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Lead window weight from the Texas School Book Depository
Lead window weight from the Texas School Book Depository

Lead window weight from the Texas School Book Depository

Object number1987.001.0126.0004
Date1903 - 1950
ClassificationsArtifacts
ObjectArchitectural element
Credit LineThe Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza Collection
MediumMetal
Dimensions21 1/2 × 1 1/2 in. (54.6 × 3.8 cm)
Collections
DescriptionLead window weight from the Texas School Book Depository. These types of window weights have ropes or chains attached, known as "sash cords," which would have been used to string around the frame of a window sash and served as a counterbalance to the weight of the window as it was raised and lowered. The weight is cylindrical in deisgn with a tapered end. The tapered end of the weight has a hole where the sash cord is attached. The weight is 21 1/2" H x 1 1/2" in diameter. This building element was recovered by Dallas County after their purchase of the former Texas School Book Depository building in 1977.
Curatorial Commentary
Dallas County replaced all but the sixth floor windows during renovations in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Though plans originally called for all of the building's windows to be replaced, historian Conover Hunt, who served as project manager during the development of The Sixth Floor exhibit, successfully argued that the original sixth floor windows should remain in place, since most dated back to at least 1963. -- Stephen Fagin, Curator
This object was part of the Fragments special installation on the Museum's 7th floor, on view from November 3, 2021 through July 3, 2022.