Pages

▼

New Products for Improving Your Home (in 1967)

Last time I mentioned mid-century fireplaces a reader commented that she was lucky enough to find a Condon-King Aztec free-standing fireplace. Having never seen a Condon-King Aztec, I went in search of an image and my old friend Google books came to the rescue, and pointed me to an amazing Popular Science article from 1967, "New Products for Improving Your Home."

Not only do you get to see a Condon-King Aztec fireplace, you get to see a half dozen other things that were modern marvels back in 1967. As for the Aztec free-standing fireplace, the article states:
Free-standing fireplace is made of new space-age ceramic that let you safely put it within five inches of any wall. Call the Aztec, the fireplace comes in five colors: Inca gold, bronze green, Mandarin red, burnt orange, and desert sand. The screen, flue sections, and spun-steel base are matte black. It has a seven-inch flue that connects easily to any chimney approved for solid fuel. Made by Condon-King Co., 5611 208 Ave. S.W. Lynnwood, Wash.

14 comments:

  1. Dana@Mid2ModAugust 1, 2011 at 6:27 PM

    Interesting...I wasn't familiar with the Condon-King ceramic fireplaces till I read that comment recently. I'm glad you found this information.

    ReplyDelete
  2. CaseyAugust 1, 2011 at 8:39 PM

    Hey, I recognized that brochure - found the same image when I was doing my research! Here's a pic of mine - needs a little bit of cleaning up, but it's going to be a great feature in the backyard!

    https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/uw03_etpKBusoAO9slUIaqHRt_8J2sOA207ZyBYh8AA?feat=directlink

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mid-Century AustinAugust 1, 2011 at 9:25 PM

    Casey, would you mind if I posted your photo (with proper attribution of course)? I haven't been able to find a real life photo of an Aztec fireplace and would love to share it.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Happy At Home Pet SitterAugust 24, 2018 at 3:52 PM

      hope this gets to you. Only 7 yrs later. I have one of these. In orange.

      Delete
  4. CaseyAugust 1, 2011 at 11:15 PM

    Sure! Here's another one - you can see the base a little better.

    https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/FXuOvtnvziFOhMqJ-qoT_UAXQ5zJ98p7cQaSq_EmtFw?feat=directlink

    ReplyDelete
  5. EdNovember 11, 2012 at 11:58 AM

    This is an old post I know but I have an Aztec in my house. I would love to find one of those brochures somewhere.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mad for Mid-CenturyNovember 13, 2012 at 12:11 AM

      As someone who's been looking for a Broyhill Sculptra brochure for years, let me be the first to tell you that finding a paper product that 50+ years old is hard. But worth it if you ever find what you're looking for.

      Delete
    2. EdNovember 13, 2012 at 8:48 PM

      With some more research I actually found out my vintage Aztec model is from Majestic of Huntington,Indiana. The color has "black flecks" in the finish and the screen handles are slightly different than the Condon-King - elongated rather than the knob type. Otherwise same shape.

      Delete
    3. Mad for Mid-CenturyNovember 13, 2012 at 11:47 PM

      I don't know much about Majestic some of the few photos I've seen, like this one: http://www.madformidcentury.com/2011/07/mid-century-austin-find-majestic.html

      They look just as amazing as Aztec fireplaces.

      Delete
    4. EdNovember 14, 2012 at 4:47 PM

      Mine is not like the one pictured. It is an Aztec style like the Condon-King shown above. But the Majestics had the long screen handles and the black flecks in the finish. Mine is pictured in the link below. Although you can't see the flecked finish clearly, you can see the different screen handles. The latch above the screen is non-original, I added that as a way to keep the screen more secure as it was only attached at the bottom before.

      http://img706.imageshack.us/img706/8320/majesticaztec.jpg

      Delete
    5. Mad for Mid-CenturyNovember 14, 2012 at 10:21 PM

      That is a good looking fireplace. Consider me super jealous.

      Delete
  6. AnonymousNovember 19, 2012 at 6:07 PM

    Does anyone know how much a Condon-King in bright orangeish red is worth today? It still looks brand new not a scratch on it.

    Thanks in advance

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mad for Mid-CenturyNovember 19, 2012 at 9:39 PM

      There are a lot of unknown variables that go along with price: location, how many people in your area like mid-century, if anyone is looking for that particular item, etc. This might help you with your research though: http://www.madformidcentury.com/2012/04/pricing-mid-century-furniture.html

      Delete
  7. Happy At Home Pet SitterAugust 24, 2018 at 4:02 PM

    I have a red-orange one.

    ReplyDelete