|
A strikingly
accurate memento of the historic city of San Francisco, one of the few
major cities in the United States that still maintains an active fire
alarm box system as a major part of its protective responsibilities.
This box is a historic icon of a proud city in which the reality of fire
holds a powerful grip in its history and in the presence of every
citizen.
The following paragraph is printed on the parchment background:
This is an exact 1/3 scale replica of perhaps America's most
celebrated fire alarm box. The first of these boxes was cast in 1866 by
the San Francisco Electric company in their own sand casting foundry.
Many of the original boxes melted in the 2,700 degree heat of the 1906
earthquake fires, but most outside the fires' range are still in use
today. This box, cast in 1899, still stands on the corner of Wawona and
23rd Avenue in the Sunset district and, in 2001, is the oldest dated box
still in service in the city. Most of the dates on San Francisco's alarm
boxes have been ground off the boxes as they have become collectors
items and occasionally turn up missing after the morning fog burns off!
Each exquisitely executed box is separately cast and hand finished to
exactly duplicate the condition of the original as it exists today. They
are mounted on a 9.5 x 12 inch decorative fiber mat background over
printed with the history and significance of the piece. The mount is
antiqued hand rubbed aged pine. This unique and original San Francisco
miniature art icon is a limited edition of only 50 units.
|
