The window bars are for security—and the bump serves a purpose, too. Here’s what we discovered.
If there’s one thing we love, it’s looking into mysterious old home features. Why do some houses from the ’50s have an extra little door in the hallway? Why do pre-World War II era homes have a toilet in the basement? And why do some apartments have window grilles with a bulge?
Reddit user u/lw1999 asked that exact question after coming across this kind of window grille. Of course, we were intrigued by this post too, so without further ado, let’s take a dive into why (and where) you might see these window bars.
Why Do Some Windows Have a “Potbelly”?
This style might be referred to as a “potbelly grille” or “window belly bars.” Some Reddit users thought that the bulge was for placing flower boxes. You can’t place a flower box on the rounded bars themselves, but you could extend one out from the windowsill.
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