Glass Block Windows
Posted by ButterscotchAware402@reddit | Xennials | View on Reddit | 40 comments
My family moved around a touch in my early years and I attended 4 different elementary and middle schools in 2 states. Every gymnasium had these. Maybe they're standard/still a thing ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
KamuiT@reddit
My elementary school had a huge renovation during my second grade year (‘91-92) and put these ALL OVER the interior of the cafeteria. I thought they were super cool at the time.
eatsleepdive@reddit
Plenty of these remain on the north side of Chicago
BoardwalkKnitter@reddit
I've not seen these used with houses but on PATCO line into Philly some stops use them as the walls covering the escalators/stairs on the platform. It lets a lot of light down, you can see the trains on a stormy day, and they can withstand a lot of abuse.
drfinale@reddit
Hello fellow Philadelphian (or South Jersian)! This was exactly what I thought of when I saw this pic!
dinglepumpkin@reddit
My parents’ house, which they renovated into a Bauhaus-style cube in 1982, has these on either side of the front door. Great for light and privacy! Amusing though
Addamall@reddit
Rich people would just have a wall or two made of them. Doctors love them!
full_of_ghosts@reddit
I always associate them with dentists' offices.
Fun-Preparation-4253@reddit
They're still used pretty regularly and when I drive by them I like to blurt out "THERE'S THE BATHROOM!"
Lumpy_Barracuda_9968@reddit
I call these “dentist cubes” because you never saw a dentist that didn’t have these bad boys somewhere in the office.
RemarkablePaper1798@reddit
Our tiny local Dairy Queen had these in the bottom half of the exterior walls so I associate them with Peanut Buster Parfaits.
Primary-Strawberry-5@reddit
I kinda wanna build myself a glass block hot box
GravyPainter@reddit
Always thought those were gawdy af
SomeRandomPerson1517@reddit
I have always hated them too and assumed everyone found them tacky.
Salty-Tea6815@reddit
Finally, somebody with some taste!!!
59apache01@reddit
These things were everywhere in the '80s. They were cool looking, but I was always concerned about getting out in case of a fire or other emergency.
Kellzy1212@reddit
This is exactly where my mind went. No way to open them or even break them.
PierogiKielbasa@reddit
They actually break pretty easily- that’s how you replace them actually. You carefully put a hammer through the middle and just kind of shatter it out then chip away the cement. They’re hollow in the middle. Definitely takes more effort than a standard pane but it’s possible
Deep-Interest9947@reddit
I thought houses with a few glass bloodline windows (or even a whole shower) were so sophisticated
earfeater13@reddit
I just thought they were rich haha
Deep-Interest9947@reddit
Sure. But like cool nouveau modern Malibu beach house west coast rich. Not antiques and old east coast mansions rich.
larryb78@reddit
Exactly this - they were all over 90210!
fyukhyu@reddit
I love in a house with a glass block shower wall. It's just a PITA to keep clean.
Chessapeak-play@reddit
I have a song for this
Flower - Glass Brick Window
Any_Cold5965@reddit
I can hear them break in Minecraft.
I do actually remember these, but not actually where they were for me
SlapHappyDude@reddit
We had an apartment that had a window that faced the "hallway" balcony that had these and I really appreciated it
nohombrenombre@reddit
My dad gifted his three daughters with these glass blocks with coin slots in the top. after we accumulated a bit of money in each bank (was it really a bank or did he make them for us?) we girls somehow figured out that one could use a butter knife and the money would just slide out with lots of shaking. Such good memories
JDz84@reddit
The master bathroom in my in-laws house as a huge two wall partition for the shower and a window with them. It looks so dated.
That said, I have a huge picture window in my master bathroom. First thing we had to do when we moved in was go back out to Walmart and buy blinds because when it was time to shower we’d be visible to two neighbors and the sidewalk/street. I love the natural light, but where is the privacy? What’s the solution today?
MajesticEmergency@reddit
All the bathroom windows in the house I grew up in the midwest had glass block windows. So did most of friends' houses (raised ranches built in 50s-70s).
espressocycle@reddit
I just installed one in my bathroom because the window was in the shower.
fromthedarqwaves@reddit
I haven’t seen a glass block in a long time. The builder of my neighborhood didn’t use them in the 60s-70s.
HostilePile@reddit
I grew up in bungalows all our bathrooms had this and basement windows. Every house in the neighborhood was the same.
One-Earth9294@reddit
Shit I got a bunch of these lol.
PeterPunksNip@reddit
These where the lavatory/bathroom windows in my school
echochilde@reddit
As a kid I always hated the way glass bricks looked. Now, love “em.
garden__gate@reddit
I still love these!
-threefeetoffun@reddit
This was the biggest improvement I’ve made to my house. Replaced the awful basement windows.
ButterscotchAware402@reddit (OP)
I was actually quite taken with them after looking at them before I made this post. Considerations for the future fo sho.
remoteworker9@reddit
My bathroom has them!
Kitchen-Fisherman280@reddit
My McDonalds had these!!
HeywoodJaBlessMe@reddit
Love me some thick privacy glass.