View allAll Photos Tagged fireproof
The sapper stands at the left, his head completely enclosed in the asbestos suit and his right arm bent at the elbow. He appears to be firing the lance of a static flamethrower, possibly the Tovarnitskiy trench flamethrower.
Operated by a nine-man squad, the Tovarnitskiy used a lance that was mounted on a pintle in the ground and swiveled from side to side.
Past Restoration Projects
1996 Repaired and relamped lobby chandeliers
1997 Restored marquee to historic color scheme and relit neon blade sign
2000 Re-created missing glass "lounge" sign and aisle light indicators in lobby
2003 Fireproofed curtains and made wiring repairs on stage to increase fire safety
2005 Repaired existing aisle lights, identified and halted leak causing major damage to upstairs lobby ceiling
2006 Repaired movie projector, new sound system partially installed as of April, 2006
By Hans Gehrke, 1914. Published in House Beautiful Magazine that year.
Nice big corner lot on Arden Park in Detroit, but in foreclusure and a bit lost these days.
Original photos can be found in "House Beautiful" 1914, and here www.detroityes.com/mb/showthread.php?8124-If-You-Could-Ow...
The National @ Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD, on Thursday, June 6, 2013.
Trouble Will Find Me Setlist:
Don't Swallow the Cap
Bloodbuzz Ohio
Sea of Love
Sorrow
Demons
Heavenfaced
Secret Meeting
Afraid of Everyone
Conversation 16
Squalor Victoria
I Need My Girl
This is the Last Time
Abel
Apartment Story
Pink Rabbits
England
Graceless
Humiliation
Fake Empire
Encore:
I Should Live In Salt
Fireproof
Mr. November
Terrible Love
Vanderlyle Crybaby Geeks (Acoustic)
Stone Creations of Long Island Pavers and Masonry specializes in masonry design and outdoor living, serving communities all across Long Island, Queens and Brooklyn in all aspects of home improvement and repair. From custom brickwork and pavers to asphalt and concrete, Stone Creations of Long Island provides free estimates at your home or business seven days a week. With experienced employees, and a knowledgeable staff, Stone Creations of Long Island knows your home is your greatest investment and choosing the right masonry team to protect and enhance that investment is important. For any inquiries, we look forward to your questions and helping on your next home improvement or commercial project of any scale.
Paul Saladino
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Minton Tiles
The richly patterned and colored Minton tile floors are one of the most striking features of the extensions of the United States Capitol. They were first installed in 1856, when Thomas U. Walter was engaged in the design and construction of vast additions to the Capitol (1851-1865). For the floors in his extensions, Walter chose encaustic tile for its beauty, durability and sophistication.
•Artist: Minton, Hollins and Company
•Date: Installed in 1856
One striking example of the contrast between the interiors of the Old Capitol (finished in 1826) and the extensions (begun in 1851) may be seen in the differences in flooring materials. In the Old Capitol, stone pavers were used in corridors and other public spaces, such as the Rotunda and Crypt, while brick was used to floor committee rooms and offices. These materials, although durable and fireproof, would have looked plain and old-fashioned to the Victorian eye. In the mid-19th century, encaustic tile flooring was considered the most suitable and beautiful material for high-traffic areas. Unlike ordinary glazed tile, the pattern in encaustic tile is made of colored clays inlaid or imbedded in the clay ground. Because the color is part of the fabric of the encaustic tile, it will retain its beauty after years of wear. One observer noted:
“The indestructibility of tiles may be judged from the fact that the excavations at Pompeii have unearthed apartments where painted tiles are just as beautiful, the colors as fresh and bright as... when the fated city was in all its glory.”
Two types of tile were used at the U.S. Capitol: plain and inlaid encaustic tiles in a range of colors. Plain tiles were used as borders for the elaborate inlaid designs or to pave large corridor areas. They were available in seven colors: buff, red, black, drab, chocolate, light blue and white. Additional colors, such as cobalt blue, blue-gray, and light and dark green, appear in the inlaid encaustic tiles that form the elaborate centerpieces and architectural borders. They were made by “filling indentations in the unburnt tile with the desired colors and burning the whole together.”
