There’s a whole lot of old lady history going on in this house, and it’s actually pretty charming. I mean, after I live here for 60 years, I hope that the new owners find a little enjoyment out of figuring out what I liked, how I maintained my house, and how I lived. I never thought myself to be much of a historian, but… here I am, loving up old bathroom tile and paint samples.
We’re going to be gutting our only full bathroom sooner than later (real life timing is a factor, so is money, and so is convenience, though this time I think we’ll join a gym so we can shower routinely… after fake working out). Modernizing and updating aspects of the house is going to be a lot of fun. We definitely want to make it our own, but it’s important to us to appreciate the original intent of the design. Learning more about the construction from the original blueprints has been so interesting, and I’ve spent more than a little bit of time surfing for details on random brands and 1950’s palettes trying to determine what has been here since 1951, and what has been modified by the original family in the time since.
The label ROMANY on the bathroom tile samples I found jammed in the back of a drawer, I wanted to know more about.
I’m not cut out to be a historian, but I do like learning bits and pieces about design through the decades. The extent of my research tells me that ROMANY may or may not linked to the brand Romany Spartan, of the U.S. Ceramic Tile Company. Other queries tell me that its a product of United States Quarry Tile Company out of Canton, OH. And 99% of the search results direct towards resellers of Romany Spartan antique collectable plates, which I’ll allow you to research on your own time, but appear to be quite popular a resale item. There is also plenty out there on other companies that specialize in making tiles from Rome, a.k.a. Roman tiles, but not Romany tiles. This is vague, right? Bathroom tile roadblocks.
According to this ad, which I found listed on eBay, the product installed in our bathroom today is a real clay glazed tile, and wouldn’t you know, that’s basically what our bathroom looks like with the half wall of tile and the coffin-like standing shower. If they were installed original to the home (the maroon color actually makes us think they may have installed them in the 60’s), well, then we know that. The orientation of the bathroom itself makes us scratch our heads, and the gigantic toilet, well, someday we’ll come back to that but none of us have fallen in, so we’ll keep it.
Of course, thanks to Retro Renovation, I also have to consider that the product is related to ROMANY-Spartan, the U.S. Ceramic Tile company, meaning the tiles are ceramic, not clay. Just food for thought. They’ll all be removed at some point, don’t groan and guilt me into keeping them, many of them, especially on the floor, are cracked and actually manage to adhere to our feet when we walk over them. That’s why there’s tape on the floor. Another story for another time.
So, multiple Romany companies, huh? Owned by different U.S. conglomerates. That make tiles. And don’t seem concerned with competitors copyright infringement. The 1950’s were a different time. (Side note: Ceramaflex: Ceramic tiles cushioned in rubber! Has anyone out there had to do the dirty job of removing those during a renovation?!)
Over on the paint side of things, I now know that the woman who lived here chose the darling Dresden Pink (shown in the first image) to paint the inside of our bathroom cabinets. It’s delightfully rosy and yet so not a color I’m looking to preserve. Hechinger, after a little research, appears to have been a Maryland-based home improvement chain of 117 stores that went bankrupt in 1999, after 80 years of business. No doubt because of the growth of the big box stores, according to several articles that I read on the chain’s history and Chapter 11 filings.
I can’t figure out if/where they had a store in the Rochester area, or if it was imported from another city, but maybe someone out there knows more than Google. Also, there’s also a paint color on there named Puce.
What may be more charming is that whoever painted took literal measurements to ensure they knew the proper dimensions of the shelves. Classy and efficient. Sorry it’s blurry.
Find any small treasures in your house that allude to its construction or design history?
19 Comments
I feel so much the very same way. I live in a 1960’s ranch with an all time bathroom (yellow-y cream, beige, tan, and brown (with peachy undertones)). I’ve always wondered about our tiles and feel guilty wanting to one day gut the whole thing (for the same reasons you probably have). I am a life-long Maryland resident and fondly remember trips to Hechinger with my father. Aaaaah, the smell of fresh cut wood in the lumber yard and oh so many house things. Yes, indeed, before the days of Home Depot and Lowe’s (at least here in Maryland). Good luck to you.
