This afternoon while waiting for a business in the Harvester Center to open, I killed time by walking along the south side of the building looking for objects to photograph.
If you've ever looked closely at the building, there are stars bolted into the walls between the first and second stories. These, I'm sure, are not decorative, but part of the building's support structure, bolting thick wires that run from wall to wall. That's just a guess, but I've seen this kind of construction before.
Below, a "weed" (I can't identify the flower) set against a red door, and three more pictures after the jump.
That weed looks like Queen
That weed <i>looks</i> like Queen Ann's Lace, but it isn't.
It's not a weed---it's a
It's not a weed---it's a flower head of an elderberry bush, a very useful plant for food and medical usage.
Definitely elderberry...it
Definitely elderberry...it had many uses during pioneer days including spouts for maple sap since the center was easy to bore out. Even the flowers are edible, though I've never tried them. Last year, I did make a couple of quarts of Elderberry Liquour. [what they served in the movie Arsenic and Old Lace.]
Oh WOW! I remember my Aunt
Oh WOW! I remember my Aunt Jeanette had an elderberry bush in her back yard and would make pies--Uncle Hank's fav...I sure do miss them!! :-(
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[video:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=21NCH2sPlhc]
The bolts are for
The bolts are for earthquakes. I am from Charleston, SC which is on a fault line. When they had a 100 year earthquake back in 1886, many of the downtown Charleston buildings had earthquake rods/bolts installed. It prevents the structure from collapsing. You can actually turn the bolt to tighten or loosen the structure.
http://www.ccpl.org/content.asp?id=15729&catID=6045&action=detail&paren…
http://www.eas.slu.edu/Earthquake_Center/1886EQ/wjmjpgs/wjm_h26.html
http://blog.cigarfactorycharleston.com/cigar-factory-adds-additional-ea…
I've seen the same bolts
I've seen the same bolts installed in old masonry buildings in California, but given the rarity of earthquakes in this area (yesterday not withstanding), I wasn't sure that would be the same purpose here.
After earthquake standards were established in California, old masonry buildings had to be retrofitted.
These are called "through
These are called "through bolts," and the star is a decorative plate. Through bolts are generally original construction features that provide for both beam and ledger board anchoring, also prevent walls from bowing out and in the case of fire- force implosive wall failure. In some cases these are retrofitted as mentioned in the previous post.
http://faded-london.blogspot.com/2009/05/wall-braces-keeping-things-tig…
I believe that they also
I believe that they also helped steady the buildings that were so close to the railroad tracks with heavy traffic. The constant shaking and rattling back then could loosen the masonry and wood structures.
The Batavian should run a
The Batavian should run a "what IS this thing, anyway..." picture every few days. It's fun reading the posts and explanations. There's always someone who has knowledge of just about anything the Batavian could offer. On the other hand, maybe the day will come when no one has a clue. Let's have some more of these supposed unknowns.