Structural Stars
Why are some brick buildings decorated with metal stars ? In historic brick construction, the end of the floor joist rests on a ledge only inches wide. Over time, gravity and the weight of the building cause the walls to bow outwards. This, in turn, causes the joists to slip off their ledges. To prevent this, a tie rod is laid from one end of the building to the other, drilled into either end. These rods are secured by nuts and washers. Because these would be visible from the outside, many older buildings have decorative “washers.” The star is a common example. 
If you look closely, you will see the nut in the center of the star and notice that the distribution of the “stars” corresponds to the level of the floors. There are dozens of stars on buildings throughout C-ville. My guess, however, is that some buildings in C-ville do not have a structural need for this, but rather install them as a decorative element to emphasize their historicity. Can you locate this star’s building near the downtown mall?
February 19th, 2007 at 11:49 am
I’m pretty sure that’s the King Building, at the intersection of Fifth and Water. Though, to be fair, a) my family’s business is in there and b) I photographed every old painted ad on the side of every downtown building a few years ago.
February 19th, 2007 at 3:34 pm
I had always wondered what these were. Thanks! This would make a good video podcast. Would you be interested in working on such a thing at some point?
Great site. I love it!
February 19th, 2007 at 5:04 pm
Waldo is indeed correct. And he points out a great resource for locating old structures: historic business signs. Prior to billboards it was common to paint signs onto buildings. There are many examples in and around the downtown mall. To view an on-line exhibit of these “ghost signs”, visit the archived exhibit on the A.C.H.S. website: http://www.albemarlehistory.org/Ghost%20signs/rebholz_.html
As for video podcasts, stay tuned. lr
March 3rd, 2007 at 1:16 pm
I doubt that these are ever decorative. They only really, effectively work if attached to a rod that runs through to the other side of the building and is bolted into a similar plate, there. Even as a decoration, you’d have to rip into the ceiling-floor cavity to install a bolt through the wall to hold the thing on, or drill a hole into the brick and set the bolt in mortar, or do so while you’re building the building, and bolt on the plate.
Unreinforced brick walls sag out of true over time, especially with soft mortar and a northern exposure. These rods hold the walls tight to the floor joists, which are held in only by gravity, slotted into the wall, not fixed to the brick. Why not? Well, because it was easier to build, that way. Also, because the joists could be “fire-cut” so that, if the floor burned through, the joist collapse wouldn’t necessarily pull down the wall.
In Charleston, where I grew up, these devices are called “earthquake bolts” and were applied like mad to buildings that were damaged, but repairable, after the 1886 earthquake. You could pull the wall back into line if you installed enough of them.