Saturday, September 27, 2008

Glass block hunt

Some fine results this afternoon from a lengthy ramble out Foster and Bryn Mawr, then south along Central Avenue:

Bohemian National Cemetery

4453 N. Central Avenue

N. Central Avenue at Bryn Mawr

Somewhere way out west on Belmont

Still no progress on finding out who manufactured these things, and how they wound up being so prolific throughout 1960s Chicago.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Beat me to it! I have a photo of that second yellow, blue, orange combo. Took it a few months ago. I am trying to gather up a bunch to post as well. I love these things.

ctygrl said...

Though I'm not sure who manufactured them, my father installed plenty of them. He was a brick layer / mason by trade in the late 50's & 60's. It was my understanding that people went to these to replace older windows. Many times it was for security issues or dampness in people's basements when they were used for modifications in residential applications. Often times my dad would install a louvered vent to allow air in or moisture out of a bathroom. They were often seen in shower areas of bathrooms because they allowed light and privacy at the same time. In the late 60's & 70's they were also used for decorative purposes in the foyer entries of the popular brick raised ranches & stairwells of two & three flats.