First time seeing this style radiator.

mattmia2 said:

So that is only connected at the bottom. I guess you do learn something new every day.

Yes, originally column radiators were for steam only and only had connections at the bottom, later on in the early 20th century they redesigned them to have top tappings to be used for hot water. The top tappings also are a great place for two pipe steam.

Absolutely foundry casting tags .
1977 , Jersey City N.J. , St. Lucy's Roman Catholic Church . Shrine to The Feast of St. Jude . The old convent was used as a halfway house for Hudson County Jail inmates one step away from release . The boys were attempting a small reno on their digs . Needing to shut the water off , they closed an unknown valve heading through the floor . It was , of course the waterfeed to the church's steam boiler . LWCO failed . Time for a new boiler . Dad and I were counting radiator sections to dial in the correct boiler size . When it came to the two radiators in the vestibule I could not find anything like them in in my father's extensive radiator chart collection . Dad ? "Jesus Christ , those things should be in the Smithsonian !" They had been previously disconnected , he insisted on replacing them with modern counterparts . We took them HOME ! Not to the shop . They sat in our basement for years. Only a true heating geek . He called them 'candle stick radiators' . A common open base with individual 'candle stick like sections , not connected on top at all. 50 yearish later , still in the trade I have never seen them again .