It is often called an apron corner tub. However, you won't find one unless you can afford Waterworks' "Empire Corner" tub at nearly $8000 or are willing to hunt down an antique one through architectural salvage companies. No one else makes one anymore (which I think is phenomenally stupid of the tub manufacturers).

johnmari you constantly amaze me :)

Flyleft, I was obsessed with having one for about six months - there was one that looked {{gwi:1474945}} in the house my family rented when I was a teenager and I have missed it for twenty years. It was the most comfortable tub I have ever bathed in. :-) (I know that house has since been remodeled and it makes me slightly queasy to think of that tub sledgehammered and taken out in chunks as some unknowing person may have done. It even had a

what do you call a tub with 2 finished sides?

Ambidextrous?

:-)

Ah, I see--it must really have been comfortable, knowing how much you and I rate things on comfort :)

Seeing your pic reminded me of one I had seen at our architectural salvage just a few months ago. I thought "where could you put that? It would be sticking out in the middle of a room, I guess". I mention this, crl, to encourage you to visit a local salvage if you have one that tends to get pieces from that era. It might not be as hard to find as you fear. Of course that's if you don't mind salvage.

And Bill, had to laugh: there's a thread over on home dec right now called "what do you have displayed on your chest?" :)

Ugh, now I feel queasy - I just had one of those removed from my bathroom. That photo you posted could be my tub, except that mine didn't have an overflow - it was just a porcelain bowl with a hole in the bottom. My drain didn't look like the one you had pictured but it was a standing drain (embedded in the floor outside the tub) and it was fully functional. I vaguely remembered seeing somewhere that they were valuable but I couldn't find the right search terms when I went to look for the information again. (Kicking myself, HARD). Here's a pic - the shower curtain hides the bath in this photo but I'll see if I have a better one on my home computer tonight.

Wow, well $8000 is waaaay out of my price range. I don't mind salvage in principle (love antiques and recycling, lol), but would most salvage pieces require reglazing? I have heard not so good things about the durability of reglazing. . . .

Bill, well, I knew there was a joke somewhere in my post. Glad you were able to find it!

Thanks,
Catherine

crl - I considered reglazing my old tub but I had also heard too much bad stuff about durability. If you really want one of these old tubs, though, you might try talking to supers at old apartment buildings in NYC, because many of them have this type of setup, and the supers will know if people are remodeling. Are you anywhere near NYC?

We're in DC. I think a bit far from NYC for a bathtub. There are some (or used to be some) architechitural salvage type places around here. I have some time before we can summon the money and will to tackle the bathroom (not quite done with a kitchen, powder room, laundry room remodel) so I could hunt a bit.

But I suppose I would have to find one in near mint condition. Otherwise, I guess I'd be better off sacraficing a few inches and some style and just doing a short wall to finish off the unfinished short end. Or maybe even looking into clawfoot tubs. . . .

Thanks,
Catherine

Yep, that's what I did - the short wall is under construction as I type. My old tub was really NOT comfortable, either - it wasn't as deep as I wanted (around 17") and the sides were sloped at an angle that made leaning back very uncomfortable. Also, the porcelain was ALWAYS cold - I could fill the tub with the hottest possible water to heat up the tub and it just sucked the heat out of the water faster than I could put it in. For me, having the short wall is going to be great because it means I get to have glass doors instead of a curtain - hallelujah!

I have one of those. This thread reminds me to go upstairs and hug it, and promise to take good care of it as long as I am privilaged to be called its owner!

Here is mine (we are currently restoring the bathroom, and have yet to redo a vintage-style tile around the tub):

{{gwi:1474947}}

Re: reglazing. Don't do it! The original finish is always superior. There are many salvage yards around the country that have vintage plumbing, but I don't know how high the prices go. These tubs are usually available in my area, but I'm across the country from you (California). If you do find one, and it is a bit scuffed inside, the curtain will hide the scuffs!

biond: Though I hesitate to ask, because I feel dizzy at the thought of a vintage bathroom being taken down, I am curious: how did anyone actually manage to remove such a big heavy tub?

