A distinctive feature of the Hoosier cabinet is its many moving parts and accessories. In addition to their storage capacity, they offer about 40 inches (100 cm) of work space that was not available in the standard kitchen of the early 20th century other than the kitchen table. The majority of the Hoosier cabinets are about 48 inches (120 cm) wide by 22 inches (56 cm) deep by 72 inches (180 cm) high. The top portion is shallower and has several smaller compartments with doors.

The base section usually has one large compartment with the slide-out shelf covered in metal that offers more workspace, and several drawers to one side. The Hoosier cabinet expands on the baker's cabinet by offering a pull-out workspace/shelf and storage for everything a cook would need. It has a small work surface and a shallower upper section on top of the table that was used for storing bowls, pans, and kitchen utensils. A baker's cabinet is a table with one or more bins underneath. It is considered an improved version of a baker's cabinet. Features ĭrawing of a Hoosier cabinet made by SellersĪ Hoosier cabinet is a stand-alone kitchen cabinet, often on small casters. Sellers and Sons, were closed in 19, respectively. The two largest manufacturers, Hoosier Manufacturing and G. I. By 1935, Hoosier cabinets were considered 'old fashioned'. The Great Depression made sales more difficult. Some manufacturers diversified into built-in cabinets and kitchen furniture. Thus, supplanted, the Hoosier cabinet largely disappeared. By then houses were being built with modern kitchens that included built-in cabinets, counter tops, and other fixtures. Hoosier cabinets remained popular until the 1920s. Given that there were approximately 20 million households in the US at that time, as much as 10% of homes had Hoosier cabinets made by Hoosier Manufacturing, and an additional unknown quantity had Hoosier cabinets made by competing companies. Hoosier Manufacturing sold two million cabinets from its inception to 1920, and additional cabinets were sold by the company's competitors. Hoosier cabinets were very popular from 1900 to 1930. The company's product was nationally promoted as a step saver, and its popularity led to the term Hoosier cabinet becoming a generic term for that style of kitchen cabinet-similar to the term kleenex (the facial tissue called Kleenex manufactured by Kimberly-Clark) becoming a generic term for facial tissues. It began improving its manufacturing and distribution process, and was a strong believer in advertising. In 1900, the company moved a short distance from Albany, Indiana to New Castle, Indiana. The Hoosier Manufacturing Company was one of those early manufacturers. It was a kitchen workstation with ingredient and equipment storage where the cook could complete all food preparation and not move until it was time to cook the food. Īround the 1890s, several furniture manufacturers in Indiana discovered that a stand-alone kitchen cabinet with storage and a workspace (essentially a baker's cabinet with extra storage) was easy to sell. Very few homes had built-in kitchen cabinets during the 19th century, and it was not until the late 1920s that built-in cabinets became a standard kitchen furnishing. Today, Hoosier cabinets are valued by antique collectors.įrom 1890 to 1930, more houses were built in the United States than all of the country's prior years combined. The Hoosier Manufacturing Company was sold in 1942 and liquidated. They peaked in popularity in the 1920s, then declined as homes began to be constructed with built-in kitchen cabinets and counter tops. Hoosier cabinets evolved over the years to include more accessories and innovations that made life easier for cooks in the kitchen. Some of the larger manufacturers were Campbell-Smith-Ritchie (Boone) Coppes Brothers and Zook (the Napanee) McDougall Company and G. I. Hoosier-style cabinets were also made by dozens of other companies, and most were in the Hoosier State or located nearby. By 1920, the Hoosier Manufacturing Company had sold two million cabinets. of New Castle, Indiana, was one of the earliest and largest manufacturers of this product, causing the term 'Hoosier cabinet' to become a generic term for that type of furniture. It was popular in the first few decades of the 20th century in the United States, since most houses did not have built-in kitchen cabinetry. A Hoosier cabinet (also known as a 'Hoosier') is a type of cupboard or free-standing kitchen cabinet that also serves as a workstation.

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