Look! Window Security in the Mission

One thing we absolutely celebrate here at AT is taking the lemons of a living situation and turning them into lemonade. Like window bars, for instance...

Sometimes they may be a necessity, and if so, why not make them as beautiful as possible? This window spotted in the Mission forgoes the prison look for something decidedly more appealing. We've got a few other examples of spruced up security here, here and here.

Thanks, Peter!

Comments (11)

Fantastic!

posted by LoriSF on January 21st 2009 at 12:50pm
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That window looks great, but what if you needed to get out of the place quick (fire)?

posted by jpriley75 on January 21st 2009 at 12:59pm
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These are outstanding! I especially love the "bubbles..." I live in a small complex built into a hillside, and my back bedroom is at ground level, calling for an "ornamental" safety-bars feature bolted in. I've been looking for cool old iron gates or something to replace it with, but now I'll go a different direction and talk to a metal worker in the area. Thanks!

posted by TheGoodBiGirl on January 21st 2009 at 1:00pm
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I'll stick with the ugly ones that have an emergency release. I value my life more than aesthetics.

posted by Seaside on January 21st 2009 at 1:21pm
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Pretty awesome - I'm sure one of these with an emergency release could be engineered. Win-win!

posted by Miss Jess on January 21st 2009 at 2:03pm
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I saw this and said "what an awesome sculpture" and then realized that they were security bars! I love that idea!

posted by unseeneclipse on January 21st 2009 at 2:57pm
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beautiful! yes, now all they need are emergency releases.

posted by scarletdog on January 21st 2009 at 4:31pm
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I love this window, I used to pass it everyday on my way to work. Creative and beautiful. Functional? eh. I'm more nervous about groundfloor break-ins in the Mish than fires even after having my Valencia apt. burn down last year.

posted by Jesse Lu on January 21st 2009 at 4:59pm
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I believe I just read the other day that window bars without an emergency release are illegal in California.

So has anyone seen ones that aren't ugly that can be purchases as opposed to custom built?

And how do emergency release ones keep burglars from using the emergency release to get in?

posted by JG on January 21st 2009 at 10:23pm
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That is very clever and beautiful. I love it!

-becky

posted by becky on January 23rd 2009 at 3:03pm
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Hi. I just heard about this thread about my window bars. I can't stand the prison look, so I designed this and had it fabricated in China. (I got quotes here of $6000 , but only several hundred (plus shipping) from a fabricator I found over there.) The room has an exterior door, so there's no fire risk. I had other designs made for other windows, and other great decorative steel work by these same folks. The fire egress issue is easy to deal with. And I've thought about importing more, but don't have time right now.

posted by urbanlegends on January 23rd 2009 at 4:08pm
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