The Meaning of Those Metal Stars on Old Houses

There are so many things to appreciate in antique structures. From the beautiful moldings to the artistry in the tiniest details to the odd eccentricities, even the most basic of old fashioned homes have something to offer. Some old building features added a lot of usefulness while also becoming visually memorable. Consider the classic barn red color, which was considered to be stained with rust to keep the wood from decaying.

older brick building in Petersburg, VA

As it turns out, those stars on antique structures serve another role.The stars on older buildings might be enormous or small, and they can be on the front or sides. The stars can have 5 or 6 points, and they are frequently painted in different colors depending on how the shutters and trim are painted. So these aspects do have a decorative component.

You might have imagined they were some type of patriotic flare because you see them a lot on extremely old brick houses, such as those found in New England.The stars are, in effect, massive washers. They’re there to keep lengthy metal bolts from slipping through the bricks. This method of putting a long bolt through the house and anchoring it at the ends prevents old brick buildings from swaying and disintegrating.

They are frequently found on the fronts of these buildings because the floor joists were frequently laid running front to back. The bolts pass through the masonry, through the floor joists, and out the other side.Brick structures can slump and swell with time. If this happens, the building’s structural integrity suffers. To combat this movement over time, these bolts keep the building straight.

The stars are a beautiful way to do this, but giant nuts or bare metal plates can also be used.Other decorative shapes, such as the violin-like scroll patterns seen on antique buildings, are also utilized for this purpose. So the next time you see these “decorative” features on a building, you’ll know that it was once a little unstable and only needed some help standing up straight.

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