This content was originally published on OldHouseOnline.com and has been republished here as part of a merger between our two businesses. All copy is presented here as it originally appeared there.
In the following decades, alternating current became standard, and the electrical industry decided that the pushbutton mechanism was unnecessarily costly; the old tubular switch type was redesigned for new wiring and codes. The last pushbutton switches were phased out in the mid-1950s. But restorers found the button switches’ “snap“ as nostalgic as the slam of a screen door. Peter Brevoort of Michigan began manufacturing new pushbutton switches, redesigned to meet modern codes; OHJ announced their return in the November 1984 issue. Safe and reliable, they take less effort to use. And they snap! Today the UL-listed switches are available as dimmers. Switch plates come in 37 finishes and in layouts for pushbutton, toggle, rocker, outlet, and mixed configurations. Arts & Crafts-style plates recently were introduced. Classic Accents, (800) 245-7742, classicaccents.net
