Hi,
It is not the first time i saw this closet in a building. But it is the first time I lived in an apartment with this closet, and tried to realize what is it used to: The air-closet (luftscrank).
This is a closet built up a little bit outside the wall of the building. Each apartment had two of this kind: in the bathroom and in the kitchen.
The one in the bathroom was open to the outside and cover with shelves, and was used to hold the dirty laundry. It had two doors – one on top and the second in the bottom. When you took off the dirty clothes you throw them in through the top door. When you had to make laundry you opened the bottom and door and too everything that was there (First in – First out). In the meanwhile the laundry got fresh air through the openings in outside face and was less smelly.
The second kind was the air-closet in the kitchen (we don’t have it in our apartment. This area was partly renovated). It used for storage of fruits and vegetables. The air movements was supposed to keep those fresh. Those gave their place to the refrigerators.
The first design of the modern kitchen (The Frankfurt kitchen) presented this concept to the world. In California those kind of closets called California cooler.
Those days, when we have the refrigerator and AC, those closets are part of the of the past and can be found in old building on cities near the sea-shore.
Take Care
Gad
more pics:
xnet