Shoutout to the clean install I saw in a 1920s building downtown

Was doing a service call in that old brick place on 5th Street yesterday. The last guy who ran cable there must have had the patience of a saint. They'd fished everything through the original plaster walls and used these perfect little brass grommets at every drop. Not a single zip tie in sight, just clean lacing. It looked like it was part of the building. Makes you want to take an extra ten minutes on your own jobs. Anyone else come across an old install that just made you nod in respect?

4 comments

4 Comments

jenny_white211mo ago

Absolutely. Saw something like that in an old school building they turned into offices. The original phone lines were run in this beautiful, dark stained wood raceway along the baseboards. When they added network cable, they matched the stain perfectly and used the same brass screws. It wasn't just tidy, it was respectful. Makes the slap-dash work I see now look pretty bad. What's the best old work you've come across?

rosecarr1mo ago

Yeah, that's the way to do it. I always try to match the original hardware when I can, even if it costs a bit more.

nancyramirez1mo ago

Totally agree... saw a job like @jenny_white21 mentioned in an old library once, they matched the original woodwork for the data drops and it just looked right.

jennyfisher1mo ago

That bit about it being "respectful" really hits home. I mean, it's like people used to see their work as part of a place, something that should last. Now everything feels temporary and cheap, like we're just passing through. You see it with furniture, buildings, all sorts of stuff. It's all quick and disposable, and that old cable job feels like a message from a totally different time.