'Porthole' Lamps
Posted: March 18th, 2015, 11:57 am
While taking in yesterday's St Paddy's Parade in downtown, I was reacquainted with a mystery I'd once sought answers for.
On numerous buildings in downtown STP, there are what I'll call 'portholes', both surface-mounted and recessed into facades. They're round, ofte connected to conduit and appear to be made from aluminum. Occasionally they even have a new sodium halide box lamp mounted over them. The Woolworth's 'portholes' are interesting because three of four are in a nice line, then the one to the rear on Minnesota rises up several feet to match the grade change. This also occurs at the PiPress Building. Looks like some sort of modern postwar street lighting project from the 1950s. Anyone know the history? Were they effective? Any other cities do this or is this a St Paul original?
Some locations:
'The Buttery' at 6th & Robert
https://goo.gl/maps/xZ0yP
Former Woolworth's at 4th & Minnesota
https://goo.gl/maps/HT239
And on the Golden Rule
https://goo.gl/maps/aBrWx
And the Pioneer Press
https://goo.gl/maps/9c4Cf
More on robert
https://goo.gl/maps/IUSZN
Ramp at 4th & Wabasha
https://goo.gl/maps/PY0wj
AND vintage:
This one shows them with the lenses, and two other kinds of streetlighting:
Here they're mounted on a two story sign for a one story corner:
Here are some lit (!) at Robert & 7th:
On numerous buildings in downtown STP, there are what I'll call 'portholes', both surface-mounted and recessed into facades. They're round, ofte connected to conduit and appear to be made from aluminum. Occasionally they even have a new sodium halide box lamp mounted over them. The Woolworth's 'portholes' are interesting because three of four are in a nice line, then the one to the rear on Minnesota rises up several feet to match the grade change. This also occurs at the PiPress Building. Looks like some sort of modern postwar street lighting project from the 1950s. Anyone know the history? Were they effective? Any other cities do this or is this a St Paul original?
Some locations:
'The Buttery' at 6th & Robert
https://goo.gl/maps/xZ0yP
Former Woolworth's at 4th & Minnesota
https://goo.gl/maps/HT239
And on the Golden Rule
https://goo.gl/maps/aBrWx
And the Pioneer Press
https://goo.gl/maps/9c4Cf
More on robert
https://goo.gl/maps/IUSZN
Ramp at 4th & Wabasha
https://goo.gl/maps/PY0wj
AND vintage:
This one shows them with the lenses, and two other kinds of streetlighting:
Here they're mounted on a two story sign for a one story corner:
Here are some lit (!) at Robert & 7th: