Historic Bathroom and Kitchen - The Narbonne House

The Narbonne House is an important part of historical Salem, Massachusetts and was considered a normal middle-class home of the 17th and 18th centuries. Though a portion of the house was built in 1675 by Thomas Ives, the house wasn't occupied by a Narbonne family member until 1823.

Below is a photo of the kitchen which "combines a modified 17th century fireplace and oven with late 19th and 20th century paneling and sink."

The photo below shows the tiny second floor bathroom with a toilet from the 1900's.


Source: Salem Maritime National Historic Site

The Many Bathrooms of President Truman

In addition to the 35 bathrooms in the White House, President Truman also had a couple in other locations. Below are some photos from the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum.

This photo, taken in 1942, displays Truman's bathroom on the presidential yacht - U.S.S. Williamsburg.


Below is the sink in Truman's bathroom while he stayed at the Laranjeiras Palace in Rio de Janiero. Following that is a photo of his regal toilet and bathtub.


Source: The Harry S. Truman Library and Museum

Historic Bathrooms - The Eisenhower's

Our 34th president, Dwight D. Eisenhower and his wife, Mamie Eisenhower lived in the White House longer than any other house. However, they called their farmhouse in Gettysburg home. Purchased in 1950 and completed in 1955, the preserved house, has eight bedrooms and nine bathrooms.

Below is Mamie Eisenhower's bathroom featuring a one piece toilet and bathtub, showcasing her iconic love of the color pink. View a larger photo.



Ike's bathroom was green but he couldn't escape Mamie's love of pink as you can see below. Take a look at a larger photo including a different view of his console sink and one piece toilet.


View more photos and floor plans of the Eisenhower's Gettysburg home.

Sources: Eisenhower National Historic Site
National Register of Historical Places

Historic White House Bathroom Renovation

Remodeling a bathroom can be a daunting task. However, it is a lot more difficult when you live in the White House and have to remodel 35 of them!

I came across several photographs from the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum. The photos were taken between 1950 and 1952, while the bathrooms in the White House were being reconstructed. Take a look at the before and after shots of various White Housae bathrooms below.

Before Shots:
After Shots:
For more information and other photographs of the White House renovations visit the Harry S. Truman Library and Museum.

Source: Harry S. Truman Library and Museum website

Architectural Salvage and Vintage Plumbing Sources Part 1

As you know Vintage Tub and Bath began in 1993 when Norman (Allan's brother and owner) began taking clawfoot tubs out of homes and began renovating and selling them to architectural salvage firms in Philadelphia and New York. So we thought it would be great to let you guys know where some architectural salvage yards are located.

There are two ways you can search for architectural salvage yards; you can either Google it and search around on the Internet yourself or you can utilize SalvageWeb or Old House Web.

Our first location we will research is going to be the wonderful state of New York.

The first stop is at a place called Historic House Parts which is located in Rochester, NY and began in 1980. Most of their inventory is salvage of pre-1940 buildings that were being demolished in the NY region. They offer a ton of restored products such as lighting, kitchen and pantry items, radiators, garden items, and bathroom items. Most of their bathroom items are vintage. They really do some wonderful work and I suggest checking them out.

Our second stop will be in Manhattan, NY at a place called Olde Good Things. They salvage antique and architectural artifacts from turn of the century and pre- war buildings. They started as a small flea market and have now grown to 5 different locations and have over 2,000 products online. They also pay a finder's fee if you know of any old buildings ready to be demolished. They offer items such as doors, furniture, hardware, kitchen supplies, and bath products.

Our last stop on this amazing adventure through salvage yards is at Oneonta, NY and is a place called Architiques. This place creates home accents out of architectural salvage and they also buy and sell antiques in their own salvage yard. This business began in 1989 by offering architectural elements and garden items at antique shows. There three main areas of products are antiques, home accents, and architectural salvage pieces. Take a look at some of their architectural salvage pieces here.

Our trip through NY has been amazing and we have found some awesome salvage yards with pieces that you could incorporate into your everyday life.

Next stop, Sunny California!