The patterns and designs formed in the inlaid tiles were limited only by taste and imagination. They include geometric patterns such as the Greek key, guilloche, and basket weave; floral designs such as the fleur-de-lis; and figures such as dolphins and classical heads. Few of the patterns are repeated. Although most of the tiles are six-by-six-inch squares, some are round, triangular or pie-shaped. Approximately 1,000 different tile patterns are used in the corridors of the Capitol alone, and up to 100 different tiles may be needed to create a single design.
The original encaustic tiles in the Capitol extensions were manufactured at Stoke-upon-Trent in Staffordshire, England, by Minton, Hollins and Company. The firm’s patented tiles had won numerous gold medals at international exhibitions and were considered the best tiles made. In 1876, having seen Minton’s large display at the Centennial Exhibition in Philadelphia, one critic wrote, “Messr. Minton shone superior to all exhibits of the sort… and may be cited as showing the highest results in tile-pottery achieved by modern skill and research.”
Beginning in 1856, and continuing for five years, the tile was installed by the import firm of Miller and Coates of New York City. For the journey from New York to Washington, the tiles were packed in wooden casks weighing about 1100 pounds; each cask contained enough tiles to pave about 100 square feet. The cost of the tile ranged from $0.68 to $2.03 per square foot.
Thomas U. Walter had every reason to believe that the encaustic tile floors would last as long as his extensions stood. One visitor noted in 1859 that the tile floors vied with the beauty of marble and surpassed it in durability. While perhaps valid for other installations, however, this prediction proved overly optimistic for the Capitol Building. By 1924, the Minton tile was removed from the corridors in the first and second floors of the House Wing and replaced by “marble tile in patterns of a simple order.” In that day, marble was selected for its superior durability and because suitable replacement tile was difficult to find.
In the 1970s, however, a similar condition prompted a very different response. In 1972, a search was undertaken to determine a source of similar tiles in order to restore the original appearance of the building. Inquiries were made of all major American tile manufacturers, the American Ceramic Tile Manufacturers Association, and even Mexican and Spanish tile suppliers. Although the colors and designs could be reproduced relatively easily, the patterns would quickly wear because they would be applied to the surface. The “inlaid” feature of the encaustic tiles, i.e., the approximately 1/8-inch thickness of the pattern and color, is the characteristic that enables the Minton tiles to be walked upon for over 100 years without signs of wear. It was this technique that formed the basic difficulty of manufacture.
Finally, as a result of the Capitol’s needs becoming generally known, the Architect of the Capitol was placed in contact with H & R Johnson Tiles Ltd., located at Stoke-on-Trent, England. It was discovered that that firm was a successor company to the Minton Tile Co. and had even retained many of the original hand tools and forms in a private museum at the company’s manufacturing site.
Contact was then made with Mr. James Ellis, the Directing Architect of Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings for the Crown. He had been trying for many years to establish a program for the replacement of the worn Minton tiles at the Houses of Parliament but had more or less given up the attempt because of H & R Johnson’s continued unwillingness to revive the encaustic tile process. However, the restoration work at the Arts and Industries Building of the Smithsonian Institution was in process at about the time the needs of the Capitol became known; it thus appeared that a market for such tiles was developing to the degree that the manufacturer began to reconsider its prior position. The company thus began the experiments that finally led to the present availability, after many decades, of the original Minton-type tiles.
Because the tiles in the Capitol are more decorative and have more complicated designs and color combinations than those in either the Houses of Parliament or the Smithsonian, those institutions were able to obtain replacement tiles sooner than the Capitol. The lessons learned in the manufacture of the simpler tiles served as a basis for filling the later needs.
Color photographs and full-sized drawings of the many required patterns were made and recorded, and many developmental submissions were made as the hand-made manufacturing process was re-developed. Finally, in 1986, the first acceptable tiles were delivered. The installation process was accomplished with modern cement adhesives and has yielded excellent results.
