This 1911 house was built on the West Side of Chicago by a Polish immigrant bricklayer named Frank Michela. I call this his folly because it’s a house abundant in personal touches and quirky design; I have yet to see a house just like it in a city where multiples are common. Also, Michela owned the house for only about 10 years. It has changed hands numerous times. The previous owner who lived here the longest was Kaspar Zegiel. We became part of the house’s life in 2000 after a long, depressing search in which I realized I could afford very little—or if I could afford it, it was very little. When I saw this house, I thought, “Whoa, it’s a real house.” Been loving it and working on it ever since.
Note to anyone who has found this blog while searching for information: If you see that I’ve touched on a topic of interest and you’d like more info, feel free to comment and ask for more. I’m happy to share any knowledge I might have.
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December 22, 2008 at 1:26 am
Joe O.
Hey, cool:
Found you surfing for Roper info. I’m in Chicago. Service and restore Chambers stoves (okay, I collect them too. Some people collect stamps… How weird).
May be working on a Roper at the request of a friend, and it needs two handles. Seems that Roper handles, doors, timers, etc. vary WILDLY compared to Chambers items. Yikes! Well, might you be willing to depart with handles if you’ve got ‘em?
Happy first day of winter!
Joe O
December 23, 2008 at 1:39 am
n54th
Hi Joe,
You’re quite right about Roper details. If you mean door handles, I don’t have spares. If you mean knobs, I do. Will e-mail you directly.
Many thanks for the winter wishes.
March 15, 2009 at 12:55 pm
Bonnie Winer
So glad to find you! I too, own an old, circa 1950 Roper stove and am having a heck of a time replacing knobs! It is a 6 burner stove, and we need all 6 knobs for the burners, and 2 for the oven (possibly). can’t find any one to help locate what we need. Can we talk?
Thanks.
Bonnie
April 22, 2009 at 9:55 am
cheri bergthold
hi, i have been researching my 40’s roper stove for a long time and this site is the most informative to date. do you sell, buy? i have a stagger top in perfect condition. it is exactly the one in the wartime ads on this site. i bought the house from the estate of a 90+ yr old woman, and i think she used that stove from the day it was new. when i moved in it worked, but i had dad unhook because of my fear of gas stoves. i have been looking at selling it to make more room in the kitchen. it is beautiful and fits in great with my retro kitchen but need more room. any one with a comment or info on how i can sell it and get what its worth out of it, email me. i would appreciate it. chereasy@hotmail.com thanks
April 23, 2009 at 1:52 am
n54th
Glad to hear the site has been helpful. I dabble in selling and buying but am really just a regular dame who’s trying to pinpoint her Roper by perusing the particulars of others. The value of your stove will be determined by condition and the local market. So I guess if it’s been unhooked, you don’t know if the thermostat is working properly? That and handles are usually the more difficult things to find replacements for. If you’d like to send pictures, I would love to see them and they would help me give you a ballpark figure.
August 21, 2009 at 11:41 am
Rebecca
Hi there,
this is a much newer stove but thought you might help me find info about it. Looks 70s-ish to me. I’m thinking of buying it for a modern retro look. Any ideas on the model or year or how to find out more? Thanks!
http://newyork.craigslist.org/wch/app/1324436555.html