Wanna Meet My Hall Pendant?
When I purchased the 1894 Cross House in 2014 I knew it originally had gas lighting. A year went by before I realized that it actually had gas/electric combination lighting. Well, how cool is that!
This was quite amazing for a small town in Kansas as electricity was new, and the White House was only electrified in 1892. The Cross House may have been the first house in Emporia to have electricity.
This discovery changed my approach and the electric lighting I had already acquired was sold off, and I began scouring the internet for gas/electric fixtures. I acquired a magnificent pair, and used one in the parlor. Its mate is in storage as it’s too grand for any other roomsave the dining room, where I already have a crystal chandelier I ain’t giving up.
Later, I found a gas/electric fixture for the entry hall, and hung it. But, as I continued to learn about early 1890s gas/electric lighting, I recognized that what I had was not correct. It was a parlor-style fixture and I needed a hall-style fixture. Oh. Oh!
So, I sold the fixture and began searching for a period-correct gas/electric hall pendant. I found numerous gas pendants and numerous electric pendant but no gas/electric fixtures.
Then, one day, a period-correct gas/electric hall pendant came up on eBay. I was sooooooooo not going to lose it.
And I didn’t.
However, the fixture was incomplete, so I put in in storage…
…and forgot all about it.
Ross is silly!
It is pretty fabulous. It needs period-correct electric sockets, a gas valve on the bottom, a smoke bell on top, and, most importantly, four new glass panels surrounding the gas jet.
Gorgeous.
Gorgeous. I love the acanthus leaf detail and this is a motif of the house. But, what about the missing glass panels? What would be right?
It seems that the most common panel was clear glass with a sharp beveled edge. Well, that is doable. Note the smoke bells.
Again, clear beveled glass.
Same.
This is interesting.
Stained-glass panels are another option although I fear the cost.
Pretty!
This would be another option, and inexpensive. But, I am uncertain if this glass is original. One thought I had was to do this but with each panel being a different color of glass.
I lean to clear beveled glass as this seems most appropriate but I fear the cost. The glass needs to be thick for the bevel to be historically accurate as 1890s bevels were almost at 45-degrees. I will get a cost estimate from my stained-glass guy (who can do beveled glass) and then make a decision.
I am also debating to have the pendant be, once again, an actual gas fixture (and electric). The hall ceiling is gone, and the 1894 gas line is intact. It could be tested and, if OK, could be reused. I yearn to have at least one fixture in the house be an actual working gas/electric fixture. (Note: the gas would be propane.) This would mean that clear glass would have to be the choice so as to see the gas flame flickering away.
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That is a great plan, Ross. Here’s hoping that the price for the missing parts will be easily affordable.
Yes, you must see the flickering gas flame. The stained glass is very pretty, but clear would be the best way to go. Hopefully the cost won’t be too outrageous.
There are light bulbs that flicker like flame, so that might be an option if the gas doesn’t work out.
There are light bulbs that flicker like flame, so that might be an option if the gas doesn’t work out.
I love that you left your toes in the photo. I always crop mine out when taking Etsy photos from above. Makes you feel more like family now that we’ve “seen” you in your “stocking feet.”
Beautiful fixture! Can’t wait to see it after you’ve restored it.
I LOVE that light fixture! I vote for clear glass. Different colored glass on each side might conjure up an “I Dream of Jeanie” feeling.
I am fascinated by this gas-electric narrative. The Cross house stands at this unique point in time where both gas and electric lighting coexisted. So pleased so see you honor this particular piece of history! But of course you would!!! I would love to see such a fixture alight again: for a moment to see how they saw!
I appreciate that you want a gas light, but that scares the shit out of me. But, it’s your house. Great looking light though!
I agree with Dan. Lighting something way up in the air would hard. Any such fixtures where you have renters runs the risk they might turn the gas on but not light it.
Also, there were houses built that ran gas lines and wires but ONLY ever had electric fixtures. I owned such a house in Ohio, built in 1919. Even that many years after yours, electricity was viewed as a technology that might prove less reliable than gas. As the house had almost all the original light fixtures, I know they were only ever electric ones.
Fire hazards for non-Ross folks down the road….may be risky in a home constructed of beautiful wood, exquisite stained glass and incredible charms…also in home with charred remnants of previous fires…..
Safety and especially potential fire hazards probably should be considered.
Extreme precautions are taken by Ross in the way restoration has been handled since buying home in 2014–coming up on year 6….
I view minimal risk while Ross is in charge but nervous about future caretakers 50 years from now 😱
What a great fixture! I am interested in the how’s and why’s of workings of gas fixtures and the purpose of the smoke bell. I can see the need for one over a candle to catch the soot, but I didn’t know if gas releases soot, which I think is carbon residue, or something like it. Perhaps it was needed to deflect heat from the the gas and electricity feed of the fixture? Is that an ornament that has replaced the smoke bell on your fixture or do you think that it is original? Were smoke bells threaded into a hole in the fixture above so they could be removed for cleaning? Do you plan to feed the propane to the fixture with a small tank such as a plumbing torch or barbecue tank?
The sockets shouldn’t be too tall an order, although potentially expensive. Bryant, GE Co., or Perkins would be appropriate. As long as whatever sockets you choose have a shell construction so that the cap has two screws to connect the bottom half of the shell, rather than a snap fit, you’re good. Also pay attention to the paddle switches. Switches with a curved bow, rather than a rectangular bow, are earlier in manufacture. Strive for that.
