Original Youngstown Kitchens steel cabinet to go on display Jan. 30

YOUNGSTOWN

A unique piece of the Mahoning Valley’s past has resurfaced and will go on display at the Tyler Mahoning Valley Historical Center.

A never-used 1948 Youngstown Kitchens steel cabinet and countertop set, manufactured by Mullins Manufacturing Co. of Warren, has been donated to the Mahoning Valley Historical Society. It will go on display Jan. 30 in the museum’s main room and run until May.

The set arrived in Youngstown in December in pristine condition, still in its original boxes. The MVHS began unpacking the cabinets Tuesday at the Tyler, which it owns and operates, in preparation for the exhibition.

The Youngstown Kitchens line was very popular nationwide in the post World War II years. The cabinetry was made of stamped steel, and then completed with a baked porcelain finish.

Not only did they product bear the city’s name, which was synonymous with steelmaking, but it ushered in the era of the pre-fabricated modern kitchen – a symbol of post-war prosperity and domestic bliss in the growing suburbs of U.S. cities.

Read more about its history and the exhibit in Wednesday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.