Saturday, March 21, 2009

Update: The Cleveland Co-Operative Stove Company

I've written some about our new stove and the maker of the stove, the Cleveland Co-Operative Stove Company.

Cleveland; the Making of a City by William Ganson Rose provides an excellent early history of the company, on page 337.
W. S. Chamberlain, laywer, offered a tract of swam pland (Central Avenue and East 67th) near the Cleveland & Pittsburgh railroad to a group of Buffalo iron molders as an industrial site, if they would give him an interest in a proposed foundry. The Cleveland Co-operative Hollow Ware, Stove & Foundry Company was inforporated the followin year with Chamberalin as president. For forty years, the company concentrated on makin the massive, ornate, coal-burning stoves of the period. In 1909, it brought out a complete line of gas ranges. The entire plant was leveled by a storm this year. "Grand" ranges, stoves, air-conditioning equipment, and gray-iron castings produced by The Cleveland Co-Operative Stove Company, found profitable markets. James Mitchell became president in 1934.

I haven't been able to dig up much else about the company, so I contacted the appropriate subject departments at Cleveland Public Library.

The Business, Economics, and Labor Department was able to provide the following information, from their Cleveland Corporation Files:

1945: Grand Home Appliances became a division of Cleveland Cooperative Stove Company.

1948: Grand Industries Inc. became successor to Cleveland Cooperative Stove Company and Grand Home Appliances Company became a division of Grand Industries.

1952: Grand Industries Inc. went out of business. Its Grand Home Appliances Division, along with other divisions were sold out to different interests or abandoned.

Cleveland Chamber of Commerce indicate that purchaser of some fo the stove assets when Grand Industries sold out was Sunray Stove Company, Delaware, Ohio.

1982: Sunray Stove Company out of Delaware, Ohio is out of business. It was cancelled by Operation of Law December, 22, 1982, per the Ohio Secretary of State's website.

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I looked up this web site because I have a grand stove from the Cleveland Co-Operative Stove Company. It looks just like the one in the Christmas Story House. It is in very good condition. I love it. I have had it for 9 years. The previous owner and her mother would use it for the holidays to bake pies.

Abby said...

Thank you so much for posting this information. I've been researching my genealogy and an ancestor of mine was associated with the Stove Co. This is the first site that has actually had any info about the company, so thank you!!

barbara said...

I have a Grand Antique Stove from the Cleveland Cooperative Stove Company. It has 6 burners, side wood burning area, above storage and pie holder. I am trying to sell it at an Estate Sale. It needs some fixing up, but is in good condition. It would be beautiful in the right home and probably functional. Any ideas of it's value?

Barbara

Christopher Busta-Peck said...

The values of these stoves are going to be pretty comparable to other stoves of a similar period in your area. Around here, non-functioning examples sell for $100 or less, while those in good working order sell for $200-400.

Anonymous said...

My e-mail is marchwin@zoomtown.com

Anonymous said...

My Sunray double oven gas range (1965) has 2 broken thermostats. Can anyone, anywhere fix them? marchwin@zoomtown.com

Unknown said...

Looking for timer for an old model 851 stove.

Anonymous said...

I have a Grand stove. Model 746. Broiler door on the left. Where are the springs located for the broiler door? I noticed the oven door has 2 springs. Does the broiler door have 2 as well?

Not wanting to, but need to sell this stove.

Thanks fir any replies!!