We had soffits in our 1925 kitchen -- not sure if they were original, but I think they might have been. When we took them down we found old water damage in once corner where the plaster had completely let loose from the ceiling lath. We also found a vent stack that was hidden behind the soffit. We were planning to redo the ceiling anyway, as the kitchen had originally been a kitchen and breakfast room, consolidated many years before with the ceiling sloping horribly toward where the dividing wall once was. Whil it wouldn't have been a purist's choice, we took out the plaster and lath (allowing us to also add recessed light -- light in a kitchen, whodathunkit!) and used sheet rock.

Thank you everyone for your comments and sharing photos! I really appreciate it. The renovated kitchen in the blog link is exactly what I was envisioning and it's good to see someone else has done it. We'll peek in the soffits to see if anything is in there. Our house was designed very efficiently (in 1969) so all water and toilet systems are stacked all above each other from the basement to the top floor. It is possible there's plumbing in the soffits. I probably should have been more clear that the open shelves below cabinets would hold dishes and bowls that we use daily. It's just that they're nice-looking so they're okay to leave in the open as a display. Right now our kitchen is full and those dishes, bowls, platters, etc. are stored in another room! They're in an antique Chinese cabinet so at least that cabinet is useful and not just standing there looking good, but it's a pain to go to the family room to get the dishes for the dining room. I think our lack of kitchen cabinet storage space is due to two big windows in there, but I wouldn't want to lose those! I will think through if anything we need frequent access to would get placed too high up. This shouldn't affect our microwave because it's located above the oven in a double-oven wall unit that won't be impacted by this change. We have high quality oak cabs and I wouldn't want to discard the entire cabinetry. So I'd also paint the kitchen lighter like the owner of the kitchen in the blog link did. What a nice renovation!

TeatimeAnn - So nice of you to remember my little condo kitchen. Thanks! No physical progress, but some of the HOA issues have been resolved... (Sigh) It has been quite a process. We have been working with the Home Owners Association board since February to determine the scope of our project. To make a very long, sad, story short... we will be able to accomplish a lot of our remodel, but we will not be able to add certain "common area" (read as inside the walls and ceiling) items. For example, no recessed lights, no gas line for a range, no exterior kitchen vent for the range etc. I am in California, so no recessed lighting might be a challenge to meet title 24 requirements. We are just now getting copies of all the required contractor documents for the HOA and will hopefully be able to start the demo soon. I've stopped holding my breath. Once the walls are open, then we get to reapply with the HOA and see what they approve for the remodel. Then it will be off to the city to see what they have to say. What a crazy, disappointing process.

Hi Laurie: I understood why they did what they did. To solve your problem they will need to drill through the plate and go up the wall on the second floor. You will need to open the wall on the second floor to get the pipes up the wall and into the attic. Drilling the floor joists is the only alternative I see and it would weaken the joists too much - you don't want to do that.