Recently our friend Brian Shephard, head of marketing at Currie Enterprises, found an amazing piece of history right under his nose. Literally! Currently on Christmas break, Brian is enjoying a well deserved vacation with his girlfriend. During a visit to her mother’s house, Brian happened to notice the Frigidaire electric range in her home.
Brian has an incredible eye for vintage items, especially those with automotive and historical value. Knowing that Frigidaire was owned by General Motors from 1919 to 1979, Brian took a closer look. Sure enough, the stove had the GM logo “Mark of Excellence” and “Product of General Motors USA” right on the front facia of the Range. He took a quick photo and sent it over to us.
Most folks in the modern era don’t realize that General Motors had their hands in a lot of diverse businesses. Many which did not have an association with auto manufacturing.
Frigidaire was originally an investment for GM. It wasn’t long before the company was pressed into service providing air conditioning systems for GM automobiles. During the 1950s and 1960s, Frigidaire provided the air conditioning systems on the full line of GM cars, from Cadillacs to the budget friendly Corvairs.
Later the company became the Home Environment Division of General Motors, producing dishwashers, refrigerators, and electric ranges like the one that Brian’s girlfriend’s mother has. Frigidaire was one of the first to coordinate home appliance colors for the fashion conscience home decorators.
Before the Ford fans get too upset, our friend Don Lindfors pointed out that Ford’s Philco division also offered kitchen appliances and television sets. But that is a story for another day.