3-story Hoosier cabinet in Indiana celebrates an American kitchen icon

Hoosier cabinets — the original all-in-one kitchen — were once a mainstay in early 20th-century American homes.Though they have long since fallen out of fashion, a giant, climbable replica has been unveiled outdoors in a northern Indiana town to celebrate the cabinet’s place in kitchen history.The 30-foot model of a Dutch Kitchenette opened to the public last month as part of the 150th anniversary celebration of Coppes Napanee, one of two companies still in existence that manufactured the popular Hoosier cabinets more than a century ago.The cabinet name was coined after its largest producer, the Hoosier Manufacturing Co.Dubbed the world’s largest Hoosier cabinet, the replica built against a brick background is equipped with stairs leading to a loft that visitors to the town of Nappanee can look out from.It overlooks Coppes Commons, the site of the original Coppes Napanee factory that has been converted to an indoor marketplace, artisan hub and museum.The company still produces custom cabinets next door.Wesley Mast, owner and president of Coppes Napanee, said he typically hears two types of responses when visitors first see the giant cabinet.“There’s the one extreme where people are like, ‘Why? Why such a big cabinet?’” Mast said.“And my response is always like, ‘Why not?’“The other response we get is like, ‘That’s so cool.

Where did you get this idea? I love it.’”Mast said the cabinet “brings us another level of attention and branding and makes this place more of a destination than just a pass-through.”The Hoosier cabinet is a freestanding kitchen workstation and storage area that centralized and sped up food preparation.The cabinets were popular from the 1890s through the 1930s but waned after World War II as built-in, wall-to-wall cabinetry became the norm in new home construction.Morning Report delivers the latest news, videos, photos and more.

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