Evening star., 1924-01-26
BRICK OF QUALITY.
. FOR USE IN FACING
Chicago "Common' Va.
-rIety Held Effective, Espec-
tally in Small Homes.

1t Is expected that considera hle
percentage of new structures will en-
pioy as facing material the very at
"c'i'e hrlck which is known as Chi
cago common brick. Builders usually
Ihink that this is 4 fine material to use
where nobody would see it.
outside of the Chicago market. too,
those who build to sell would be greatly
interested in what is being done in
otner places in the utilization of this
economical and very effective material
ror facing purposes, especially in the
building OF small and inexpensive
ioHes. 1t is rather odd that It should
pe necessary to point out the entire
appropriateness of using common brick.
me OLD historic brick buildings of this
nation are, without exception. faced
WITH the better quality of common
nrick that We're supplied to the Job.
" Is hardly necessary to go abroad
TOT further justification. but we could
name the famous old brick buildings of
England, Northern Italy and Holland
as wonderful examples of common brick
oesign and construction and facing.
sucn as we of the present day can
hardly hope to equal. A very great
proportion of the brick building in the
nlteu states at the present time are
laeed with the most appropriate brick
IS.eiecteu from the common brick de
llvered to the job.
Rated Solid building init.
There is no quarrel or competition
mere between face brick and common
hrick. Common brick. as all in the
construction industry know, is a solid
building unit of burned clay with a
natural face. whereas face brick has
ed TO produce special effect in texture
or color. Beautiful effects can nat
urally be. obtained with face brick.
me race brick manufacturers can sup
ors and any texture desired. Some of
the most beautiful brick buildings in
TINS country are built of face brick. so
designated. but We must not lose sight
with proper bond and mortar Joint,
beautiful effects are being obtained
Very economically every day with COM
mon brick.
The story of how Chicago common
brick began TO be widely used as a
facing material is quite interesting. An
architect happened to be visiting a Chi
cago common brick plant about three
"struck that is, the firing temper
ature had been carried too highland
the brick had fused together and had
assumed a$bin .n hroWnish OS,.ds. color-a color
would not be tolerated by the pur-
ohasers of this product. Inasmuch as
there was no market i'll sight for them,
they We're considered spoiled brick and
were being thrown away as waste into
The clay pit. The architect suggested
70 the plant superintendent that he
send down a few hundred brick to the
brick company Office and have them
laid up in sample panels. This was
done. and the beautiful effect produced
by these bricks was SO striking that
the manufacturers began to look around
for a market for the particular kiln
OF brick that had been struck.
"SampIe Panels" Attract.
A number of houses were being con-
templated by the Chicago Housing AS
sociation. The architect for this de-
velopment, after seeing the sample
panels, decided that he could use a
great many of these brick. which rnd
been dubbed Dearborn brick" 1t vas
not thought practicable. however. to TO
into the business OF making Dearborn
brick at that time, owing to the fact
that the brick We're stuck together
when taken from the kiln and had to