Frigidaire Stove

Indeed, the couple who bought this 1968 Frigidaire Custom Imperial Flair stove might agree with that statement. Jerry and Jacqueline Mershon were sorry to see the stove leave their Manhattan, Kan., home after 40 years of use. Only a kitchen remodeling project and difficulty in getting replacement parts brought an end to its use.

The stove is designed to make efficient use of space. Its base is a storage area for pots and pans. Halfway up are the surface burners, which can be pushed in and covered when not in use.

Above the cooking surface is an oven with a glass door that pulls up and away when opening. It came equipped with the "Heat-Minder Control"--a sensor that automatically shut off the oven if too hot, and turned the heat on if too low.

Mrs. Mershon was fond of this stove. "I liked its many features plus the wide elements of the burners." Her favorites included a broiler, fluorescent lamp lighting the burner area, lamp inside the oven, and "tender matic timer" and "meal minder" devices to help cook food properly.

The Frigidaire Flair was a product of its time. Internet searches suggest that owners of these ovens have remained loyal, and make efforts to find replacement parts to keep them going. As Mrs. Mershon wrote, "We were entering the space age in the sixties with the USA sending a man to walk on the moon. I always thought this stove reflected some of the forward thinking of the time. Stoves made today are no where near the quality of this one."

The Mershons donated their stove to the Historical Society in the spring of 2008.

Cool Things Podcast

Listen to the Frigidaire Stove podcast on your computer!

Subscribe to our new podcast!
Hear the curator's perspective on a new Cool Things object every two weeks.

Return to the latest Cool Things.

Check out the Cool Things Archive.