Francy

Francy, I have NO idea. I assume they took a sledgehammer to it. It's sad, too, because I'm sure someone who was looking for an antique would have loved it (although mine was in terrible condition). I just wonder how they got it IN - my apartment has very short and narrow hallways with lots of 90 degree turns. If mine looked as nice as yours does, I would have kept it for sure!!!!!!!

Thank you all. I guess I'll try to poke around for a salvage piece in another couple of months and if I find just the right thing we can store it until we're ready. If I don't, I'll go for a short wall. . . . or clawfoot.

Catherine

flyleft, corner apron tubs were the best thing in the world for tucking into the corner of a room - so much better than those space-hogging neo-angle type corner tubs that came in in the last few decades. They were (IMO) so much more pleasant than having to stare at a pony wall while you were taking a bath!

bio, your tub was very likely brought in during the framing stage when there were no walls in the way. I live in a 1994 house (for another few weeks) and there is no way that the upstairs one-piece tub/shower module could have been brought up those stairs or through that door once it was fully framed and drywalled. You shoulda posted here about the tub and waste before it was torn out, we surely could have put you in touch with salvage companies who would have been very happy to have those items.

Francy, I think I love you. ;-) Give your tub a pat from me too and tell it I miss its cousin. It has such a pretty curvaceous shape to the sides, doesn't it? :-) And is that an original basketweave tile floor or an old vinyl copy?

Ugh, johnmari, I know I should have - I just forgot with the flurry of activity leading up to demo. The day of, I remembered that I should have posted something and I thought "oh, surely they haven't gotten to the tub yet, I can tell them to save it and post tomorrow." WRONG. The entire bath and kitchen were obliterated by that time. I will make sure to tell everyone I know to hang on to their old drains, though!! They're everywhere here in NYC.

Johnmari: that is my precious original tile floor!! That bathroom is one of the main reasons I wanted the house (that, and the original kitchen). The toilet is the original low tank beauty. The pedestal sink matches the curves of the tub. It is rather chipped and rusty, and I had thought about trying to replace it. But one day (after reading bungalow Bathrooms), I took a good long look at the sink. I decided that it has been sitting in that room for 80 years. It has more right to be there than I do. So it is staying. (Unless I find the exact same model in a salvage yard.)

Now I just need to find one more low tank toilet for another bathroom. And not a 1.6 gal reproduction. I want the 5-6 gal baby that gets the job done!! Wheeeee!

Francy

Found one by Duravit, in the Happy D line. It's acrylic :( And not cheap, but way less than $8000. We're still no where near our remodel, but I like to look and thought I'd pass this along in case it helps anyone.

Catherine

Here is a link that might be useful: Duravit corner tub

The house that I am restoring has a bath tub like that. It is in good condition except that it looks like some rust on the porcelain around the drain. Any suggestions how to fix that?

Premier, you might want to search the threads for reglazing. You might also want to start a new thread as I doubt anyone is reading this thread for a question about rust.

Catherine

crl, either give that tub the "butt test" before committing to the purchase or make sure you can return it with no restocking fee - some have been very disappointed with the comfort of the Duravit Happy D tubs (which is why I don't even mention that model). :-(

johnmari,
Thanks for the tip. I actually think the tub is too long for our space so I doubt we'll even consider it. I also would prefer cast iron. Ironically, the comfort factor is not important to me at all. I never take baths, but we do need one for kids. But, it is good to have that knowledge here in case someone else searches and comes up with this thread.
Catherine

I just received a quote on the Americh 66" Bow Tub, 32" for $1,680.

Well as I just stumbled upon this thread and am amidst a remodel which contains not one but two of these sought after tubs in amazing conditions...I consider myself lucky-but I’m still getting rid of them! Haha

Still have? I need one!

Getting ready to remove my antique tub if anyone is interested..

I'm so late finding this thread, I am looking for a similar tub, and contrary to some of the comments they are available, there are several sources in the UK where they are very popular and also wayfair.ca have one for less than 300.

Kathleen Magyar-Lutte,

Do you still have the tub? Very interested if it's still available and you manage to see this comment somehow.

-Percy