1920s: Houdini, Flappers and Window Awnings?
Who knew that these little window canopies were all the rage in Bed Stuy back in the 1920s? (This shot is from Herkimer Street.) We certainly didn’t. One occasionally sees metal versions of these over some brownstone doorways, but those probably date only as far back as the 1970s, we’d imagine. Anyone know anything about…
Who knew that these little window canopies were all the rage in Bed Stuy back in the 1920s? (This shot is from Herkimer Street.) We certainly didn’t. One occasionally sees metal versions of these over some brownstone doorways, but those probably date only as far back as the 1970s, we’d imagine. Anyone know anything about this curious craze? Perhaps it was a utilitarian move to keep sunlight out in the days before air conditioning. Photo from “Brooklyn…And How It Got That Way” by David W. McCullough.
Serge;
You are incorrect: canvas awnings were not a status symbol. If you look at photos from that era of more modest areas, such as the wooden clapboard homes of Greenpoint, you will see that they also utilized canvas awnings. Look at the photos in “Old Brooklyn” published by the Brooklyn Historical Society.
You are correct, however, that anyone who could afford it beat the heat by vacating to their summer residence.
Serge;
You are incorrect: canvas awnings were not a status symbol. If you look at photos from that era of more modest areas, such as the wooden clapboard homes of Greenpoint, you will see that they also utilized awanings. Look at the photos in “Old Brooklyn” published by the Brooklyn Historical Society.
You are correct, however, that anyone who could afford it beat the heat by vacating to their summer residence.
I think they helped cut down on solar gain but they were also status symbols.
People with awnings were telling the world that there were precious things inside -such as persian carpets, and heavy dark furniture- that had to be protected from the sun in order to maintain their proper gloominess.
Awnings did not do much about the humidity though. The real sign of class in those days was to get the heck out of Dodge all summer long.
Canvas awnings were ubiquitous in Victorian Flatbush. There is a house on Rugby, b/w Beverley and Courtelyou (the one with the onion dome and arched porch) which currently has canvas awnings, I would think no too unlike the type found out here at the turn of the last century.
i think, in general it would be nice…even in the lovely brownstone neighborhoods of brooklyn that residential homeowners as well as commercial shops take more pride in their buildings. i oftentimes walk down 7th avenue and wonder why such and such business doesn’t update their awning or give their place a fresh coat of paint, etc. it really makes all the difference in the world.
A pretty sure fire way to keep your home cool in the summer is to open the windows wide at night and then, early in the morning, close them tight and put down shades or blinds to keep the sun out. This works quite well except during those few very hot weeks when the temperature stays high even at night. These awnings would probably be even better because they keep the sun off your windows altogether. I’m a little surprised that your surprised by them.
It would do us well to bring back some of the low tech ways of living. Aside from the intial costs of the awnings, dropping the temp in your house by 10 degrees or so FOR FREE! in the summer would save money and energy. Think of the lower Con Ed bills, and saving energy and the planet. I’m surprised more environmentalists haven’t been pushing the use of awnings. There are still companies that make them. I’m sure commercial companies that make store awnings could be persuaded, if the market was there.
They still make sense – you can save a lot of $$ on the AC bill by installing awnings or solar shades.
If you look at old photos, you’ll also see that many stores had awnings that extended out to the curb line.
I grew up in suburban Pittsburgh and I remember seeing big old brick and stone houses (a great aunt had one) with beautiful heavy canvas awnings (stripes were popular — deep crimson or dark green with ivory). They really did keep the house cool in summer. I would love to see them come back!