On the border spaces of New York:
"The fire-escapes, which were made obligatory for multiple-family dwellings by the law of 1867, are often decorative objects, and their cumulative rhythm has its own extraordinary quality. Many visitors to New York remember the fire-escapes as much as skyscrapers. They were much used for sitting out, hanging washing, talking to neighbors, and sleeping in hot weather."
Girouard, M., Cities & People, 1985, p. 313.