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Clever Gadgets of a Great Generation
Our grandparents (or great-grandparents) were an innovative, scrappy, do-it-yourself generation. It wasn’t until them that we had McDonalds, TV and highly efficient house building methods. Occasionally I come across impressive displays of mid-century ingenuity that bring a smile “golly-gee-willagger!” Here are some of those clever finds for your enjoyment.
In this 1950s home it looks a kitchen clock counting the hours, minutes and seconds. But wait! June Cleaver is throwing a Betty Crocker chocolate cake in the oven. Let’s get that wonderful smell into the neighborhood so that Wally and Beaver hurry home for five o’clock supper!
Open the clock and… HOLY SMOKES!
Ventilation fans are a vital part of clearing smoke, moisture and fumes out of the house and this is one of the few houses in this generation that had an identifiable, operational and verifiable ventilation fan in the kitchen!
Looks like a bedroom closet of a sweet little girl – two doors and a small shelf set-up between. And then it turns into a Cinderella closet that makes one’s head spin in awe! The merry-go-round feature feels elegant and grand and I can imagine a little brother spying on the gossip of his unsuspecting sister.
The 1950s water front home where I found this next gadget was quite the looker in its hey-day! This particular feature was located in a bathroom below a beautiful hand-painted skyscape wall. What do you think this is – Laundry chute? Garbage cabinet? Floor level Easy-Bake-Oven for the kids to develop cooking skills? Think again!
Step right and test your skill (or weight) and see what prize you go home with! If you keep it closed you will surely forget what it is and it won’t rudely trip you as a reminder to check in. When the rich and famous catch wind of this feature they will demanding contractors include it in their bathroom remodel.
When I walk into homes of the 1950s I come with anticipation of some clever gadget showing up. They brought pop and zing and ingenuity into the structures that seemed to be more than a place to call home. Their houses became an extension of their lifestyle and personality.
Pop – Wow – Zing – Poof!
The Greatest Generation can be deservedly described as the Gadget Generation!
