In the decades following WW2, there seemed to be a fascination with—what to call it?—poking around the range. Sometimes this involved transformer-like burners; another highly interactive design literally turned the oven inside out. Monarch's contribution to this modern proclivity was the so-called surface oven, accessed through a door on the top of the stove. Obviously and thankfully, it didn't have a broiling element.Producer of the Monarch brand, the Malleable Iron Range Company was established in 1902 and manufactured stoves that spanned the eras of coal, wood, gas and, eventually, electricity. The company filed for bankruptcy in 1985. Its vacant facilities in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin fell victim to arson [irony, here] in 1990.