What to Do About Kitchen Monolith?

Q: I bought a beautiful, mint-condition 1968 deckhouse. Nearly all of the decor is original, right down to the ’60s-style monolith in the center of the kitchen [photo below]. The kitchen is really quite a good size, but with the full fridge-height monolith in the center, it feels quite closed off…

I plan on keeping all of the beautiful original wood cabinets, just refinishing them as needed, or by attrition.

I think that by swapping the monolith out for a island where 1-2 people could sit and chat while someone else is cooking would really open the space up. So here is my question: do I pull out the beautiful wood monolith and try to reuse the cabinets later, replacing with a brand new island? Or do I cut the whole shebang down to counter height and reuse what is there?

Also, if I pull the monolith out intact, I don’t have anywhere else to reuse it… It would probably just go in the garage. -Sent by Jessica

Editor: What an amazing house! I especially love the ceiling and the lights. Readers, what should Jessica do about the MONOLITH, which surely should be all-caps? Should it be kept, altered, or removed altogether? And if you advise getting rid of it, any suggestions for how such a unique piece could be used elsewhere?

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