I was traveling through Vermont this weekend and walked around the
pedestrian mall in downtown Burlington. One of the buildings on the mall
was the Ethan Allen Engine Company #4, as shown here. Note the concrete
sidewalk across the front of the building, which extends around all four
sides of the building. It's actually 2 -3 squares wide on the sides and
back of the building.

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps04230033.jpg

Each sidewalk square is almost 5 feet on each side. As you can see from
the images below, each square is inside of a metal frame and each square
has some sort fitting in the center of it. The fitting has an outer
circle and domed center with a hole in the middle. The top of the dome
is level with the concrete surface. Only the sidewalk squares that
surround the old firehouse have the frames and fittings. They butt up
against the sidewalk squares that surround the City Hall next door and a
sidewalk through City Hall Park behind it. Those sidewalk squares are a
different size and have no frame or fitting. They appear to have been
poured at a different time.

The fittings were filled with dirt and slush and it was too darn cold
for me to start digging around to clean one out for a better look.

Here's the fitting, with my sneaker nearby for size comparison:

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...9317653551.jpg

Here's a couple of images of the metal frame around each section:

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...9317718938.jpg

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...9317823080.jpg

Anybody know the purpose of these frames and fittings? Could the fitting
be for some sort of "mud jacking" to keep the square level? Could they
just be a design feature?

Does that fact that these fittings are only found around the fire house
have anything to do with it or was that just some old time contractor's
way of building sidewalks?

On 1/27/2013 4:33 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I was traveling through Vermont this weekend and walked around the
pedestrian mall in downtown Burlington. One of the buildings on the mall
was the Ethan Allen Engine Company #4, as shown here. Note the concrete
sidewalk across the front of the building, which extends around all four
sides of the building. It's actually 2 -3 squares wide on the sides and
back of the building.

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps04230033.jpg


Each sidewalk square is almost 5 feet on each side. As you can see from
the images below, each square is inside of a metal frame and each square
has some sort fitting in the center of it. The fitting has an outer
circle and domed center with a hole in the middle. The top of the dome
is level with the concrete surface. Only the sidewalk squares that
surround the old firehouse have the frames and fittings. They butt up
against the sidewalk squares that surround the City Hall next door and a
sidewalk through City Hall Park behind it. Those sidewalk squares are a
different size and have no frame or fitting. They appear to have been
poured at a different time.

The fittings were filled with dirt and slush and it was too darn cold
for me to start digging around to clean one out for a better look.

Here's the fitting, with my sneaker nearby for size comparison:

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...9317653551.jpg


Here's a couple of images of the metal frame around each section:

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...9317718938.jpg


http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...9317823080.jpg


Anybody know the purpose of these frames and fittings? Could the fitting
be for some sort of "mud jacking" to keep the square level? Could they
just be a design feature?

Does that fact that these fittings are only found around the fire house
have anything to do with it or was that just some old time contractor's
way of building sidewalks?


Perhaps the squares were prefabbed and the fitting was where a lifting
eye was screwed in? Perhaps they were constructed so they can be lifted
out for access to what may be underneath? ^_^

TDD

On Sun, 27 Jan 2013 17:33:38 -0500, DerbyDad03
wrote:

I was traveling through Vermont this weekend and walked around the
pedestrian mall in downtown Burlington. One of the buildings on the mall
was the Ethan Allen Engine Company #4, as shown here. Note the concrete
sidewalk across the front of the building, which extends around all four
sides of the building. It's actually 2 -3 squares wide on the sides and
back of the building.

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps04230033.jpg

Each sidewalk square is almost 5 feet on each side. As you can see from
the images below, each square is inside of a metal frame and each square
has some sort fitting in the center of it. The fitting has an outer
circle and domed center with a hole in the middle. The top of the dome
is level with the concrete surface. Only the sidewalk squares that
surround the old firehouse have the frames and fittings.

Does that fact that these fittings are only found around the fire house
have anything to do with it or was that just some old time contractor's
way of building sidewalks?

I've seen frames like that on very old sidewalks. I'm thinking they
went back about 100 years or so as they were in old sections of
Philadelphia where I lived the first half of my life. I think that
type of layout was used in the early years either because it was
needed, or just because it was fancy. From memory, it was in the
"better" parts of the city that had them.

As for fittings, it was common to have access for water, gas, phone
connections and shutoffs,but it was not one per square.

The Daring Dufas wrote:
On 1/27/2013 4:33 PM, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I was traveling through Vermont this weekend and walked around the
pedestrian mall in downtown Burlington. One of the buildings on the mall
was the Ethan Allen Engine Company #4, as shown here. Note the concrete
sidewalk across the front of the building, which extends around all four
sides of the building. It's actually 2 -3 squares wide on the sides and
back of the building.

