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Grille

Object number2002.33.3

Date1920-1940

MediumIron; Linseed oil

Credit LineGift of Louis Blum

DescriptionDemi-lune shaped transom grille with art deco and floral designs. Entire surface coated with linseed oil.Dimensions15 x 1.875 x 33.4999 in. (38.1 x 4.8 x 85.1 cm)
Historical NotesPart of a collection of hand-wrought iron and aluminum architectural elements, including gates, railings, and window grilles, made by Hyman Blum, his son Louis, and shop workmen during the 1920s and 30s. Hyman was trained as a carriage blacksmith in Latvia and started his own business, Star Ornamental Iron Company, in Pittsburgh in 1908. By the early 1920s, Hyman and his company began crafting fine decorative ironwork for both public buildings and private residences throughout Pittsburgh. Louis joined the family business in 1927 and became their principle designer. Soon afterward, the renamed Hyman Blum Company commenced collaborating with the Aluminum Company of America (Alcoa) to develop aluminum for architectural work. As architectural fashions changed following the war, the company, renamed Blumcraft, ceased its decorative work and focused on modular aluminum commercial work, which it still produces today.

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