19th century fred. w. morgan custom-built interior residential black enameled wrought iron wall-mount furnace air intake grille – f.p. smith wire & iron works, chicago, il.
51-21164-14
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Chicago BuildingsAbout This Item
late 19th century remarkable fred w. morgan interior residential wall-mount horizontally arranged furnace air intake grille or register possibly executed by the f.p. smith wire & iron works, chicago, il. the slightly curved grate contains finely executed and delicate wrought ornamental leafage and petaled flowers with overlapping branches all condensed in the center, with a basic scrolls positioned in each of the corners. the original black enameled paint remains largely intact. the grate or grille was salvaged from the house in the late 1940’s before being converted into a shelter. mr. morgan amassed his wealth through his company, morgan & wright, which was involved in the experimentation and production of bicycle tires, etc. the decommissioned grille was recently acquired from a collector. the architect involved in the design of morgan’s house is not known.