Magic Chef, Inc. (formerly the American Stove Company) is an appliance brand currently owned by CNA International Inc.
St. Louis origins
In the 1850s John Ringen, a
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
** Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ge ...
immigrant
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
to the United States, began a
tinshop in
St. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi River, Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the Greater St. Louis, ...
. His business prospered and, in 1870, he took in a partner, George August Kahle, who had immigrated to America from Germany in 1867. The business sold housewares, early
washing machine
A washing machine (laundry machine, clothes washer, washer, or simply wash) is a home appliance used to wash laundry. The term is mostly applied to machines that use water as opposed to dry cleaning (which uses alternative cleaning fluids and ...
s, and
cooking stoves they called "quick meals".
In 1881, George Kahle persuaded his brothers-in-law, Charles and Louis Stockstrom, to set up a shop to manufacture stoves.
These four principals then organized two
corporations
A corporation is an organization—usually a group of people or a company—authorized by the state to act as a single entity (a legal entity recognized by private and public law "born out of statute"; a legal person in legal context) and r ...
, the Quick Meal Stove Company and the Ringen Stove Company.
American Stove Company and the Magic Chef brand name
Quick Meal manufactured the stoves, with Ringen Stove handling sales and distribution of the entire output of Quick Meal's production. The phenomenal growth of these two companies during the 1880s and 1890s led to the merger of eight other stove companies in
St. Louis
St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
,
Chicago
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
, image_map =
, map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago
, coordinates =
, coordinates_footnotes =
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name ...
and
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
in 1901 to form the American Stove Company.
American Stove introduced the first oven temperature control device in 1914.
In 1929 it began using the
brand name
A brand is a name, term, design, symbol or any other feature that distinguishes one seller's good or service from those of other sellers. Brands are used in business, marketing, and advertising for recognition and, importantly, to create an ...
Magic Chef. The Magic Chef name was so successful as an oven and stove brand that American Stove Company changed its name to Magic Chef, Inc. in 1951.
[Alternate Link]
via ProQuest
ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...
.[Alternate Link]
via ProQuest
ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...
.[Alternate Link]
via ProQuest
ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...
. The company remained well known for its
gas stove
A gas stove is a stove that is fuelled by combustible gas such as syngas, natural gas, propane, butane, liquefied petroleum gas or other flammable gas. Before the advent of gas, cooking stoves relied on solid fuels such as coal or wood. The f ...
s, but attempts to spread the brand to other household appliances were unsuccessful.
Sales and spread
In 1957, it was merged with the
Food Giant Markets of California.
[Alternate Link]
via ProQuest
ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...
.[Alternate Link]
via ProQuest
ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...
. In 1958, it was sold to Dixie Products,
[Alternate Link]
via ProQuest
ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...
.[Alternate Link]
via ProQuest
ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...
. a small stove company of
Cleveland, Tennessee
Cleveland is the county seat of and largest city in Bradley County, Tennessee, United States. The population was 47,356 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Cleveland metropolitan area, Tennessee (consisting of Bradley and neigh ...
, after selling off a few underperforming divisions of Magic Chef.
[Alternate Link]
via ProQuest
ProQuest LLC is an Ann Arbor, Michigan-based global information-content and technology company, founded in 1938 as University Microfilms by Eugene B. Power. ProQuest is known for its applications and information services for libraries, provid ...
. By 1986, the company had become the 249th largest industrial company in the nation, and was sold to
Maytag
The Maytag Corporation is an American home and commercial appliance company owned by Whirlpool Corporation since April 2006.
Company history
The Maytag Washing Machine Company was founded in 1893 by businessman Frederick Maytag. In 1925, ...
for $740 million.
Magic Chef also made home
furnace
A furnace is a structure in which heat is produced with the help of combustion.
Furnace may also refer to:
Appliances Buildings
* Furnace (central heating): a furnace , or a heater or boiler , used to generate heat for buildings
* Boiler, used t ...
s and air conditioners; that operation was sold to
Lennox International
Lennox International Inc. is a provider of climate control products for the heating, ventilation, air conditioning, (in the complex colloquially called: HVAC) and refrigeration markets. The company is based outside Dallas, Texas in the United ...
in 1988.
Whirlpool Corporation
The Whirlpool Corporation is an American multinational manufacturer and marketer of home appliances, headquartered in Benton Charter Township, Michigan, United States. The Fortune 500 company has annual revenue of approximately $21 billion, ...
acquired Maytag Corporation in 2006.
Magic Chef has been spun out to CNA International Inc./MC Appliance Corporation,
which imports and markets
small appliances
A small domestic appliance, also known as a small electric appliance or minor appliance or simply a small appliance, small domestic or small electric, is a portable or semi-portable machine, generally used on table-tops, counter-tops or oth ...
under several brand names.
See also
*
Dortch Stove Works
Dortch Stove Works is an historic stove manufacturing plant in Franklin, Tennessee. It was built in 1929 by Allen Manufacturing Company, then based in Nashville, Tennessee. During its manufacturing prime, the plant produced stoves and ranges und ...
: A historic Magic Chef factory in Franklin, Tennessee
References
External links
MC Appliance CorporationAmerican Stove Company/Magic Chef in New York-mid 20th centuryCharles Stockstrom's mansion a St. Louis city landmark
{{Home appliance brands
Home appliance brands
Maytag brands
Companies based in St. Louis
American companies established in 1901
Electronics companies established in 1901
Products introduced in 1929
1881 establishments in Missouri
1901 establishments in Missouri
1929 establishments in Missouri
American brands