Since we are Swing Dancers, it is only logical that the major focus of the basenment is a dance studio with a 10 x 10 sprung wooden floor.

We'll start at the North Wall (top of the diagram above) and work around the room counterclockwise (West, South, East...)

The North Wall

Click to Enlarge

The North Wall is made out of batten board that was used for a Coal Cellar in the days when the house was heated by coal (1921-1952). The boards were salvaged and faux-grained to simulate red mahogany.

The North Wall contains a number of dance-related memorabilia, most notable a large panoramic picture of Frankie Manning leading a mass Shim-Sham at Glen Echo Park. (Photo courtesy of Stan Weinstein.

There are a number of oddities, including a Shriner's clock, and various tin signs from the period. An American Flyer Sled stands guard in one corner. We have attached some "festive lighing" to the steel beam that runs the length of the wall.

My Father's Tool Box Click to Enlarge

To the right of the photo is my Fathers old toolbox which I restored and use to hold some of my Vintage Tools.

The West Wall

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The West Wall is dominated by what used to be a Waterfall Dresser that we found without the drawers. It has been converted into a combination bookcase and audio cabinet. We have original versions of both Monopoly and Clue, popular games during the Swing Era.

The Board Game Monopoly was based on the fervor of land speculation in Atlantic City during the period that the Blue Comet ran. It was invented by Charles Darrow in 1934 and is the largest selling board game in history.

Monopoly Board Game Patent
Patent No.2,026,080
Click to Enlarge the Diagram
Click here if you want to learn how to get Free Patent Drawings

The bookcase portion holds a number of vintage model car kits, all 12 issyes of Playboy from 1968, and a dictionary that was offered as apremium by the A&P stores during the 1950s -- one installment per week was doled out over the course of a year, and it is a fascinating resource book including maps, calculation tables, history, Biblical scholarship and ahost of other topics.

On top of the dresser is a complete set of plush dolls from the "Rocky and Bullwinkle" show. In addition, my red 45 rpm record box (that I carried in the 1950s) is displayed along with an EMECO "moderne" lamp and a WE-300 telephone.

To the left of the dresser are some Bowling artifacts including standard bowling balls, and those used for Duckpins. To the right is a child's bowling set, a retro roller skate case, and two off-brand Vacuum Cleaners that resemble jet engines. There is also a poster from oa 2004 "Battle of the Bands" at Glen Echo Park where the Tom Cunningham Orchestra took on the Tuxedo Park Orchestra.

The pride and joy of the West Wall is the Sears Water Witch outboard motor, an Art Deco icon that is on everyon'e "must-have" list. It is included in the Permanent Collection of the Museum of Modern Art. I'm certainly thrilled to have this!

        

The Sears Water Witch Outboard Motor
Design Patent D - 114,597
Click to Enlarge the Diagram
Click here if you want to learn how to get Free Patent Drawings

The South Wall

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The South Wall is the home of our renowned Ironrite Ironer that we use on a regular basis. We have given out over 3,500 Ironrite Owner and Service Manuals to our readers over the past nine years.

The Ironrite
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Next to the Ironrite is a display of Sunbeam Mixmasters illustrating the evolution of the design through the 1930s.

The painting is entilted "Sigmund Freud on the Pennsylvania Turnpike" and was executed in 1968 by my friend and fraternity brother William Charles Painter. It is, indeed, aproduct of the 1960s.

The Bicycle is a Columbia Five Star Superb just like the one that I earned by selling Cloverine Brand Salve during the 1950s. It is equipped with a paperboy's bag from the now-defunct Washington Star.

The East Wall is simply a series of folding doors that hide the laundry complex.

This completes the Dance Studio. Where would you like to go next?

The First Floor

The Second Floor

The Basement

If you don't like clicking on pictures:

You are in the DANCE STUDIO

• Go to the Living Room
• Go to the Hallway
• Go to the Dining Room
• Go to the Kitchen
• Go to the Florida Room
• Go to the Breakfast Room
• Go to the Master Bedroom
• Go to the Guest Bedroom
• Go to the Upstairs Hallway
• Go to the Library
• Go to the Office
• Go to the Basement Storage Area
• Go to the Workshop
• Look at the Exterior and History of the House

OK -- Go someplace else

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