To me it looks like one of those "Bathfitters" renos. I do not care for them. You might want to check with one of those companies about how to remove.

Before you touch it, I'd assume the worst-case scenario, that the previous owners did this because there's a mess underneath which otherwise would have had to have been demolished and redone.

1. If you remove the walls, can you afford to redo it?
2. Can you be without a bathtub/shower for awhile?
3. Do you want to do your own forensic analysis of it or hire somebody?

The "molding" with the X's appears to be separate from the shower walls and not attached to the ceiling. Perhaps you could try pushing a 5-in-1 tool under it (above and to the right of the window) to get an idea of the material and how it's attached. If you were able to pull that molding off, you could then experiment with pulling a piece of the wall below it away from the tile. Of course, once you start you're committed!

-- amateur

This is really unfortunate. And I know the pain. I've fixed a lot of 'updates' in my home.

If this were my house the first thing I'd do is a self assessment of whether or not I have the mental fortitude to go all the way.

I'd have to assume worst case scenario that the tile underneath the enclosure will have to be removed and replaced. "Am I ready for that undertaking right now? What do I replace it with? Will it match? Can I get tile that matches? "

There will be most likely, without a doubt, an adhesive of some sort on every inch of the tile hidden under the enclosure.

Then you get to research how to remove all of the glue without destroying the tile. There are some very good adhesive removers on the market. But they still require some elbow grease and they may even etch the tile........

And the tub also has an enclosure cover on it?

Look for the "Bathfitters" type companies in town. City hall may have records of who did the overlay if permits were required. Or ask the previous owner who the company was- it helps if you have the names of several companies that were in business back then.

Then ask the company if they'll give an estimate for removing the overlay. Perhaps they will come out to give advice if you pay them a consultation fee.

The square thing next to the sink might have been an old heater that was removed.

Retro Renovation can set you up w/replacement tiles.

call in one of those bath companies. maybe they have a solvent to loosen the glue.

Yes, the tile is really beautiful. I wish you the best of luck in saving it!

The original tiles ARE beautiful. There is probably a glue solvent out there. Lots of good advice here, but also those who say to be prepared for the worst. Do you have a plan for what you'll do if underneath is a disaster? The bathroom can be fabulous if you can find near-enough matching tiles for the shower/bath area. Good luck!

I just have to say I've seen the maroon color used with other colors. That gray is the best combination I've ever seen. I hope that bath surround isn't covering up a torn apart section they had to fix with surround. But I am suspicious that it does. Maybe goo-b-gone.

We are preparing ourselves for the worst, our plan B) if the tile is a war zone under there is to carefully remove what we can salvage and repurpose it in the “updated” powder room. (We will put new tile in the bathroom that looks original to the house. Any suggestions on colors? I’m thinking a pretty blue or green with a black or white boarder.)

The previous owners took out the old tile ( I guess for resale...) in the powder room, they laid the new tile right on top of the old and put sheetrock on top of the existing wall. That bathroom is a mess too.

I’ll keep you all updated on what happens.

I would definitely look at some of the restorations over at retrorenovation to get an idea of what's available right now. This is my all time favorite new-old bathroom, I think, but it's more 30s/early 40s

than 50s, and the tile isn't really that color because there's a strong blue cast to the photo. I wish it were that shade:

https://www.houzz.com/photos/vintage-apothecary-bathroom-craftsman-bathroom-new-york-phvw-vp~19569096

Except for the floor it was all stock big box store tile but unfortunately the color has been discontinued and now it's just special order, so from $ to $$$. ETA I believe you can still get daltile Spa Blue, which is very 50s, for a reasonable price. Check some of the finished baths at retrorenovation.

I am wondering if maybe the reason for the prefab is there were leaking issues and the cheapest was to cover the problem area with something leak proof. There are some good MCM tile replacements out there that look very authentic.

No advice, just wanted to wish you the best of luck. Gorgeous tile. (The more I look at these vintage tile jobs, the more I wonder why they went out of style.)

Wow, good luck! I’m dying to see what’s underneath!!

If I replaced the tile with blue, it would be the entire bathroom that would be blue :) Not just the missing pieces...haha

Ok, so bad news...

one of the plastic prefab pieces was separating from the wall in the bathroom (one next to the plumbing) so I took a knife to it for exploratory surgery. Without much damage I discovered the previous owners took out the entire wall where all the plumbing is. I guess there must have been a plumbing issue. And instead of being careful they ripped out all the tile on the one side and stuck on the prefab! The glue (caulk?) is still tacky and should be easy to remove.

Luckily the other two walls are intact. I knocked on all three, and where it’s hallow there is drywall...and it’s solid/harder where the tile should be.

Good news...we just have to replace the one wall... as far as I can tell.

The grey should be pretty easy, the bullnose maroon will be a challenge. The sizzle liner, I probably shouldn’t hold my breath. Those are impossible to find.

Anyone have that liner tile just hanging out in their basement/ garage/ attic ??

Not in this house but post your query wherever it makes sense. I think Retrorenovation has a 'wanted' section. You never know. Would custom be an option? There's not much tile for that liner. Or if you're artistic, paint? Good luck! Glad to know it's only one wall out of three that needs replacing and the others are salvageable.

What a shame! For the liner tile, try taking a close up photo and using that for a google image search. You might not find anything, but you might get lucky.

Clay Squared Mid Century Tile Collection

Lucy, Retro Renovation will match those tiles.

What a fantastic resource, wdccruise! Bookmarking it.

Ok ill be the person that tells you that you cant just do one wall. You will be redoing the entire shower at this point so just plan on it.

Trying to fix that one wall and matching those tiles isn't worth it in the end.

Also they arent anything but plain field tile that are easily still found. People get this I found a treasure in their head and loose perspective that they aren't anything special. I am not trying to insult you or put the bath down it actually looks like every bath in NYC from that era. Its a nice vintage look but unfortunately you argent saving some rare expensive architectural detail.

I would demo the shower area and salvage as many tiles as you can. Order from one of the vendors mentioned above and they will be a close match. i would run the old tile up to the shower door trim centerline. From there I would use the new tile in the shower. Problem is even if the tiles match their will always be a slight mismatch in color.

The hardest part of that redo will be the demo. I bet those are set in 2-3" of mud and metal lathe. That is why they went the route they did. Removing those walls without damaging surrounding walls is not easy and not cheap!! Then you have to build your walls out to match the new and old, again not easy and not cheap. This is why these are just torn out and started from scratch. I have done a few of those and it always starts as will just do this one spot and then its to the studs and all new.

good luck and plan ahead!

Wannabath is right. You will need to demo and rebuild the shower area. If you don’t, you may have more serious problems in the future. Check all the plumbing and rebuild the area with the right materials. If they used dry wall and not cement board you may have water damage.
Best advice I was given when I bought my first house applies here as well: Do it once; do it right.
Keep us posted. If you can find matching tiles, the bathroom will be fantastic. Seems like there are many sources for the colors you have.