Lockefield Gardens (900 Indiana Avenue),

Casement Windows.A casement window is a window opened on hinges either on its side, top, or bottom. Those casement windows with hinges on the top are known as awning windows, while those with hinges on the bottom are known as hopper windows. A casement window can feature a single bay, or range up to two, three, four, or more sections of windows. The casement is an extremely versatile window – not only can you decide which way the window opens, the number of panes, the size, material, and placement – it was used on a variety of building types.

 

 

1930s Fenestra Blue Book of Steel Windows, produced by the Detroit Steel Products Company

Casement windows require some type of handle to open, close, and retain the window in the open position. The casement could feature simple window muntins, while others included a diamond muntin design. The steel casement window features predominately on historic buildings in the first half of the twentieth century. Buildings featuring the Tudor Revival, Art Deco, Spanish Colonial Revival, the International Style, and the Prairie style featured steel casement windows. This page from the 1930s Fenestra Blue Book of Steel Windows, produced by the Detroit Steel Products Company, demonstrates the technical and visual characteristics of the casement window.

The historic Lockefield Gardens (900 Indiana Avenue) was built from 1935-1938 as the first major public housing project under the New Deal in Indiana. Although only part of the original complex remains, the historic buildings demonstrate an excellent use of the International Style in Indianapolis, originally designed by William E. Russ and Merritt Harrison. The remaining Lockefield Gardens historic buildings are listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The historic Lockefield Gardens feature original, steel casement windows. Some windows include four bays, with two center, operable, side-hinged windows. Other windows feature just two bays, with two side-hinged windows. Lockefield Gardens is an excellent example of the use of steel casement windows, both for an apartment complex and for the International Style.

Casement Windows on Lockefield Gardens (900 Indiana Avenue),

Add it to your vocabulary – how might one use today’s Building Language term in their everyday life?

We couldn’t put a window air conditioning unit in our casement windows.