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps04230033.jpg


Each sidewalk square is almost 5 feet on each side. As you can see from
the images below, each square is inside of a metal frame and each square
has some sort fitting in the center of it. The fitting has an outer
circle and domed center with a hole in the middle. The top of the dome
is level with the concrete surface. Only the sidewalk squares that
surround the old firehouse have the frames and fittings. They butt up
against the sidewalk squares that surround the City Hall next door and a
sidewalk through City Hall Park behind it. Those sidewalk squares are a
different size and have no frame or fitting. They appear to have been
poured at a different time.

The fittings were filled with dirt and slush and it was too darn cold
for me to start digging around to clean one out for a better look.

Here's the fitting, with my sneaker nearby for size comparison:

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...9317653551.jpg


Here's a couple of images of the metal frame around each section:

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...9317718938.jpg


http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...9317823080.jpg


Anybody know the purpose of these frames and fittings? Could the fitting
be for some sort of "mud jacking" to keep the square level? Could they
just be a design feature?

Does that fact that these fittings are only found around the fire house
have anything to do with it or was that just some old time contractor's
way of building sidewalks?


Perhaps the squares were prefabbed and the fitting was where a lifting
eye was screwed in? Perhaps they were constructed so they can be lifted
out for access to what may be underneath? ^_^

TDD

That was one of the many things I considered.

As I mentioned, I only noticed these squares around the firehouse. If I
don't get an answer here, I may do a little research about the history of
downtown Burlington.

I was traveling through Vermont this weekend and walked around the
pedestrian mall in downtown Burlington. One of the buildings on the mall
was the Ethan Allen Engine Company #4, as shown here. Note the concrete
sidewalk across the front of the building, which extends around all four
sides of the building. It's actually 2 -3 squares wide on the sides and
back of the building.

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps04230033.jpg

Each sidewalk square is almost 5 feet on each side. As you can see from
the images below, each square is inside of a metal frame and each square
has some sort fitting in the center of it. The fitting has an outer circle
and domed center with a hole in the middle. The top of the dome is level
with the concrete surface. Only the sidewalk squares that surround the old
firehouse have the frames and fittings. They butt up against the sidewalk
squares that surround the City Hall next door and a sidewalk through City
Hall Park behind it. Those sidewalk squares are a different size and have
no frame or fitting. They appear to have been poured at a different time.

The fittings were filled with dirt and slush and it was too darn cold for
me to start digging around to clean one out for a better look.

Here's the fitting, with my sneaker nearby for size comparison:

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...9317653551.jpg

Here's a couple of images of the metal frame around each section:

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...9317718938.jpg

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...9317823080.jpg

Anybody know the purpose of these frames and fittings? Could the fitting
be for some sort of "mud jacking" to keep the square level? Could they
just be a design feature?

Does that fact that these fittings are only found around the fire house
have anything to do with it or was that just some old time contractor's
way of building sidewalks?


*To me the fittings look like some sort of spray head like an irrigation
fitting. A thought occurred to me that maybe they were used to wash down
the sidewalks to get rid of horse manure. Old fire trucks were horse drawn
at one time.

"John Grabowski" wrote:
I was traveling through Vermont this weekend and walked around the
pedestrian mall in downtown Burlington. One of the buildings on the
mall was the Ethan Allen Engine Company #4, as shown here. Note the
concrete sidewalk across the front of the building, which extends
around all four sides of the building. It's actually 2 -3 squares wide
on the sides and back of the building.

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps04230033.jpg

Each sidewalk square is almost 5 feet on each side. As you can see from
the images below, each square is inside of a metal frame and each
square has some sort fitting in the center of it. The fitting has an
outer circle and domed center with a hole in the middle. The top of
the dome is level with the concrete surface. Only the sidewalk
squares that surround the old firehouse have the frames and fittings.
They butt up against the sidewalk squares that surround the City Hall
next door and a sidewalk through City Hall Park behind it. Those
sidewalk squares are a different size and have no frame or fitting.
They appear to have been poured at a different time.

The fittings were filled with dirt and slush and it was too darn cold
for me to start digging around to clean one out for a better look.

Here's the fitting, with my sneaker nearby for size comparison:

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...9317653551.jpg

Here's a couple of images of the metal frame around each section:

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...9317718938.jpg

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...9317823080.jpg

Anybody know the purpose of these frames and fittings? Could the fitting
be for some sort of "mud jacking" to keep the square level? Could they
just be a design feature?

