My Al Capone Museum | home
Al Capone's light fixtures
(From his 93 Palm Avenue Estate)
Sold to Capone by Herbert A. Abele through Parker Henderson in the early summer of 1928.
Mr. Abele sold lighting fixtures in Miami.
DUPLEXALITE
Al Capone's (1920's) Duplexalite ceiling light fixture. Al Capone had several of these in his estate. It was generously given by Mr. Hank Morrison as a momento of my visit there. A previous occupant before Hank had the not so bright idea of painting it white. After some paint stripping and a little elbow grease to remove the white paint, I brought it back to what it originally looked like. I re-wired it and added a hanging chain for head clearance, only because these were for high ceilings and my ceilings are slightly lower.
(Mario Gomes collection)
Certified 100%
A piece of Palm Island in my Room of Doom.
(Mario Gomes collection)
Duplexalite advertisement 1920.
Duplexalite was made by the Duplexalite Corp. in New York city. They were associated to General Electric. There are three patents for them circa 1918-1922.
These lights were mainly popular in the 1920's to the late 1930's, and were seen around as late as the 1960's. There is a photo of them hanging above John F. Kennedy while he was in office.
Same duplexalites seen throughout the Palm Avenue home.
Al Capone's 93 Palm Avenue light fixture restored.
(Mario Gomes collection)
Al's light shines once more!
(Mario Gomes collection)
I've since removed the chain and extra wiring and put it back in it's original state.
The weak and old 1920 prongs holding the glass were replaced with new ones.
One of the metal prongs/rods that held the glass in place broke at the thread, but luckily I found master craftsman Dan Block from Iowa who saved my life and light. He made new identical ones. So the Capone light will keep on shining thanks to him.
93 Palm Avenue ceiling porch light fixture
Three light, 1920's crown type ceiling fixture that once hung in the porch of the Capone estate.
I will fix the sockets, but will leave the patina untouched. Thank God they didn't paint this one! Well, at least only the edges where the ceiling was painted.
(Mario Gomes collection)
The porch where this light used to be back in the Capone days..
How ornate things were back then.
(Mario Gomes collection)
Back of Capone light fixture. A future re-wiring project for me. As Hank told me, It'll keep me out of the bars. My special thanks to him on donating the two fixtures for the online museum.
(Mario Gomes collection)
Pool Cabana Light fixture
You can't see the light from this angle, but if you get closer you will see it in the next photo.
(Mario Gomes collection)
Light fixture that once hung in the top floor of the pool cabana.
Pool Cabana light fixture. New addition to my collection thanks to the home owner Peter Corsell
Special thanks to Diana Martinez and Magaly Acosta for taking care of sending ot to me.
(Mario Gomes collection)
(Photo courtesy of Diana Martinez)
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