I took this picture on Wednesday, July 23rd, 2014. I was in one of the restrooms at Robust Coffee Lounge, which is now closed, in Chicago. It was in the River North neighborhood, on Orleans and Ontario.
Let’s take a look!
I’m loving the details on this one. This is a particularly angular barrel bolt lock. Those aren’t just circular cylinders, they’ve got distinct corners and sides.
It’s interesting that the metal types seem to vary. The lock and housing is much darker than the keeper, which also looks to be slightly bigger, although maybe the size difference is just to allow for ease of aiming the bolt. Hard to say.
It’s obviously an older mechanism, lots of age on this bad boy. Note that the keeper also has the privilege of having that corner plastic being cut out around it. That took deliberate work on someone’s part, and I appreciate it.
There’s also a lone screw-hole to the right, which hints at some failed, even-older locking mechanism or bolt keeper in this store’s history. That could explain the difference in metal color! We will never know the history here.
Another clue is the screw types, which are also different from door to wall. The housing has larger, darker screws, while the keeper has lighter and smaller screws.
Note that both have some screws that were never put in. This is so curious to me. Why not? Why are the screws on the housing not spread more? What was the thought process here? It’s a great statement piece.
Finally, the bolt itself is rather long, and heavy duty. It’s a solid piece of machinery, and the topside lock notches are solid here too.
This is a robust barrel bolt for a Robust Coffee Lounge.