The Wedgewood Futura-Matic Gas Oven: A Salute

Submitted by Markydoodle March 26th, 2011
Certifikitsch Winner

I’m not going to submit anything I’ve cooked, (or maybe I have, and forgot, to lazy to look,) but I do want to give a shout out to the gas Wedgewood oven and cooktop, rumors around here are they’ll be dissappearing from our kitchen at some point, and I want to document their great design and function before that.  I loved it as a kid when appliances used lighting like this to brighten a room.  My Dad sold ovens in our Gamble’s Store when I was a kid, and on Saturday nights, when we would be open, I’d turn the lights on, if they had them, to show them off.

Here’s a close up of this oven’s control panel.  Can you think of a bettername for an oven?  The buttons on the left reveal three choices:  one can light up the top, as in the first picture, or turn the “rotary” on, or click on the light inside the oven.  When pushed, the rotary button turns an electric powered  wheel inside the wall of the oven, that when fitted with a skewer, actually rotates your meat.  I can’t seem to find the attachment, but sure wish I could.

And while I’m at it, I just have to salute the cooktop from yesteryear too.  This design, and the materials that went into building it, say nothing but integrity.  It’s starting to show some wear, but it was installed in 1964, and cooked on every day for most of those years.

Each burner has it’s own tiny pilot, a sort of eternal flame, a constant reminder that for 45 years, it’s kept the home fires burning.

8 Responses to “The Wedgewood Futura-Matic Gas Oven: A Salute”

  1. Allee Willis

    Those glass doors are so beautiful I can’t stand it! The clock and timer are beautiful as are the buttons and designs in back of them.

    We never had a fancy oven like this growing up. If we did I’m sure I would’ve been fascinated with it and maybe even learned how to cook!

    I’ve always loved how much the Wedgwood logo looked like the Cadillac logo.

    How does a name get any more classic than Futura-MAtic???!

    So this is still ticking?

  2. Mark Milligan

    It’s functioning. It’s funny to me that it’s a double oven, yet both ovens have to be at the same temp. I put an oven thermometer in it, and it runs about 20 degrees hot. There are certain features that I’m not sure how to operate, like the “Roast-Matic,” which I think keeps it at a certain temp for specific meats (the square box to the right near the temp control knob.)

  3. bloomalex

    My name is Janet Rose Wingard I have the same oven and stove top burners I bought my house in 1963 and I never bought a new oven it’s the best oven there is what is sad the glass in the door broke I have to replace the glass I don’t know who I should call does anyone know

  4. Mark Milligan

    Wow! Where do you live you must have a cool house! Mad the fact that you still have the stuff you started with means you take good care of things.

    Send us pictures of your house! I would love to see it.

    There are appliance stores in LA that specialize in old models.

  5. Markydoodle

    So I’m looking back at this post, and don’t know why I didn’t mention that it’s our Palm Springs condo. This place is part of a mid-century modern complex in south Palm Springs. It was developed by Les Paul, and we have so much fun when we are there in the winter. I posted that in March 2011, we bought the place in October 2010. We still have the original kitchen in it.

    I am trying to figure out if I can have someone come in and re-tool the oven and range to make them modern. Getting some resistance on that, but who doesn’t love coppertone?

    • Allee Willis

      A complex developed by Les Paul?? Ooh, I wanna see that!

      That stove is so gorgeous. Every aspect of it. I’ve never heard of an oven/range being retooled to make it modern inside but I guess it’s worth a shot. But no matter what, don’t let them touch a milli-inch of that gorgeous face.

      Having nothing to do with the appliance, it warmed my heart to see that you went back and looked at some of Windupkitty’s submissions here today. I agree with all of your jealousy! And boy do I miss her. Just seemed like far too much of a massive life force to ever be extinguished.