O.D. Royer Refrigerated Display Cabinet - From the Icebox Era

On a recent visit to the great Antique Brokers shop I saw this item sitting in the back receiving area with a hasty tag thrown on for $100.  We were in the middle of buying a table and chairs and I came up to ask if that was the store price (or the price from the source).  Told it was - I said "sold!".  I love display cases - including many that they have fully restored in the shop - but they are typically quite pricey.  I've never seen one before that had ice-box closures in any condition.

This display is designed with double paned glass all the way around (except presumably for the top).   The front of the icebox compartment is a beveled mirror.  As found, the glass was broken out of both ends, the top, one of the small square panes above the icebox.  In addition, one of the large doors had a cracked but intact pane.  All told I’ll need six standard panes and an appropriately strong large pane for the top, plus as many shelves as I decide to install. 

Here is the manufacturer’s information…

An initial web search in February got me zilch.  Even a Google Street View tour of tiny Downing, WI yielded nothing.   A more recent search found this great upright variation – at the Boone County, MO Historical Society in Columbia.  Based on their dating criteria it looks like mine is also likely a turn of the century item.  Here is the likely source material for the biographic details for Oscar David “O.D.” Royer listed on the Boone County site. 

Here it is situated in the garage/shop.   It’s condition is pretty decent – dirty but decent.  Not too many deep wood dings, and not too much missing.  One small pane will need new quartersawn oak finish strips,and I’ll need to figure out some similar arrangement to hold the top pane in place once replaced.

The bottom appears to be constructed of galvanized sheet metal painted with enamel – which makes sense for an icebox display.   Both sides were fairly badly rusted with paint mostly crackled.   Here is a before shot.

Based on the age – I figured some caution in blasting away at the paint was warranted.  Here I am all geared up.

Some time with the shop-vac, compressor and drill with a coarse wire cup brush and we are getting closer to being ready.  I may do a chemical strip to get the rest out before putting down primer and new paint. 



Fixing all the double-pane glass sections means taking out all the retaining strips of wood.  They all came out with minimal problems.  Because of the way that the glass goes into the various panels – one of the intact door panes had to come out to make room for a replacement.  All of the intact glass is delightfully blue-green and aged. 

With measurements in hand, next steps include buying glass, cutting one of the cracked large panes to replace a missing smaller pane, finishing stripping, brushing and sanding as needed, sourcing the right quartersawn oak for the retaining trim, and testing some stain matching.    That and pondering how I’m getting this thing into the house when it’s done!