Miscellaneous eye candy! It’s been a while since I posted random images from a road trip, so it’s high time for me to do so:
Lion’s head escutcheons decorate large eye bolts which undoubtedly once held chain to support a sidewalk canopy. A newer canopy, still in use, made them obsolete. The corner escutcheon was cut and soldered to create its shape.
Ornamental concrete block was used to create a type of cornice with a hexagonal pattern on this 1960’s fire station.
Metal siding, of random profiles and colors, are combined with rock veneer and steel roofing. The gable shows the house to have been built as an example of Folk Victorian.
A stunningly beautiful bell tower graces a late Art Deco church built in 1947.
A disused sign leans against a building adjacent to a parking lot.
A storefront remodeled in the 1970’s retains its oak slatwall and oh-so-mod ceiling light fixture.
Tires rest on an elevated concrete slab between two masonry walls.
A former dormer window is shrouded in vinyl above three small staircase windows on the side of a late Victorian-era house.
An exquisite bronze entry lockset styled in the Egyptian Revival manner graces the door to a Masonic lodge.
Here is the same hardware as seen in a 1929 Yale catalog. The knobs, apparently, were mix ‘n match! Image courtesy archive.org.
Playful openings in a pink concrete block screen wall – along with jaunty angles found in the carport and concrete sign base (foreground) enliven this 1960’s motel.
That bell tower is great! I look forward to more pics with that. The Egyptian Revival lockset is envy educing.
Glad you like the bell tower! I am going to do a post about the exterior of the church sometime soonish, but need to do some research first. It really is a beautiful structure. I like the lockset, too, and just found it in a Yale catalog – I’m posting the page below the photo I took.
Wow! That is wild. Masonic Hardware. It makes sense, there was probably a Masonic hall in almost every town. Quite a niche market!
You probably know this building, but it is one of my favorites in Chicago – the Egyptian Laquer Company. There is a great article on Chicago Patterns titled: The Portrait Artist and the Egyptian Lacquer Company. Pretty fun.
Great article! Here’s a link to it:
The Portrait Artist and the Egyptian Lacquer Company
Very cool observations; thanks for sharing!
I had no idea Masonic hardware was common enough to warrant catalog publication! I would have assumed it was a custom-order item.
And finally, blind dormers always puzzle me.
I think that Fraternal organizations were more popular back then – and they were still growing. I’ve seen similarly themed jewelry in old mail-order catalogs, also. And yes, blind dormers always baffle me as well. There are so many more attractive ways to cover an unwanted window (like closed shutters, etc.) than calling attention to its abandonment!
I enjoy your road trip observations! You have a good eye.
Masonic hardware… awesome!