Flashback : Dallas

Pretty Heat Machine…

by Paula Bosse

A couple of years ago I was putting in a lot of hours volunteering at the Dallas Historical Society, which, if you don’t  know, is housed in the basement of the Hall of State in Fair Park. Whenever I left from the ground-level side exit, I passed this cool-looking pink heater hanging from the ceiling. First — it’s pink. Second — it’s made by a company called “Reznor.” To amuse myself, I named this heater “Vent Reznor” and would say “Hey, Vent” or “Bye, Vent” whenever I’d pass it. And then I looked it up and saw that this company — based in Mercer, Pennsylvania — was, in fact, established by the great-grandfather of Nine Inch Nails founder Trent Reznor, in 1884.

None of this is historical, and only by the greatest stretch of imagination is it related to Dallas history, but it amuses me, and I’m hoping that posting this will exorcise “Head Like a Hole” from my brain, where it keeps playing over and over and over! (Oh — here’s a Dallas connection: one of the best concerts I ever saw was at the Arcadia, where the up-and-coming little band Nine Inch Nails opened for my idols, the Jesus and Mary Chain. Both bands were amazing. …And loud. (NIN was louder.) But only one of them has the sheerest of sheer connections to the Dallas Historical Society. And it isn’t JAMC.)

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Sources & Notes

Photos by Paula Bosse, taken in May, 2019 in the basement of the Hall of State, outside the offices of the Dallas Historical Society.

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Copyright © 2021 Paula Bosse. All Rights Reserved.