Each month, Architect, a sister publication to JLC, runs an installment of a series that explores the historical applications of building materials and systems through resources from the Building Technology Heritage Library (BTHL). The BTHL is an online collection of historical AEC catalogs, brochures, trade publications. In this installment, the BTHL chronicles the technological advancements in heating systems from the late 19th century to the mid-20th century.
It’s Getting Hot in Here: Furnaces of the 19th and 20th Centuries
Explore technological advancements in heating systems from the late 1800s to the mid-1900s.
The Patented Wrought Iron Air-Tight Furnace for Burning Anthracite and Bituminous Coal, Coke or Wood, J. Reynolds & Sons, Philadelphia, c. 1875: Made from wrought iron plates, these early hot-air furnaces could burn anthracite, bituminous coal, coke, or wood for power. Users could only control the temperature using a draft door.