Archinect - News2024-05-05T21:00:20-04:00https://archinect.com/news/article/150014154/of-home-and-hearth-a-brief-history-of-the-fireplace
Of Home and Hearth: A Brief History of the Fireplace Sponsor2017-06-28T12:00:00-04:00>2017-06-28T13:35:57-04:00
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<p>Modern fireplaces are first and foremost decorative elements—gorgeous architectural details, beautiful centerpieces, conversation openers, symbols of home and hearth. “For a lot of people they are almost like shrines or alters, in that the fireplace will be very special-made of beautiful materials, very carefully detailed,” says <a href="http://mgaarchitects.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">architect Marcus Greysteen</a>. </p>
<p>That wasn’t always so. </p>
<figure rel="cursor: pointer; max-width: 100%; height: auto; vertical-align: middle; width: 486px; background: none !important;"><a href="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/1028x/gg/ggqyg0dc7sovgpwx.jpg" rel="nofollow" target="_blank"><img src="http://cdn.archinect.net/images/1028x/gg/ggqyg0dc7sovgpwx.jpg"></a><figcaption>Photo courtesy of Nati Ziv</figcaption></figure>From Useful Appliance to Beautiful Symbol
<p>Once upon a time, the fireplace was a mere appliance, a functional piece of equipment used for cooking meals, heating homes, and even drying clothes during long, frigid winters. To do their job, fireplaces of yesteryear featured large, cavernous recesses surrounded by the barest hint of a mantel.<a href="https://www.oldhouseonline.com/articles/history-of-the-fireplace" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">1</a></p>
<p>Over the years, hearths became smaller. Fireboxes became taller yet narrower. The fireplace itself moved from the middle of the room, where it had remained for centuries, to the outside wall, where it typical...</p>