The program enabled the original tiles to be replaced with exact replicas. This project began on the first floor of the Senate wing, where the effects of 130 years of wear and tear were most noticeable. Replacement tile was closely scrutinized to ensure fidelity to the nineteenth-century originals. While difficult and slow, this process is the only fitting response to the history of the Capitol extensions, not only to restore the original beauty and elegance of these unique floors, but also to provide for their continuing attractiveness for the foreseeable future.
At the turn of the 20th century, industrial manufacturing was expanding dramatically while factory buildings remained fire-prone relics of an earlier age. That is, until a 28-year-old civil engineer finally achieved what engineers around the world had unsuccessfully attempted. Working in his brother’s basement in Detroit, Julius Kahn invented the first practical and scientific method of reinforcing concrete with steel bars, which finally made it possible to construct strong, fireproof buildings. After Kahn founded a company in 1903 to manufacture and sell his reinforcement bars, his system of construction became the most widely used throughout the world.
Available at a discount when ordered from the University of Michigan Press website with the discount code UMF24: press.umich.edu/Books/C/Concrete-Century
You are invited to join the book launch at Detroit's Fisher Building on October 5. Details here: albertkahnlegacy.org/events/save-the-date-concrete-centur...
Hillside Hotel
The formal opening of Dr. George E. Denny's new Hillside Hotel took place on June 10, 1924. The main entrance opened into a beautifully furnished lounge. The bedrooms were equipped in "the most modern way and complete in every detail." The dining room had the capacity to care for 200 people. There was a solarium on the first floor. The building was described as "near as fireproof as possible." The exterior of the building was of stucco with varied-colored bit of glass and wide piazzas with command of an excellent view. Edward Pierre of Indianapolis was the architect, the furniture was from Albert Pick and Company of Chicago along with George C. Vail and Sons of Madison, the plumbing was done by W. C. Niesse, the wiring by James Garber, brick work by Peter Stephanus and Sons, the painting was handled by James Peddie and the carpeting and blinds were from N. Horuff and Sons. Mr. Louis Sailor was the general superintendent of the work. Miss Edna Beckett was in general command of the hotel while Frank Denny, brother of Dr. Denny, was in charge of the office. In 1928 it was announced by Dr. Denny in the local paper that he planned to expand and enlarge the hotel almost to double its present capacity and, perhaps, add an elevator. In the 1940's a postcard with a picture of the hotel on one side and room rates on the other boasts of "40 modern rooms" and "excellent food." The rooms rented for $2.25 to $2.50 a night and lunch and dinner were $.50 to $.85. At this time it was under the management of J. E. and L. C. Lucht. The Luchts bought the hotel in 1945 and operated it until 1981. On December 15, 1964 a fire took the building and the life of Richard Brown. Thirty-three other patrons escaped the inferno. It was determined the fire started in Mr. Brown's room. In February, 1965, John and Lydia Lucht announced they would build a new hotel. Construction began that summer and the new hotel opened in the summer of 1966.
circa 1927
Italian flamethrower sapper at the training ground in Risano. He is armed with an Italian Schilt No. 3 bis, built under license by the Bergomi Society of Milan. Unusually, the lance is upside down. Note the white smoke emitted by the fuse in the nozzle.
From 1916 to early 1918, the nine flamethrower companies were armed with either static flamethrowers, medium semi-portable flamethrowers, or portable flamethrowers.
Beginning in May of 1917 portable flamethrower sections were formed, to be attached to each regiment of infantry, Bersaglieri, and grenadiers, as well as each battalion of Alpini and each assault unit.
By the end of the war there was a total of 361 portable-flamethrower sections; nine flamethrower companies armed only with static weapons; and four independent flamethrower sections armed with static weapons.
This sapper wears a fireproof suit based on the British and Russian models.
A distinctive address. 5 blocks from leading department stores and restaurants. Fireproof. Soundproof. 24 hour switchboard.
Another great fireproof warehouse/storage building seen on this walk on all of Madison Street in Chicago
Small cameras are encased in fireproof housings give the team a closer look at how fire shelters react to high intensity flames. These cameras placed in and around the fire shelters serve as another source of data collection. (USDA Forest Service photo by Andrew Avitt)
The fireproof drunk man came to help us out. He got a grill from his barbecue, and we got a metal pole to support it. It cooked the rice pretty well, but it was a nightmare to get the pan out.
