Tappan is a brand of appliances, named after company founder W. J. Tappan. Tappan claimed several innovations: * 1930s all-

porcelain Porcelain (), also called china, is a ceramic material made by heating Industrial mineral, raw materials, generally including kaolinite, in a kiln to temperatures between . The greater strength and translucence of porcelain, relative to oth ...

range available in various colors * 1955 the first compact (24")

microwave oven A microwave oven, or simply microwave, is an electric oven that heats and cooks food by exposing it to electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range. This induces Dipole#Molecular dipoles, polar molecules in the food to rotate and ...

* 1960s electric ignition for gas ranges * 1965 single-unit conventional range and microwave oven

History

In 1881, Tappan appliances was founded by W.J. Tappan as the Ohio Valley Foundry Company in

Bellaire, Ohio Bellaire is a village (United States)#Ohio, village in Belmont County, Ohio, United States, along the Ohio River. The population was 3,870 at the 2020 census, having peaked in 1920. It is part of the Wheeling metropolitan area. The Bellaire Brid ...

, initially selling

cast-iron Cast iron is a class of iron–carbon alloys with a carbon content of more than 2% and silicon content around 1–3%. Its usefulness derives from its relatively low melting temperature. The alloying elements determine the form in which its car ...

stove A stove or range is a device that generates heat inside or on top of the device, for - local heating or cooking. Stoves can be powered with many fuels, such as natural gas, electricity, gasoline, wood, and coal. Due to concerns about air pollu ...

s door-to-door. In 1889, the company relocated to

Mansfield, Ohio Mansfield is a city in Richland County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. The population was 47,534 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Located approximately from Cleveland and Columbus, Ohio, Columbus via Interstate 71, it i ...

, and was renamed the Eclipse Stove Company, when Tappan's father, who was an amateur astronomer, suggested the name after traveling to Siberia to view a comet. However, due to the existence of another Eclipse Stove Company that was not affiliated with Tappan's company, the company was renamed the Tappan Stove Company in the 1920s. In 1950, Tappan acquired the Los Angeles-based O'Keefe & Merritt Stove Company and used the O'Keefe & Merritt name in the western

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

from then until the late 1980s. In 1978,

Carl Icahn Carl Celian Icahn (; born February 16, 1936) is an American businessman and investor. He is the founder and controlling shareholder of Icahn Enterprises, a public company and diversified conglomerate holding company based in Sunny Isles Beach, ...

in his first takeover attempt took a controlling stake in Tappan and forced the sale of the company to

Electrolux Electrolux AB () is a Swedish Multinational corporation, multinational home appliance manufacturer, headquartered in Stockholm. It is consistently ranked the world's second largest appliance maker by units sold, after Whirlpool Corporation, Whi ...

In 1979, European-based AB Electrolux (which had purchased Eureka five years prior) purchased the Tappan Stove Company. Seven years later, AB Electrolux purchased White Consolidated Industries, which manufactured

Frigidaire Frigidaire Appliance Company is the American consumer and Commercial area, commercial home appliances brand subsidiary of multinational company Electrolux, a Swedish multinational home appliance manufacturer, headquartered in Stockholm. History ...

, White-Westinghouse,

Gibson Appliance Gibson was founded by Joshua Hall in Belding, Michigan, in 1877 as the Belding-Hall Company selling cabinets that housed blocks of ice ( ice-boxes). The area around Belding, Michigan, had a skilled workforce of Danish craftsmen and a good supp ...

, and Kelvinator products, and combined its Tappan holdings with these new products to create the WCI Major Appliances Group. In 1991, the WCI Major Appliances Group simply became known as the

Company, based in Dublin Ohio. In 1997, the North American division of Electrolux was reorganized as Electrolux Home Products of North America, consolidating American Yard Products,

, and

Poulan Poulan is a brand name of the Sweden, Swedish manufacturer Husqvarna AB. History Poulan was founded as Poulan Saw Co. in 1946 by chainsaw pioneer Claude Poulan in Shreveport, Louisiana. Purchased in late 1950s or early '60 by the Beaird Company, ...

/Weedeater. File:Taylor Rolling Kitchen, 1st Division Property, Camp du Bois de Brecourt, Meuse, France, 1918 (30624091385).jpg, Taylor Rolling Kitchen in France, 1918, which was manufactured by Eclipse Stove Company

References

External links

Tappan History home page on Internet Archive
Home appliance manufacturers of the United States 1979 mergers and acquisitions Manufacturing companies based in Ohio Electrolux brands American companies established in 1881 American companies disestablished in 1997 1881 establishments in Ohio 1997 disestablishments in Ohio {{US-company-stub