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March 26, 1954. "Becton Dickinson & Co., Rutherford, New Jersey. Glass wall." Large-format acetate negative by Gottscho-Schleisner. View full size.
Glass Block. Pride of PPG probably. You can see the structural supports provided. Beautiful installation.
What amazes me most about these photos is how incredibly spacious these offices were, not only in floor area but in the height of the ceilings.
A far cry from the claustrophobic cubicles I worked in; ceilings in my office were never this high, and all windows were sealed and the office air re-circulated by pumps on the roof.
I would have loved to work in an office this big....
Remind me of elementary school. Our grade school/Jr. high school must have been built around the same time as this building. That glass block and horizontal window design instantly brought back memories from those days, which is longer ago than I care to admit!
An average glass block weighs six pounds, which at 140 blocks per panel here would be closing in on 1000 pounds including mortar. Each panel of blocks looks like it is supported by just a small window frame. Amazing how all that weight is kept in place, the window frames must have been heavy steel.
[Are they bricks or just small panes? - tterrace]
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