Resurrecting The Lost Laundry Chute
In 1929, the Cross House was converted into apartments on the second floor, and the new owner (Scott Mouse, Sr.) created a private apartment for his family on the first floor. This suite…I think…consisted of a living room (the former dining room), kitchen, and bedroom (the former library). However, to access the bedroom, a new hall was created…I think…between the kitchen and south hall so the bedroom could be privately accessed. This new hall meant that the 1894 dumbwaiter and adjacent laundry chute were destroyed, as well as the 1894 south hall closet.
(What happened though to the parlor? Nobody knows. Not even the Mouse family descendants know. I do know that, in 1950, it was converted into a motel bedroom with bath. But, how was it used from 1929 to 1950? I am gonna guess that it remained a parlor, an amenity to be used by the second-floor apartments which were all studios.).
When I purchased the house in 2014 I had no idea that it once had a dumbwaiter and laundry chute. Later, I discovered that a portion of the chute remained at the second-floor level.
And today?
The lost laundry chute has been resurrected. This is the kitchen.
The extant physical evidence proved that the angle was original. I was determined to recreate it although WHY it was originally angled is a mystery.
The new chute is built from classic “car siding” as was the original. It will get stained a dark brown.
The chute goes down the basement laundry room, as it did in 1894. This room has not been used as a laundry room since at least 1950 (when it was converted into a motel room). The room will soon be a laundry room again.
Adjacent to the chute (left) is the framing for the new dumbwaiter. To the left of the dumbwaiter a lost speaking tube will soon be resurrected. The tubes on the second- and third-floors are in situ.
To the right of the chute was an annunciator panel on the wall. This, too, will be resurrected.
Ross excited.
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This is exciting progress!
A few thoughts:
1. The laundry chute in our current house (circa 1926) has a small jog at the very bottom where it opens up into the basement, but it’s to get clear of a concrete basement wall. It’s also galvanized sheetmetal (built essentially like ductwork) instead of wood. Our last home (circa 1913) had a more traditional wood chute (a simple square box, built with 1x12s).
2. The original wood was unlikely to have ever been stained, but is dark now only from age. The old-growth pine that was likely used was also probably darker to begin with, and even with another 100 years, your new material would likely never darken the same way. The stain sounds like a good idea to get a match, but just be careful not to leave any residue or it may get on your clothes! Perhaps a water-based dye would be the safest choice?
So cool!!!!! Love the details
Have no experience with laundry chutes at all.
What happens if a piece of clothing gets caught on a splinter or a nail head or something? Will there be a way to get into the chute at various levels to check for clogs in the system?
I was wondering the same thing!
You throw something heavier down and hope for the best.
This is so amazing!
I love these revelatory posts!
So excited for the discoveries!
bigger than baby steps! 🙂
I’m excited too! How cool to have all of these 19th century conveniences/amenities.
You can tell your air BnB guests when breakfast is ready through the speaking tube. I can’t wait to see the them completed.
How exciting! I was going to say that I would have loved all three of those things when I was a kid, but I would still love them now.
Very cool, though I’m surprised you didn’t make a first floor laundry possible. I know, historical narrative, but you’re old and I’m also getting older and appreciate the convenience
A bit late now but just a thought……
I had a laundry in the basement in my house when I bought it.
It was added when the house was converted to a nursing home in the 50’s.
Converting the house back to a single family I removed the chute and put a laundry room in what was a demolished second stairway “room” on the second floor. Best thing I ever done! No more traipsing up and down multiple stairs with laundry and having to go put the dryer on another cycle!! Mind you, exercise is no bad thing at our age!
Hi, Peter!
In the house I live in, the laundry is right next to the kitchen. As I’m always in the kitchen, doing the laundry is effortless. The house is also single-story.
As such, when I purchased the Cross House in 2014, I thought about putting a laundry room on the second floor, to avoid two flights of steps.
I was 57 at the time, so this seemed a wise approach.
Then Justin told me: “If you don’t use it, you lose it.”
Right away, this made sense to me and I suspected that, by climbing stairs every day, I would end up in better shape at 70 and 80 than by avoiding stairs.
Plus, if I recall, you will be able to use the dumbwaiter to transport baskets of clean laundry up to both the 1st and 2nd floors (if disired), correct?
Correct, Seth!