Does that fact that these fittings are only found around the fire house
have anything to do with it or was that just some old time
contractor's way of building sidewalks?


*To me the fittings look like some sort of spray head like an irrigation
fitting. A thought occurred to me that maybe they were used to wash down
the sidewalks to get rid of horse manure. Old fire trucks were horse drawn at one time.

Possible, but when I imagine a sprinkler, I imagine water that sprays up
and comes down. In other words, no "washing" action like you would get from
a hose spraying sideways across the sidewalks.

Sprinklers would just get the manure all wet. Nasty!

On Jan 27, 10:33*pm, DerbyDad03 wrote:
I was traveling through Vermont this weekend and walked around the
pedestrian mall in downtown Burlington. One of the buildings on the mall
was the Ethan Allen Engine Company #4, as shown here. Note the concrete
sidewalk across the front of the building, which extends around all four
sides of the building. It's actually 2 -3 squares wide on the sides and
back of the building.

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...anAllenEngineC...

Each sidewalk square is almost 5 feet on each side. As you can see from
the images below, each square is inside of a metal frame and each square
has some sort fitting in the center of it. The fitting has an outer
circle and domed center with a hole in the middle. The top of the dome
is level with the concrete surface. Only the sidewalk squares that
surround the old firehouse have the frames and fittings. They butt up
against the sidewalk squares that surround the City Hall next door and a
sidewalk through City Hall Park behind it. Those sidewalk squares are a
different size and have no frame or fitting. They appear to have been
poured at a different time.

The fittings were filled with dirt and slush and it was too darn cold
for me to start digging around to clean one out for a better look.

Here's the fitting, with my sneaker nearby for size comparison:

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...tobucket-28189...

Here's a couple of images of the metal frame around each section:

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...tobucket-38794...

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...tobucket-3222-...

Anybody know the purpose of these frames and fittings? Could the fitting
be for some sort of "mud jacking" to keep the square level? Could they
just be a design feature?

Does that fact that these fittings are only found around the fire house
have anything to do with it or was that just some old time contractor's
way of building sidewalks?

It looks like a tool is meant to be inserted so the paviours can be
raised. I suppose there must be pipes/cables beneath.

On Jan 28, 12:57*am, "John Grabowski" wrote:
I was traveling through Vermont this weekend and walked around the
pedestrian mall in downtown Burlington. One of the buildings on the mall
was the Ethan Allen Engine Company #4, as shown here. Note the concrete
sidewalk across the front of the building, which extends around all four
sides of the building. It's actually 2 -3 squares wide on the sides and
back of the building.

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...anAllenEngineC...

Each sidewalk square is almost 5 feet on each side. As you can see from
the images below, each square is inside of a metal frame and each square
has some sort fitting in the center of it. The fitting has an outer circle
and domed center with a hole in the middle. The top of the dome is level
with the concrete surface. Only the sidewalk squares that surround the old
firehouse have the frames and fittings. They butt up against the sidewalk
squares that surround the City Hall next door and a sidewalk through City
Hall Park behind it. Those sidewalk squares are a different size and have
no frame or fitting. They appear to have been poured at a different time.

The fittings were filled with dirt and slush and it was too darn cold for
me to start digging around to clean one out for a better look.

Here's the fitting, with my sneaker nearby for size comparison:

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...tobucket-28189...

Here's a couple of images of the metal frame around each section:

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...tobucket-38794...

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...tobucket-3222-...

Anybody know the purpose of these frames and fittings? Could the fitting
be for some sort of "mud jacking" to keep the square level? Could they
just be a design feature?

Does that fact that these fittings are only found around the fire house
have anything to do with it or was that just some old time contractor's
way of building sidewalks?

*To me the fittings look like some sort of spray head like an irrigation
fitting. *A thought occurred to me that maybe they were used to wash down
the sidewalks to get rid of horse manure. *Old fire trucks were horse drawn
at one time.

What is visible might be a cap to cover a hole so that high heels
don't get caught up. Possibly a special security screw so that they
can't be removed by unauthorised persons.

Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On Sun, 27 Jan 2013 17:33:38 -0500, DerbyDad03
wrote:

I was traveling through Vermont this weekend and walked around the
pedestrian mall in downtown Burlington.

I've seen frames like that on very old sidewalks. I'm thinking they
went back about 100 years or so as they were in old sections of
Philadelphia where I lived the first half of my life.

This is just a side note, not related to the OP's question.

But, I spent the first 8 years of my life living in Philadelphia (Southwest,
near 56th and Springfield Ave), and I remember every evening someone would
come around with a small ladder and light the gas lights on the street.
That was before we got electric street lights on our street which was a big
deal. Also, my best friend's father delivered milk for Abbott's Dairy and I
remember it being a big deal when he got a regular truck -- he had a horse
drawn milk wagon before that. When I tell people that, they think I'm
crazy, but that's what I remember. Any chance you experienced any of the
same in the part of Phila where you lived?

