Post by jonasclark on Aug 29, 2008 1:55:46 GMT -5
Has anyone ever seen a product of Casablanca's old "custom fan department" that eventually spun off into Fanimation? Cheddars' restaurant chain has some... but here's another.
Thnis beauty was installed in Seattle's Louie's Cuisine of China, in the Ballard area, in 1978, along with four very unusual early K63 Victorians. All are still used.
The restaurant has a wonderful mix of Chinese and late-70s contemporary decor - dark wood, interesting windows in walls, curved walls, varying levels with steps up or down, and a mazelike interior. One circular booth is surrounded by a 3/4-circular, 7' tall wall covered in vertical faceted cognac-colored mirror strips, with a huge domed cloth light hung over it. The lounge has a freestanding, hexagonal gas fireplace, open also to a restaurant area on the opposite side. A fantastic place. The food is excellent, too...
Here are two of the four Victorians in the bar. They all have variable speed knobs, a very plain gold logo sticker, unusual blade irons and arch-end, narrow-base blades with arch-ended, open-backed cane inserts. All four work but, further, work well, and work quietly!
Now, on to the custom fan! This is installed in their banquet room. The ceiling has a recessed, half-domed plastic skylight, and this is crossed by five "beams", each actually two wooden side panels encasing a recessed brass box cove containing three smoked globe light bulbs. I wish I had turned them on for these shots.
Atop each "beam" is a pair of ornate brass lineshaft supports, carrying a thick brass pole on which are mounted the four blade-holders, like a Fanimation Palmetto - spiral brass arms, in this case fitted with scooplike, woven rattan heart-shaped paddles!
Here's one group of paddles. Anything larger, like the current Fanimation paddles, wouldn't fit.
Here's a good shot of a pair of the brass supports, usually used by Casablanca and Fanimation to support motors, lineshafts and idlers for belt fans.
And a shot of most of the fan, looking down the line. The motor is at the end behind me. The undersides of those beams look black but, trust me, each has a recessed, brass-lined channel with lights.
One more... At one end is a pulley, with a very short belt running down to a second pulley that attaches to the motor, hidden in the ceiling with a trap-door for access.
The owner says all was installed in '78, with his father (I think) custom-ordering this unit. They use this only when the room is rented, but it works. He says the bearings are "going out", but it sounded fine to me when he turned it on. Anyone can email me and I'll send them the video I took.
Thnis beauty was installed in Seattle's Louie's Cuisine of China, in the Ballard area, in 1978, along with four very unusual early K63 Victorians. All are still used.
The restaurant has a wonderful mix of Chinese and late-70s contemporary decor - dark wood, interesting windows in walls, curved walls, varying levels with steps up or down, and a mazelike interior. One circular booth is surrounded by a 3/4-circular, 7' tall wall covered in vertical faceted cognac-colored mirror strips, with a huge domed cloth light hung over it. The lounge has a freestanding, hexagonal gas fireplace, open also to a restaurant area on the opposite side. A fantastic place. The food is excellent, too...
Here are two of the four Victorians in the bar. They all have variable speed knobs, a very plain gold logo sticker, unusual blade irons and arch-end, narrow-base blades with arch-ended, open-backed cane inserts. All four work but, further, work well, and work quietly!
Now, on to the custom fan! This is installed in their banquet room. The ceiling has a recessed, half-domed plastic skylight, and this is crossed by five "beams", each actually two wooden side panels encasing a recessed brass box cove containing three smoked globe light bulbs. I wish I had turned them on for these shots.
Atop each "beam" is a pair of ornate brass lineshaft supports, carrying a thick brass pole on which are mounted the four blade-holders, like a Fanimation Palmetto - spiral brass arms, in this case fitted with scooplike, woven rattan heart-shaped paddles!
Here's one group of paddles. Anything larger, like the current Fanimation paddles, wouldn't fit.
Here's a good shot of a pair of the brass supports, usually used by Casablanca and Fanimation to support motors, lineshafts and idlers for belt fans.
And a shot of most of the fan, looking down the line. The motor is at the end behind me. The undersides of those beams look black but, trust me, each has a recessed, brass-lined channel with lights.
One more... At one end is a pulley, with a very short belt running down to a second pulley that attaches to the motor, hidden in the ceiling with a trap-door for access.
The owner says all was installed in '78, with his father (I think) custom-ordering this unit. They use this only when the room is rented, but it works. He says the bearings are "going out", but it sounded fine to me when he turned it on. Anyone can email me and I'll send them the video I took.