NAPPANEE, Ind. - Construction is set to begin for the "World's Largest Hoosier Cabinet," which will be located on the green between Coppes Napanee Cabinet Co. and Coppes Commons in Nappanee, Indiana. The Dec. 9 groundbreaking of the giant Hoosier cabinet kicks off the *150th anniversary celebration in 2026 of the manufacturer, owned by the Mast family.

The project is a joint effort between Coppes Napanee Cabinet Co., the "nation's longest continuous production" kitchen cabinet manufacturer, Coppes Commons, the original factory which now houses retail spaces, and the Coppes Legacy Museum. 

When finished, the a stucco-like cabinet structure, will be 30 feet high by 20 feet wide by 10 feet deep. The brick and concrete “Coppes Napanee Dutch Kitchenet" [sic] will consist of a 12-foot by 38-foot brick structure, using 15,000 bricks that echo the architecture of the original 1800s building. The structure is scheduled to be completed by second quarter of 2026.

Visitors will access the countertop from a stairway inside the supporting building, noted Richard Pletcher, liaison and consultant on the project. Access to the countertop will provide an Instagram-worthy photo-op and stage for entertainment and additional events throughout the year.

According to Pletcher, the cabinet is a replica of the 1921 Dutch Kitchenet, which was featured in Harrison Emerson’s “scientific” study for the purpose of making the American housewives’ time spent in the kitchen less burdensome. The study was commissioned by Herbert Hoover, then Secretary of Commerce. Emmerson concluded if the American housewife owned a “Coppes Napanee Dutch Kitchenet” she would save 1,592 steps every day. Demand soared and Coppes shipped 50,000 Dutch Kitchenets in a single year.

"The World's Largest Hoosier Kitchen Cabinet is a testament to the company's national and local impact on the kitchen industry and town's prosperity," Pletcher said. In 1876 teenagers Frank and John Coppes became partners in their uncle’s sawmill. "Through their sawmill, box factory, furniture manufacturer, and developers of the town's first mill, bank, and luxury hotel, the economic driver of the town's unprecedented early growth." After merging with the Nappanee Furniture Co., created by P. C. Stahly, "Coppes created kitchen tables and shelves that soon evolved into the famous Hoosier style cabinets," he added. (The generic name "Hoosier cabinet" came from the Hoosier Manufacturing Co. of New Castle, Indiana.) 

The project is being created in partnership with the Coppes entities, the Nappanee Public Library’s ELC Heritage Collection, Stillson Studio, and the Nappanee Development Corporation, and the Redevelopment Commission, City of Nappanee.

The Masts are initiating the steps necessary to include the project in the “Guinness Book of World Records” and are engaging consultancy services of Guiness’s creative team to guide them in the necessary requirements for inclusion in the book. They are also taking the necessary steps for inclusion in America's Roadside Attractions; Nappanee also has its Cartoon Alley included in this listing.

*Related article to come on Coppes Napanee Cabinet's 150th anniversary celebration.