The "New" 49 Westinghouse Range

[rp2813]

I hope Greg doesn't mind my answering your questions Terry, but I've been around this stove for the past 54 years. The oven element is Calrod. It's been replaced a couple of times, most recently about 2 years ago. The broiler element is still the original curly coiled element snaking through ceramic insulators. The cooktop burner elements are all the original Corox type.

I agree with you about the configuration of the cooktop. Most of the vintage stoves I've seen out there that have the burners all to one side have them on the left rather than the right, or there are two burners on each side and work space in the middle.

Ralph

 

[tlee618]

Thanks Ralph, I wonder if Westinghouse was the only one to use this arrangement?

 

[rp2813]

Hard to say Terry. IIRC, the neighbors down the street had what I presume was a more TOL Westy range of the same vintage, and that one had burners on the left. The similar vintage GE and Hotpoint range pix that have been posted here recently and in the past all seem to have burners on the left. It could be that Westinghouse was the only manufacturer that offered the burners-on-right configuration. I wonder what the logic was for other makers to only offer them on the left. I would think that different kitchen layouts would require burners on one side or the other, but maybe Westinghouse was ahead of the game on making either option available.

Greg has advised that the stove is working like a charm (I would expect nothing less from it) and I am really happy that he is pleased with it. It really does fit his kitchen scene well given its modern lines.

Ralph

 

[tlee618]

Ralph, I wonder too why there wasn't more of a choice as it would seem that in some kitchens it would really have been better if there was a choice. So maybe Westinghouse was ahead of its time.

 

[retro-man]

I wonder if the location of the oven had anything to do with it back then. I remember a 50's Frigidare range we had growing up. The burners were on the left, with a warming oven under and the regular oven/broiler was on the right. Are these posted pics the same? Oven on one side burners on the other?

 

[retro-man]

Sorry another thought. The idea of having the "deep well" in the back would reduce the oven space. So would be practical to put the oven on the opposite side maybe?

 

[mattl]

Well, my Frigidaire has a deep well cooker in the back, burners on the left, and what they did was make the left oven a little smaller. I see no reason design wise it couldn't have been flipped.

Perhaps the design was based on right handed people or on working from left to right. I'd love to know the answer...

 

[rp2813]

Greg's oven is on the left. The door on the right is really a drawer for warmer/storage/spill tray access. So the burner placement would dictate oven location and vice versa. It makes sense that there would be reversible configurations depending on a kitchen's layout. I mean, think about how many stamped-out mirror image kitchens already existed in the early 50's across the country.

Maybe more stove people can advise on configurations among the major brands from this era. This seems peculiar only to electrics, as most gas models had burners port & starboard with center griddle or workspace.

 

[oldhouseman]

Sorry for the delay

Ralph in getting this picture.I've not been looged on much this past week. This is what the kitchen looked like when I bought the house a few years ago. The plywood cabinets we rotted and that metal base cabinet was rusted through with holes in the sink. The beadboard walls behind the drywall had rotted because of roof leaks. I had to gut the whole room. I found ghostlines of paint on the beadboard and used that to return the kitchen back to the 1910 configuration.

 

[oldhouseman]

I used an 1830's

eastern european pine wardrobe cabinet for pantry storage and to hide the microwave.

 

[oldhouseman]

Which also

made a great small appliance stoarge unit. I can plug in the item I need and use right in the cabinet.

 

[oldhouseman]

The Edwardian

period marble top bakers table fit right in and gives a good look to the room and is great to use. I had hoped to get the walls painted before the stove arrived but other things came up that warranted attention. I have decided to put down a new wood floor over the original one (to many condition issues)when I can find some re-milled heart pine.

 

[rp2813]

Thanks for the "before" pix Greg. I also forgot to mention that the first meal the oven cranked out for you was entirely appropriate. Pork roasts were one of my mom's specialties so your chops were the perfect choice. Mom also baked a lot and I can assure you that if you like to bake this oven should serve you well in that regard too.

Ralph