What I Found Blew My Mind
June 24, 2025
Source: Reddit
I was at this immaculately preserved 1920s theater last week — chandeliers, velvet curtains, the whole thing. Under my seat? A strange black dome. Looked like a tiny UFO. I of course had to know what it was.
It was, as it turns out, a component of an early old style air conditioning system. No Freon. No compressors. Simply ice, air flow and a little ingenuity.
How Ice Turned Into Air Conditioning
Before A/C there was mechanical A/C, back when theaters would use literal tons of blocks of ice, stacked in the basement. They were able to take air, push it over the ice, cool it and then let this air be funneled up through vents beneath the audience.
Those black domes? Vents. During summer shows, cool air drifted up quietly and kept everyone comfortable. It worked surprisingly well.
Smart Airflow, Silent Comfort
They used low-velocity air — none of those obnoxiously loud fans, no drafts. Some had positive pressure systems or ceiling vents to naturally move air. Theaters smelled good, as well; many would pump in perfumed air, often with scents like lavender.
First-in-the-Door Innovative Teams
These theaters actually promoted it as a feature: “Air Cooled!” would attract audiences as much as the marquee titles. Some were among the first buildings to test out mechanical air conditioning; the Rivoli Theatre in New York City in 1925 was an early example.
But long before that, it was the ice and the natural ventilation that did the trick — and that ensured that people would return.
A Legacy That Still Breathes
Some historic theaters continue to rely on those same under-seat vents, though now with modern HVAC systems. The setup is roughly the same. There’s still a mild updraft from the bottom of the space that provides a quiet, consistent cooling.
Even if you feel a draft at your feet in some old theater, it’s not just a peculiarity of a building; it’s another old style air conditioning factor that’s still working overtime.