Something evidently drives continuity between buildings at a mythic level. Masonry fireplaces and chimneys have been utterly obsolete since the popularization of the Franklin stove by the 1830s, yet 160 years later every house that can afford it still has at least a facsimile of a masonry fireplace and chimney. Some deep lullaby croons, “Hearth and home.”
Soon to be replaced by the TV space…
