Looks as though these might be most common in older port cities. I first saw them in Duluth (the tip of Lake Superior) but not in other cities in the region. Possibly the vault-light salesmen travelled by ship a lot!
What are those grids of glass in the sidewalk and why are they purple?
61–70 of 120 posts
Re: What are those grids of glass in the sidewalk and why are they purple?
#62> Vault lights were used to light some of New York City's first subway stations and were placed in the ground of the opulent passenger concourse in the city's original Pennsylvania Station. I will never get my head around the fact that the old Pennsylvania Station was destroyed. It must be one of the biggest mistakes in urban development of the 20th century. > Another architectural critic, Ada Louise Huxtable, wrote…
> the old Pennsylvania Station
It wasn't that old! It was only built in 1910, and using modern techniques! It wasn't an ancient monument as you probably think it was, and it was only around for a few decades.
Equivalent of a 1960s building being knocked down today.
Re: What are those grids of glass in the sidewalk and why are they purple?
#63They look like "Dinotopia" Sunstones.
Re: What are those grids of glass in the sidewalk and why are they purple?
#64The Wikipedia entry on prism lighting is... illuminating: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prism_lighting
This article is fantastic and answers a lot of questions I didn't know I had!
Re: What are those grids of glass in the sidewalk and why are they purple?
#65Perhaps the inspiration behind this? https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-23536914
The article makes it sound like he came to it separately from just playing around with light refraction in water, using an easily-available container.
Re: What are those grids of glass in the sidewalk and why are they purple?
#66This is interesting, but raises a question. The article mentions: In San Francisco, vault lights are mostly used to illuminate sub-sidewalk basements — ie. basements that extend under the sidewalk. How does this work, legally? Where I live, sidewalks are property of the city (or the HOA, in some cases), and I'd presume the same in SF. Does the title of the sidewalk-adjacent property allow you to excavate N feet beyon…
Everywhere I've lived in California, you own to the middle of the street, and the sidewalk and streets are easements. Here in Oakland, the property owner is responsible to maintain the sidewalk even.
Re: What are those grids of glass in the sidewalk and why are they purple?
#67Earlier quoted context omitted.
I think the Seattle Tour has a bunch of factoids of which each guide chooses their own subset. First time I took the tour, they mentioned that a bunch of the material for raising the streets came from San Franscisco, which had quite a thirst of lumber (and would occasionally catch fire and burn down, boosting that demand). Flat bottom boats hold a lot of bulky cargo, but they're a nightmare when empty. So on the retu…
That tour is great! I take everyone who visits seattle to it. I've had the same tour guide, and each time was different as well.
Slightly off-topic; The Seattle free walking tour (pay what you want after) is also great, epsecially for a first time visitor. My wife and I happily shelled out after the 2-hour version.
Re: What are those grids of glass in the sidewalk and why are they purple?
#68They look like "Dinotopia" Sunstones.
Or "Land of the Lost" crystals:
https://landofthelost.fandom.com/wiki/Crystals
especially as seen in matrix tables in the pylons:
Re: What are those grids of glass in the sidewalk and why are they purple?
#69I had a sail boat where the prior owner had installed 4 of these in the cabin roof. They were little domes and did a good job of lighting the cabin in the day, and marking a path at night.
I learned about these many years ago, but the whole "you can see a fire in the hold" angle never occurred to me. Accurate, useful, and macabre.
A watchman on deck could also see if a thief is rummaging around down there while the boat is in port.
Re: What are those grids of glass in the sidewalk and why are they purple?
#70Modern people accustomed to ubiquitous electrical lighting would probably think of 19th century and beyond as quite dark.
It was. Very dark. The changes brought by electric light cannot be overstated. In my lifetime, LEDs brought portable light in the outdoors from an expensive and dangerous luxury (candles, lanterns etc) to something innocuous and expected. Camping and working outdoors today is totally different than even 25 years ago.