On Mon, 28 Jan 2013 12:02:00 -0500, "TomR" wrote:




But, I spent the first 8 years of my life living in Philadelphia (Southwest,
near 56th and Springfield Ave), and I remember every evening someone would
come around with a small ladder and light the gas lights on the street.
That was before we got electric street lights on our street which was a big
deal. Also, my best friend's father delivered milk for Abbott's Dairy and I
remember it being a big deal when he got a regular truck -- he had a horse
drawn milk wagon before that. When I tell people that, they think I'm
crazy, but that's what I remember. Any chance you experienced any of the
same in the part of Phila where you lived?


I was at the other end of the city near Frankford Ave and Cottman Ave.
We had a gas light right in front of our house. The only thing
different was we had Sealtest milk, but still a horse and wagon.
Harbison was the other big dairy I recall. I remember getting a chunk
of ice from the milkman too since that is what kept things cold.

On Thursday afternoon the huckster came by and on Friday, the
Freihofer bread man came to get paid and had a tray of cakes and other
goodies for sale. Bond was the other big bread company and you got
either the morning Inquirer or afternoon Bulletin paper.

"John Grabowski" wrote:
I was traveling through Vermont this weekend and walked around the
pedestrian mall in downtown Burlington. One of the buildings on the
mall was the Ethan Allen Engine Company #4, as shown here. Note the
concrete sidewalk across the front of the building, which extends
around all four sides of the building. It's actually 2 -3 squares wide
on the sides and back of the building.

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...ps04230033.jpg

Each sidewalk square is almost 5 feet on each side. As you can see from
the images below, each square is inside of a metal frame and each
square has some sort fitting in the center of it. The fitting has an
outer circle and domed center with a hole in the middle. The top of
the dome is level with the concrete surface. Only the sidewalk
squares that surround the old firehouse have the frames and fittings.
They butt up against the sidewalk squares that surround the City Hall
next door and a sidewalk through City Hall Park behind it. Those
sidewalk squares are a different size and have no frame or fitting.
They appear to have been poured at a different time.

The fittings were filled with dirt and slush and it was too darn cold
for me to start digging around to clean one out for a better look.

Here's the fitting, with my sneaker nearby for size comparison:

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...9317653551.jpg

Here's a couple of images of the metal frame around each section:

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...9317718938.jpg

http://i440.photobucket.com/albums/q...9317823080.jpg

Anybody know the purpose of these frames and fittings? Could the fitting
be for some sort of "mud jacking" to keep the square level? Could they
just be a design feature?

Does that fact that these fittings are only found around the fire house
have anything to do with it or was that just some old time
contractor's way of building sidewalks?


*To me the fittings look like some sort of spray head like an irrigation
fitting. A thought occurred to me that maybe they were used to wash down
the sidewalks to get rid of horse manure. Old fire trucks were horse drawn at one time.

I was just looking at pics friend posted on Facebook in Pittsburgh. Hmmmm,
could it be something like this, not her pic.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/bdmccray/6064198090/

Greg

Ed Pawlowski wrote:
On Mon, 28 Jan 2013 12:02:00 -0500, "TomR" wrote:

But, I spent the first 8 years of my life living in Philadelphia
(Southwest, near 56th and Springfield Ave), and I remember every
evening someone would come around with a small ladder and light the
gas lights on the street. That was before we got electric street
lights on our street which was a big deal. Also, my best friend's
father delivered milk for Abbott's Dairy and I remember it being a
big deal when he got a regular truck -- he had a horse drawn milk
wagon before that. When I tell people that, they think I'm crazy,
but that's what I remember. Any chance you experienced any of the
same in the part of Phila where you lived?

I was at the other end of the city near Frankford Ave and Cottman Ave.
We had a gas light right in front of our house. The only thing
different was we had Sealtest milk, but still a horse and wagon.
Harbison was the other big dairy I recall. I remember getting a chunk
of ice from the milkman too since that is what kept things cold.

On Thursday afternoon the huckster came by and on Friday, the
Freihofer bread man came to get paid and had a tray of cakes and other
goodies for sale. Bond was the other big bread company and you got
either the morning Inquirer or afternoon Bulletin paper.

Thanks. I am glad to see that someone else has a lot of the same memories
from Philadelphia that I have about the gas lights, the horse and wagon
milkman, etc. We also had the bread man and the various hucksters that came
up the street almost weekly.