Rare-ish Westinghouse stove sighting

[maytagbear]

Tuesday evening, I went to a function at the "party room" of a nearby apartment complex built in the 1960s.

The stove was a Westinghouse Terrace Top, in white.

I took a picture of it, (as if I wouldn't????) and sent it to Ralph, who will post it (I don't yet know how.)

The rear two elements are elevated about 2 or so inches.
One of the elements is 6 inches, the other is 8. Always nice to have a choice of the two, right? Otherwise, it's a fairly standard electric of the era.

I remeber a magazine ad for it around 1964, and the headline was something like "Designed by a 5'4" housewife."

I've seen a very few (3?) in person, but have not cooked on one. I think it might be interesting.

I don't think they were produced very long, and to the best of my knowledge, they never had the pyrolitic self cleaning oven. To me, in an electric with exposed oven elements, self cleaning is NOT a luxury.

Ever since I entered Rental Hell in 1996, all the stoves have been electric. I like electric baking/roasting rather well, but still miss the instant response of a GOOD gas cooktop.

A new gas stove is in my future, either in a few months, or next February. However, a curiousity like the Westinghouse Terrace Top needs to be noted.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[rp2813]

The Picture

I've attached the picture Lawrence sent me.

This is an interesting range. I've never seen one before.

Ralph

 

[maytagbear]

Slight apologies--

Cell phone camera (only way I can send a digital picture,) and far-from-ideal lighting.

However, I think it's good enough to back up my description.

Also- "Thank you" to Ralph.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[turquoisedude]

Very cool design!!

Those really were neat ranges, Lawrence. I got to cook on one once, ages ago at a friend's house. Also, the renowned 'Habitat 67' apartments here in Montreal were fully loaded with Westinghouse appliances and most units had the 'terrace top' built-in ranges... The last time I was in one of those units in 2006, it was an 'unrestored' unit and ALL the Westinghouse appliances were still there... SIGH...

 

[whirlcool]

It looks like it even had a lighted control panel at the back, maybe?

 

[a440]

What a beauty!
I have seen one of these once in my life and it was at an American Legion Hall in New Orleans.
I would say they are very rare.
Too cool!
Thanks for the memories!
Brent

 

[appnut]

I think I had one similar in an apartment I rented during summer school, 1975, in austin. I enjoyed it very much.

 

[maytagbear]

Allen-

Quite possible for the lighted backsplash, but I did not linger long enough to find out for certain. I was getting enough curious stares as it was.

The apartment complex has seen better days, and I believe it was a fairly de luxe complex when built, so it is possible for a light.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[gansky1]

That is a very cool range - I've seen one at a bank break-room kitchen many years ago. They had the whole line, dishwasher, fridge and this range. They certainly were pretty.

This rare beast showed up on CL here the other day - never have seen one of these before. Westinhouse must not have been very popular around here, they're pretty rare it seems.

 

[mixfinder]

Stir Crazy

This range hit the market in the early 60's and was discontinued before Westinghouse rolled out self cleaning with a small plastic bar under the handle. You moved the lever from a 9o postion to 6o to set the latch. The Terrace Tops had a magnet in the burner and a magnetic trivet that you placed in the bottom of the pan to self stir soups, pudding etc. They worked well unless the mixture became too viscous. Westinghouse ranges had very nice ovens.

 

[toggleswitch]

OOOH Lawrence it is a beaut, thank you for posting!

WOW Greg, look at the size of that oven!

Personally, I prefer control knobs on cooktops with a vertical "OFF", and the "OFF" positon itself at 12 o'clock.

 

[tomturbomatic]

When WH first started advertising the Terrace Top model, they showed it without the clock. There were backsplash options available including just the clock sticking up if it was installed as a drop in with some counter behind it or a full backsplash if installed as a slide in.

Greg, I have the 40" WH stove with the full width oven. I had seen ads for it in 1954 or 55 Saturday Evening Post issues (a veritable treasure trove of Westinghouse appliance advertising). On a trip to Atlanta, John and I found the less deluxe version of this out behind a second hand appliance dealer that my brother kept watching to find appliances for me. It was the store where he found an avocado LK combo. Anyway, this WH range has two broiler units in the oven and to the left of the oven opening, there is a recessed switch allowing you to choose one or both broilers with round red lenses for the C-7 bulbs that light to show the selection. Mine, fortunately was not made with the electronic surface unit like this one had that was a weird thermostatic control, BUT it still has the original speed heat control which WH called the SUPER COROX unit. We bypassed it so the element does not do speed heating. The surface unit switches have lenses above them that show the different colors for the heats selected on the infinite switches and the fluorescent platform light comes on automatically when any unit is switched on. The colors are contained on a plastic film disk and fortunately, they were in perfect condition when we got the stove. The oven is wide, but shallow so it only holds two Bundt pans. If it were a little deeper, the pans could be staggered and three would fit, but most people do not bake in the quantity that I used to. It does hold lots of loaf pans which came in handy during zucchini bread season. The Corox bake unit unplugs for oven cleaning. The two broilers are open coil elements and there is a perimeter element at the top for top heat during baking. Mine does not have the window in the oven door. The divided cooktop was great for jelly-making and canning.

 

[maytagbear]

Thank you all, and thank you, Kelly and Tom!

Thank you all for looking (and posting), and thank you, Kelly and Tom, for the background on this rare bird.

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[cadman]

As long as we're talking Westy ranges.....

What do you guys make of this? Someone cobble it together? I'd immediately think yes but it's not from a collector or hobbyist, rather out of an estate kitchen....

 

[petek]

Paul.. you mentioned Habitat in Montreal and no pic so here it is. I guess a terraced stove top would be just the thing for this place

 

[maytagbear]

OMFG!!!!!!!!!!!

How utterly freaking cool is that? I hope they are not either in ruins, or senselessly "renovated."

I SO wanted to go to Expo '67, but we didn't make it up to Canada until '73.

Thanks for posting, Pete!

Lawrence/Maytagbear

 

[turquoisedude]

Nope! The outside remains true to original form. The individual apartments have mostly 'gone condo' and have been renovated inside, though. I was last in one in 2006 (a distant cousin of mine lived there and was in the process of moving out... her apartment still had most of the original Westinghouse appliances..SIGH)

 

[tomturbomatic]

Cory, I have that stove in white. The one you show carries "mix & match colors" to the extreme. The thing I love about mine is that it has one infinite heat unit, the Super Corox which is no longer Super) and three 5 heat surface units where the switching is very dramatic. When you switch from HIGH to MED-HI, the power to the outer ring of the surface unit is turned off. Neighbors that I baby sat for had an old WH with these elements and I loved to switch them through the 5 heats. It's amazing to consider that the one outer ring was the same wattage as the three inner loops since MED-HI is 50% of HIGH. The units are nice for pans that do not quite cover an 8" element, but are larger than a 6" element and the 6" element with this configuration is nice for smaller pans and some coffee makers if you start out on MED-HI.

While that Habitat place in Montreal is dramatic, it does sacrifice the insulating factor of stacking units one atop the other in a single building and gives everyone the headache of a flat roof.

 

[norgeway]

Terrace Top...

My great aunt and 2 of her daughters had these,all bought in 63,my hometown had 2 Westinghouse dealers,the terrace top was great for cooking,but not for canning,the canner dosent have enough space to center it on the unit,there were tons of these in my hometown of Lenoir N.C.