I do know there was a Hechinger in Syracuse up until they closed in 1999.
Hechinger did have a presence in Rochester back in the 90’s (I believe). There may have been more than one location, but, one that I recall was in Henrietta and was either where Raymour Flanagan is currently (behind The OG…Olive Garden) or where Kohl’s is.
My father in law was an appliance buyer for Montgomery Ward for many years. Hechingers got in touch with him, and as we say, “backed the money truck up” and he moved to Maryland to head up part of their purchasing department. In 1998. Yeah. After they went out of business, a place in Dayton, Ohio, called Roberd’s, hired him for the same job, and within a year, went belly-up. Did I mention that Wards went into bankruptcy shortly after he left? We call him the store-killer. Thankfully, he is retired, so the retail economy can now recover. Around here, in the 60s, Wards and Sears (& Roebuck) were the places to get your home improvement items.
I love this historical information. Everyone has offered such great insight in the comments and memories… funny about your dad (in a not-funny way) but thank you for sharing Mary!
Oh! I forgot Forest City! It was a Home Depot type place, still went out of business, I think.
Hechinger’s had a store in Henrietta on W. henrietts Rd. across from the KwikFill gas station where Kohl’s and Ollie’s are now.
There was a Hechinger’s on Hudson Avenue in Irondequoit where the Super Walmart is now located. The store went through several incarnations over the years being a Two Guys at my earliest memory in the 1980s, a Silo, and then Hechinger’s. Not sure when it went out of business but it sticks in my head maybe it was earlier than 1999.
Ah hah! Silo – why is that ringing a bell?? So curious. Thank you for sharing this history!
Fascinated read, and have to commend you for putting in the time Emily … Like fellow MDer and friend Christine above, I too cut my teeth in Hechinger’s … While I don’t remember a ton about it other than clearly picturing the blue sign (amazingly I still likely hold a handful of products with price tags and maybe a few tools with their branding). Hechinger’s was for an intents and purposes a big box store (not a hardware store not a lumber yard) and yes I think your assumptions are pretty dead on. I remember trips with my mom where we’d pick the HD over Hechinger’s. I do believe that early on as more HDs moved in they originally picked up abandoned Hechinger’s locations (kinda like HHGregg to Circuit City). I was unfortunately not living in state when they closed and I do believe that you could find a Hechinger’s online selling things as recently as 5 years ago. All that said – I don’t know if I can help you with the color, but I will finally admit first time ever on the internet, in an ill fated attempt to single handedly bring it back, we painted our playroom peach (ish)… we are planning to finally do a redo and a re-paint of that room in the coming months. Peace and good luck! ~jb
So interesting, jb! Thanks for the insight, I love hearing this stuff. Sorry about your peach paint :(
I love that you researched the Romany brand. =D
I can’t say I’ve found any interesting remnants, oh, except for drink straws and 80’s McDonald’s wrappers stuffed around the electrical boxes in the kitchen.
Found Romany tile while taking down the fireplace surround in our 1937 home. Google the name and found your article.
My son and I are remodeling a house for he and his fiance. We came across a huge auction lot of new tile and got it. Over 400 cases of antique Romany tiles, all different colors and sizes. We’re using what we want for our remodeling and planning on selling the rest. I’d like to see it be found by people wanting to match their tiles or wanting a vintage restoration. Any suggestions?
Hi Richard, Check out Colleen’s comment below. Anything you have?
If you have any remaining, I’m sure interested! Do you have any pictures?
I would be interested in your tiles, if you still have them.
Hi Richard, did you find a home for the tiles?
Richard Marshall — I’m on the hunt for a specific Romany tile: 1950s, cream-yellow-tan range, 1”x1”, mottled matte finish. Does this sound like anything you might have?