“Metal tile with slot in hallway of old university building. Standard floor tile size.”
Answer: "It’s a dust collector for a built in vacuum system. You dry mop the halls then clean the dry mop using the vacuum at this slot. It used to have a lid that fit the long slot and sealed it. The round part is a hookup for a vacuum hose. My high school had them and the janitors used it."
If you don't know, don't tell !
There is a lot of "seems to be" everywhere in daily life...