It is a recessed shoe rack.

Here is a link that might be useful: recessed shoe rack

Thanks! That's the word I was missing. Recessed.

Sooooooo looks like I'm out of luck because that's the most recent ad on the web! You know how some of those old things you can still find in the backs of hardware stores? Like the DishMaster? For some reason I thought these were still used.

Hmm.

Now I have to be creative, darnit! :)

FYI: If you google recessed shoe closet and then go to Bangor Bungalow, they have instructions on building one.

this has been very cool to read! Kudos to you greywings for finding a - I'm sure - needle in a haystack!

fori - this would likely be one of those searches that would take quite a while to find one, so best of luck searching it out! I'd try craiglist, post the picture and see if anyone has one they want to part with or in the back of some store as you said.

so it's a metal frame insert, with little poles across? do you hang up high heels on the pole - is that how it works? so only for traditional female dress shoes - or can you tuck other in there?

I think it'll work with men's heeled shoes too. No sneakers (didn't all real men have shoes with heels back then? :)! I confess I haven't tried it. I've always been a throw-them-in-the-floor-of-the-closet kind of person, although I used the massive shoe tower when I moved in because it was there. I just ignored the recessed one in the other side of the closet.

But you'd just hook the heel on the one pole and the next pole would support the rest of the shoe.

I didn't think this was one of those weird 50s inventions like the linked article suggests. It's the sort of thing there's no downside to--even if you leave it empty it does no harm. And I thought they were common! Some of the other items in the article, though...yeah. pretty weird. But I'd like a few of them!

Oh this is funny. I have these in one of my closets. Since it's in my home office, I'm using it for holding spools of ribbon, paper towels and paper products. I love it but will confess I didn't know what it was called either.

Well it doesn't work on lightweight kitten heeled sandals. They just slide right off. I'll have to dig out some real heels to test, because it's not much good for stuffing hangers into (at least not if you want them back).

Seems like it would work quite well for ribbon. I have one also in my spare room's closet which for some reason is large and equipped with a little vanity (and now a sewing machine). I love old closet fittings (and fitted armoires!!) but I've got absolutely no use for them.

The recess in mine is only 13" wide and the posts don't come out so not good for rolls of paper but I'm sure a DIY one would take care of the post problem.

I can see doing a custom job for craft supplies with removable posts...of course once you're working between the studs, the possibilities are enormous. Seems like people who do crafts tend to be the creative types.

I have one word for you...curtain tension rods!

Well, that wasn't really one word now, was it? ;)

That's cheating! :)