So what is it that you need assistance – locate, replicate, install ???

is the house built out of gingerbread?

same question as katze.

but, without having further information and having some experience with the pizza oven type, i'd say leave it where it is and work around it.

Yeah, like all the above are saying I'm not sure what you're question is but Steven's advice to leave it as it stands is good advice. You might consider updating or replacing the flues/ chimney and leaving the oven intact. But those horizontal flues sound kind of like the "heatilator" vents in my 250 year old fireplace. Those are used for heating the house, are these flues you're talking about to distribute heat inside the oven? If your clients are foodies then I would tell them to leave it intact

I do like that google ad at the top of the page for brick oven inserts leads to a quotation from my uncle. My first "project" was doing the permitting drawings for his bakery with a wood fired brick oven.

Oh we do plan on working around the Ovens, actually they are functional. It is the main reason my client purchased the Bakery.
They were initally fired in 1915 and operational till October of 2005.
However the last generation of bakers well they weren't as good about maintaining and upkeep so were looking at alot of attempts
at keeping the place operational where they used bubble gum to keep everything going.

I find alot of information on dome type ovens which are the current
rave in the pizza world. Where you build the fire in the space and push the coals around to distribute the heat then push the ashes to a pit below the oven.

We have with this oven a double fire box which is located at the basement level. The heat source in induced at this location which is then tranfered into a series of masonry baffles or ducts, running front to back which are directly below a large masonry cooking surface, then once again over the cooking area are a series of round clay tile vents running front to back. There are clean out doors at the front face of the oven located directly infront of every baffle above and below the cooking surface. At the top of the oven there
is a horizontial masonry flue which runs from the front of the oven to the rear of the oven which then ties into and exterior masonry chimney. On the top of the oven is a bed of sand.

The face brick on the oven is a glazed brick finish.

I will try to post a pic of it here.

Wowee! They sound like amazing ovens! Where are they? If you'd like I could give the contact for my uncle who sometimes does bakery consultation work, he would know something about the ovens and how to fire and maintain them. His oven is a Llopis-

This is what the place looked like when we started....yikes!



any information would be helpful

Foglite: it is located in Connecticut about one hour from NYC. Where is your Uncle?

He's in Lawrence, KS but he frequently comes to New England for consulting,teaching and to visit me. You should have your clients give him a call if they are interested in doing any type of wood fired sourdough type breads. He'd be happy to chat with them even if they don' hire him. In fact he is the bread consultant for a flour mill so if they buy a pound of flour from Heartland Mills they can call him up and he'll even get paid for his time. His name is Thom Leonard and his bakery is called Wheatfields. However, ask them to wait until after the holidays to contact him since now is a completely insane time of the year for Bakers.

It actually is a pretty awesome looking oven as bakery ovens go. I've worked in worse bakeries than the one pictured. Bakeries are usually kind of an industrial space, aesthetics typically aren't given much consideration, it's alll about production. In fact one of the most famous bakeries in the world is in a basement in France. The bakers used to wear loin clothes since it gets so hot in the nearly unventilated space.

I like their system of storing their peels above the oven. Also keep any wood table tops, those wooden framed sieves are cool as well. But get rid of that slicer in the foreground, it looks like it needs more than just a touch up with paint.

Pay special attention to the structural condition of the cooking surface. One thing about brick ovens is that (at least in my eyes) the fire should be moved to a different location every time you start a fire. Unfortunately, that doesn't always happen. If the same spot is used day after day, it could cause the structure to weaken. Some disagree with this, but I've known owners to cause major damage by cooking on the same spot.

I would also pay special attention to the historical components utilized (e.g. mortar). I'd definitely rely on a professional to examine the components and determine the appropriate method for repairing any damage. Using the wrong components for repair (e.g. modern chemicals) could have detrimental effects on historical masonry.

Not helpful, but entertaining.

French guys...baking cookies...in loincloths.......

FOGlite, you just completed my Christmas Wish List!!!

i recommend reading down and out in paris and london...

Thanks Fog, Actually my baker client makes the food section of the New York Times a couple times a year. He is one of those artisan bakers, and yes it is an insane time of year for bakers and architects.

for the Ny metro area - halsted welles associates (on E. houston) is a master of fireplaces and chimneys design/construction. they will travel out of the city- they may be a good contact to inspect the oven, and may be able to analyze the mortar.

I'd love to do a bakery like this- now that my hobby is punching the dough. if anybody visits mpls, let me know ahead of time and I'll bake an extra loaf for you...

Fog he knows of your father....and has alot of respect for him. He will be in contact with him in the near future. Even if it is for some baker conversation. Thanks again for offering your fathers name.