not familiar with.

 

[tomturbomatic]

That kitchen is the first place I saw the Revere Ware 14 cup bail handle percolator in the "flesh" so to speak. At that time it was on the stove. I have one of my own now. You will note that there is no dishwasher because all of the antique Czarist China was washed by hand. After Marjorie's death, the daughters were invited to select things they wanted from the house (probably within reason) and the docent told us that the kitchen was where they chose things to take away.

 

Photo 13 is the Butler's Pantry where one place setting of each of those patterns of Imperial China was on display to help her choose what to use at banquets. Note the locks on the doors.

 

When her husband Mr. Davies was appointed Ambassador to the Soviet Union, they steamed there in her yacht and, thanks to her ownership of General Foods and the marvel of frozen food, they hosted a banquet on board the yacht the night of their arrival. She was stuffed with money and the Soviet Union needed cash so she pretty much was able to buy anything that caught her eye while she was over there, hence the treasures in Hillwood.

 

 

 

[dartman]

Thanks, very cool kitchen stuffed with the latest gadgets back when it was in use. We have a couple of Hobart/Kitchen Aid lift arm mixers and hope to get the 600 someday. Too bad none of our kitchens have that much storage and equipment. Bet the attachments for those work with the newer machines too.

 

[toploader55]

THAT.... is one gorgeous Kitchen.

 

[petek]

Nice.. I did spot in pic #1 an 70-80s's Oster touchmatic can opener/citrus juicer on the shelf which looks somewhat out of place.  

 

[norgeway]

RE Old Hobart mixers

I have a Kitchenaid G and its counterpart Hobart, All new attachments will work, You cant overload one of these, they warn you in the manual that it can break a ice cream freezer if you don't use the one especially for these with a clutch built into it!

 

[mikael3]

Ms. Post died in 1972, still in residence at Hillwood. That may explain the presence of some newer appliances.

 

[jkbff]

I love this! Thank you so much for posting this!

What is the timer for by the kitchen sink?

http://www.hillwoodmuseum.org/about-hillwood/mansion/kitchen-and-pantry is pretty neat to read, but I still don't get the timer thing...

 

[foraloysius]

I think that is probably the timer of the drying cabinet for (tea)towels.

 

[toploader55]

Timer by Kitchen Sink.

Could it possibly been a Garbage Incinerator ?

That kitchen is so classy. I love the color of the cabinets and the floor. The SS counters are of very good grade stainless.

The Koch Co. made excellent commercial refrigerators. And the Sta Cold was made by Victory Refrigeration who also made quality refrigeration products. The construction on those were very heavy duty.

Those ranges are just stellar. That is a kitchen that I would love to duplicate for entertaining.

Oh, and that sink !!! With the two standpipes. Just Awesome.

 

[vacerator]

I spotted

an aluminum "Magnaware" roaster from the 1950's on one stove and that fish poaching pan on top of the fridges is neat.
The Edsel and Elanor Ford house has a similar kitchen.

 

[mikael3]

I was puzzled by that timer, too, which is why I posted a closeup. 

 

I forgot to point out that the kitchen has white or yellowish cabinets and yellow flooring; the butler’s pantry has celadon or Stratford green cabinets and flooring.  The sink with the standpipes is in the butler’s pantry, which also has a safe, a dumbwaiter, and its own refrigerator.

 

On the other side of the butler’s pantry is the servant’s break room, which I didn’t photograph.  There was a large group in there for some sort of presentation.

 

The whole area is really fantastic.  I’ve seen a lot of period kitchens, but this is the best I’ve seen from the 20^th century.  So far, I should say.  There are more we still need to visit!

[this post was last edited: 10/30/2016-13:11]

 

[rp2813]

That Kitchen Is the Real Deal -- So Handsome!

Eddie or John, can you explain the purpose and/or benefits of standpipes?  I don't recall ever seeing a sink like that.

 

[foraloysius]

The advantage of a standpipe is that it's more hygenic than a built in overflow. You can put a standpipe even in the dishwasher if you want.

About the timer, no, that can't be an incinerator. It's open at the front and near the kitchen sink, the fumes would enter the kitchen. Built in towel dryers were the latest and greatest in the 60's and 70's here, before the everybody had a dishwasher.

 

[jkbff]

What's confusing is that link that I posted says " And look closely, even timers built in to the cabinets were included to make efficiency a priority. Luxuries such as these allowed Post to be one of the most distinguished hostesses in Washington, D.C."...

Towel dryers make more sense.