Idlewyld

capitalnewyork:

meredithmo:

Don’t know what these are called but they’re all over the streets of SoHo. And apparently one corner in Tribeca. (Taken with Instagram at Tribeca, NYC)

They’re called Sidewalk Vault Lights (via Preservapedia!):

Beginning in the 1850s, sidewalk vault lights became a common feature amidst the burgeoning manufacturing districts of America’s urban streetscapes. These cast-iron panels, fitted with clear glass lenses, were set into the sidewalk in front of building storefronts. They permitted daylight to reach otherwise dark basements (or “vaults”) that extended out beneath the sidewalks, creating more useable or rentable space for building owners.

Vault lights typically extended four to five feet out from the building line toward the curb. Each panel was screwed to a cast-iron saddle and the iron framework that spanned the basement vault. They were cast with molded iron knobs set around each lens to protect the glass and improve the footing of passers-by. Originally simple glass lenses were set in the panels, usually with a cement grout. Advances in daylighting technology including the development of prismatic glass pendants that refracted the sun’s rays further into basement areas, and the use of reinforced concrete panels made vault lights popular through the 1930s.

Here’s a photo of those guys in Tribeca.

Also, here is a fascinating article about what’s underneath our feet as we walk these aging New York sidewalls, and some of the engineering challenges there.