What are the wooden louvers directly under older wood-frame windows for? (Old PNW homes and motels)

[superocd]

I've noticed something about some older homes and especially motels in beach communities in the PNW (Washington and Oregon) when I'm driving around those areas. A lot of the older homes and motels have wooden louvers directly below the windowpane, spanning the whole width of the window. They look like they were framed integral with the rest of the window.

Are these actually louvers for ventilation, or is it some kind of regional decoration "thing" from the 1940s-1950s time period without any real function? I couldn't imagine it having a purpose for ventilation. It would seem like it would be pretty drafty. What do these look like from the inside? Any shutters or sliders? Any weird surprise about these, like an electric fan behind the louver for fan-assisted ventilation?

Anybody know what I'm talking about? I wish I had remembered to take a picture of an example, but I think someone on here might be familiar with what I'm describing.

 

[superocd]

I found an example of what I am talking about...

 

[pulltostart]

I've never been to the PNW, but

I'm betting they are for ventilation.  If you'll notice, the glass above is fixed (i.e., non-operable) so the only means of ventilation can be through the louvers.  There's probably a hinged panel on the interior side than can be opened or closed to regulate the air infiltration.  

 

lawrence

 

[fan-of-fans]

I agree, probably for ventilation. I think but not sure that I've seen old historical homes with wooden louvers inserted in the lower sash.

You can still buy metal louver panels with screens that fit in the windows.

The idea of these is you can still get ventilation, while the louvers provide privacy and keep the sun out if you pull the window blinds or shade to cover the upper sash. They also help keep rain from blowing in during a storm.

 

[superocd]

Ah, as I suspected! I had a hunch that these slats below the window were for ventilation purposes.

Since I first noticed them on the older motels, and motels often have air conditioning, my wife thought that those were prehistoric air conditioners (predecessor to a modern PTAC was what I thought she was thinking). I had to laugh at that one. I don't think that an AC unit from the 1940's would be that compact, lol.

I was thinking either a horribly inefficient means of natural ventilation or some kind of decorative thing with no real function, like fake shutters. Turns out it's for ventilation.

 

[foraloysius]

I've only seen similar things here but vertical, next to a window. They were shut off by panels on the inside indeed.

 

[launderess]

Think carefully

With a ground floor apartment or whatever having windows open can invite all sorts of trouble. One solution is to place gates/bars over such windows. But that limits the view out and can look unsightly.

Placing ventilation under the window allows it to be kept closed (for privacy and or security reasons), but still allow fresh air to circulate into apartment.

Shutters either inside or out of windows provide a similar function. Have stayed in French apartments/homes where shutters run full length of windows. You can open latter but lock former closed thus get air circulation without having to worry about intruders easily getting in, and of course again preserve privacy.

 

[lordkenmore]

The PNW house I grew up in had those wood louvers, although they were on the sides of windows, not beneath. In the original part (1950s), almost all the windows had these--two on the bigger windows, and one on smaller windows. In a 1960s add-on, one window on the front had the louvers. In all cases, the inside had a door that closed over the louvers, and in between the louvers and the door, there was a removable screen section.

 

It's been years since we moved out, so I can't remember how well this scheme worked for ventilating, but I don't have any really bad memories. Then, again, it was mostly my mother who thought of such things, and her approach was mostly just having one of the doors (which had a screendoor) open. I think she also regularly opened a conventional window in the newer part of the house.

 

I also recall that some of the louvered windows had plastic added over the screen, presumably because of winter. I'm guessing my parents did that in the first year or so we lived in the house, although it may have been done by a previous occupant. I'm not sure it was necessary for winter--it may have been one of those "we might as well do this!" things. Predictably, perhaps, some windows never had the plastic removed, and it was still in place, and 10+ years old, when we moved out.

 

[pulltostart]

I one looked at a house that was for sale that featured a similar window/ventilation detail.  The house that I viewed was probably built in the early 1950's and was of concrete block construction and had a certain contemporary flair to it.  All windows were large fixed sheets of glass, and under the glass there was a series of openings designed to introduce air into the house.  There was a hinged, plywood door on the interior and the opening was screened.  It was a rather neat detail and was more complicated than I can describe here; all things considered it made an attractive feature on the exterior.

 

lawrence