A home is never truly complete without a kitchen stove, and this sentiment holds true even at the Martin House. Given its prominence on the first floor, the Martin House kitchen seems somewhat unfinished without its stove—historically, the focal point of the south wall of the home’s principal domestic space. Coupled with the kitchen’s two electrified iceboxes, the Martin House stove was most likely a grand appliance—the latest of its kind—for the preparation of family meals.
While Darwin D. Martin obsessively recorded almost every pertinent detail related to the construction of his family’s home, practically little is known about the original Martin House stove. We do know for certain, however, that the stove was fully or partially heated by gas fuel, and beyond that fact, it may have possibly included an upright broiler, lower ovens, and as many as six burners.
Since the original kitchen stove no longer exists, the Martin House seeks your input. Do you have a gas or gas combination kitchen stove dating back to the first decade of the twentieth century? Is it white? And is it generous enough in size and stature to warrant inclusion inside a millionaire’s home? If your stove meets these three criteria, we’d love to hear from you. Contact Martin House Curator, Susana Tejada, at curator@darwinmartinhouse.org with photographs of your stove.
Thanks for helping us out as we continue our search to locate a white, period-appropriate gas kitchen stove circa 1907 for the Martin House.
