Big metal S's on old stone/brick buildings... (floors, ceiling, chimney)
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Right now all I can visualize is a big building with a big red cape and a "S" emblazoned on it, towering over smaller buildings, and standing for truth, justice, and the American way.
I thought you were referring to the stabilizing poles that have had to be used in homes - both here and in Europe. They are attached w/ a decorative metal piece on the outside. ????
In Charleston, these poles were attached to stabilize after the large earthquake that shook the place up, LOL. (1886).
I thought the big S type things were for the same reason - to stabilize old chimneys.
Last edited by brokensky; 09-09-2008 at 01:01 PM..
Reason: added date of earthquake
I am a career firefighter/paramedic and I remember them teaching this to us in the academy when I went through it. That building you refer to has a decorative "S". There are actually many different designs, most of them though happen to be stars. The stars are, indeed, the ends of supportive struts, called “tie-rods.” They generally look like stars, however this is less a decorative trait and more just how they’re shaped. In the early 19th Century, most buildings were wood-framed. As structures were built higher and higher, engineers found that supports were needed. Metal struts were imbedded in the wooden-frames and “tied” on the exterior of the brick exteriors. The tie-rods acted as a sort of corset, holding the building together by tying the wood frame and floors to the masonry and brick. The prevalence of these tie-rods in seaport areas is because many buildings were warehouses that needed to support heavy materials.
The tie-rods often go completely through a building, hidden in a wall or ceiling, The rods are cut and threaded so that the turnbuckle has several inches to a foot or so of slack. It is then turned, drawing the tie rods together to the proper distance/tension to provide support that eliminates or prevents buckling of the walls.
heydade got it right. The S or stars are the load spreading ends of the reinforcing tension rods across the buildings. They were frequently part of a truss system supporting the second floor of a ware house to allow a longer span over the first floor or greater loads.
cool! thanks folks! I didnt realize they sometimes meant something. The picture I posted was from some random place in France from Google Earth...so maybe the Norman house needed support...
Yes, the iron "S" & "X" bars seen on the outside of French homes are tie-bar ends used to stabilize walls. If you look at Jack Arnold's designs he incorporates the tie-bars in his homes to help them appear as authentic French architecture & as stabilization. For years I wondered what they were on European homes & buildings. They didn't appear decorative as they weren't placed in areas that would serve as exterior decor. It took years to find out what they were as there is very little on the Internet about them. Hopes this helps others who have wondered the same thing.
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