China and Asia is the biggest window, door and curtain wall producer and user. High-rise buildings & ultra-high-rise buildings at home and abroad, public housing project, tourist real estate, commercial real estate and urban-rural integration project bring such a strong market demand for aluminum window, door and curtain wall industry.
The safety of aluminum window, door and curtain wall has been drawing more attention since the Shanghai Mansion glass self-explosion event and CCTV blaze event. On Expo 2013, special construction glass, fireproof door, window and curtain wall materials were displayed.
Pyrobar was a fireproof gypsum (calcium sulfate) material manufactured by the U.S. Gypsum Company and used in construction in the early 20th century. From www.workshopoftheworld.com/southwest_phila/us_gypsum.html: "Gypsum is such a versatile substance because it can be ground into powder , molded into the desired shape, and be returned to its original rock-like hardness simply by adding water. The gypsum is first calcined to drive off water molecules that are part of the compound, forming plaster. This plaster is mixed with water and additives to form slurry. This slurry is sandwiched between sheets of heavy paper to form the gypsum board, which is then cut to the proper shape, dried in a heater and prepared for shipping."
Washburne Trade School, Chicago
These photos were submitted to Buffalo's Common Council in June 2018 as part of a local landmarking application.
The Wonder Bread Factory, 356 Fougeron Street, is an industrial bakery built from 1914 to 1915 and designed by architect and engineer Corry B. Comstock. The plant, closed in 2004, is associated with Ward & Ward Incorporated and the Continental Baking Company, maker of iconic American products Wonder Bread and Hostess Cakes. An icon of the Buffalo Belt Line, the Wonder Bread Factory is an excellent example of restrained classicism applied to early twentieth century fireproof factory architecture, embodying what architectural historian Betsy Hunter Bradley identified as an industrial ideal of "beauty based on function, utility, and process."
Contact me for online and print use. Archival 8x10 prints are also available. davidtorke@gmail.com
See this flickr set for Wonder Bread interior photos.
The National Bulding Museum was originally built in 1887 to house the Pension Bureau. It was constructed out of 15 million fireproof bricks to protect hundreds of thousands of Civil War veterans' pension records. Its interior atrium is as large as a football field and was designed to maximize interior air circulation before the invention of air conditioning.
Ward worked in collaboration with architect Robert Mook over three years to build the house. His goal was not only to build a house for himself, but that it be effectively fireproof. It was made entirely of Portland cement and light iron I-beams and rods, even in the roof. Wood was only used for door and window frames and their decorative trim. Ward's mother also had a fear of fire, which contributed to his desire to construct a fireproof residence.
Mook contributed a design in keeping with the tastes of the time. The main block and its mansard roof are in high Second Empire architectural style, and the more Gothic tower allows for panoramic views over Long Island Sound. The other tower is a water tower, meant to offer additional fire protection as well as a drinking supply. The architect and engineer left the concrete unfinished to better display it.
Architectural publications carried articles about the house as early as year before construction was finished. Its completion in 1876 prompted even longer articles, and mentions in overseas publications. Seven years later, in 1883, Ward presented his own paper on the house's construction to the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.
Sometimes called the first known reinforced concrete building in the United States (although the Coignet Building in Brooklyn, New York was completed over the winter of 1872-73) critics and scholars have recognized its importance since then, calling it "one of the most remarkable achievements of building art in the century" and "a technical tour de force". Ward's neighbors were less sure, calling it "Ward's Folly" at first, certain it would collapse or otherwise be ruined, but later calling it "Ward's Castle" when it survived. It has remained mostly unaltered, save for the two modern wings, ever since.
From 1976 until 1992 the unaltered castle housed the Museum of Cartoon Art established by Mort Walker two years earlier. Walker bought the dilapidated building for $60,000. He repaired the house and ran the museum with his family. It attracted up to 75,000 visitors per year.
The Ward House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976. The following year, the structure was jointly designated as a National Historic Civil and Concrete Engineering Landmark by the American Concrete Institute and the American Society of Civil Engineers.