The smoke bell shouldn’t be a huge deal to find, either. You might have to custom thread a rod to thread into the junction at the top of the harp, but that’s easy, too. Looks like you’ll need a length of brass pole and a canopy, but those are easy to come by.
I definitely vote clear beveled glass. Anything stained/leaded would overwhelm the fixture. It would become too busy, and I don’t really feel that that aesthetic fits your space. When I think of stained, leaded, or jeweled glass lights, I immediately think 1880’s – aesthetic movement, which the Cross house is most decidedly not.
The only thing I worry about with this fixture is the gas valve key. You’ll likely never find one that fits that specific hole, so one will have to be machined. That might get pricey.
I’m very excited about this fixture in particular. The combination varieties of hall pendants are exceedingly rare. It will be very neat to see one installed in a space It was designed for.
This hall pendant is an amazing find!!
As Cody agreed with you on the rarity.
Remarkable edition & perfect for the Cross House entrance hall.
I am really excited for this.
I vote for clear beveled glass panels
Old glass is very thick. Can be pricey, Stained glass mavens are probably best best to start with…
What a wonderful development!!
Cross House dreams of restoration glory inside & out are coming to fruition with restoring Ross magic!!
Oh yes—- love the brief glimpse of Ross stocking feet & toes peeking in first photos!
Clear glass with bevels for sure! I can’t wait to see that light all cleaned up and restored. I personally wouldn’t sweat the exact angle of the bevel or thickness of the glass. I’d never see the difference and put the extra money towards something else. Then again, it your house! Love all your improvements!
I was thinking opalescent glass would be just the ticket. But I LOVE the idea of the working gas jet. If you go that way, then clear glass seems the way to go.
If you do run gas to this fixture, and if that gas is propane, keep in mind that propane uses a much smaller orifice or jet than natural gas, so if the fixture was engineered for natural, lighting propane in it could result in a much larger flame than you expect or want. A neighbor of ours tried this with an outside post lamp that was made for natural gas; when he tried to use propane, it blew the fixture apart in a very impressive fireball…not something you would want to do indoors.
OK, Mike! You’ve scared me now!
Sorry, man…word to the wise, LOL. Eyebrows grow back, houses do not 🙂 I would assume that it has something to do with the difference in pressure between the two gases; most gas appliances can be converted from natural to propane with what is basically a bushing to reduce the hole that the gas comes through. If you decide to do the propane, I would test it outside first a cylinder, so you can start off with a small amount of gas and then dial it up to see what effect you get.
Your mention of propane got me wondering if the Cross house ever actually had gas. A lot of homebuilders put in the gas lines and fixtures, but used the electric parts exclusively. The gas was strictly a backup, since electricity was so young.
Unless there was a nearby oil field, I don’t think the town would have had natural gas at that time. Did Emporia have a manufactured gas works? If so, it was most likely water gas, carburetted water gas or either blended with coal gas, the most common gasses from 1876 to the early 1900s. So if the Cross house had gas actually piped in, it would have been something like these.
I would think the fixtures could not handle something as powerful as propane, which wasn’t commercially available in the US until about 1911 or so, anyway.
And the mere thought of uneducated/inexperienced visitors having access to gas lighting scares me silly.
Just a thought… what if you had stained glass panels made something akin to the photo you labeled “pretty” and instead of the frosted/textured glass in the centers of the “frames” you had clear glass? That would visually tie in the other glorious examples of stained glass in the house, give your color loving soul it’s due AND allow the flickering flame to be viewed if that’s the direction you choose to go.
I don’t think the gas flame should flicker. If it is working properly it should be a steady light from a flame that is smaller than you might be thinking.
Arkay is right about the difference in the types of gas. Early manufactured gas or coal gas was mostly methane and was probably supplied at a lower pressure than modern natural gas systems. (Natural Gas is also mostly methane)
Totally off topic, I’m sure that you did not lay the vinyl floor tiles in the pictures. If anyone reading is about to lay this type of tile, do not lay it in lines as was done here. Each tile should be rotated 90’ from the previous one. Lining them up eventually causes gaps between them because there is a slight difference in expansion each way. In a large open floor area they must be consistent in the pattern of rotation because there is often a directional texture or grain as well.
As a glass artist I vote emphatically for stained glass + bevels. The bevels could be in the center to allow you to see the flame.
P.S. Please don’t burn your house down in the name of authenticity!
Ross, not sure if this is universally correct or not, but….. I visited an 1880’s Italianate Renassiance (sp) that a friend is restoring in Ottawa, Ks last week. His home had all of the original gas/electric fixtures intact when he bought the house. He has decided to use the flicker bulbs because his homeowner’s insurance company told him that if he activated the gas fixtures they would NOT insure the house! While I personally would love to have the gas lighting, I can kind of understand the risks (both of fire and health). Unfortunate as it is, it’s certainly not worth the loss of an irreplaceable old home.
To add to my original comment and also to Randy’s and a few others, I have been reading a little bit about gas lighting, and from what I can tell, propane lights all use the little cloth shroud-type wick, like what you see on a Coleman lantern; apparently, an open propane flame is not suitable for lighting purposes, although I can’t tell if it is because of the quality of light, or due to safety reasons. As romantic as the idea sounds, I’m not sure that it would be worth all of the hassle, expense, and risk involved to gas up your pendant…
Do you ever regret asking a question? 🙂
I absolutely love your love and passion for this home. I am envious, as in Vancouver Canada area (where I live), a property like this (with your huge square footage) would sell for AT LEAST $3M. And I am a realtor, so I know this. Keep up the great work and I am glad I found your blog!