page_title: Structural clay tile
section_title: 1850s-1870s
hierarchical_section_title: Structural clay tile / History, Origins, and Development / 1850s-1870s
caption_attribution_description: English: Image from page 73 of "Fireproof construction for houses and other buildings at moderate cost" (1910) Identifier: fireproofconstru00nat Title: Fireproof construction for houses and other buildings at moderate cost Year: 1910 (1910s) Authors: National Fire Proofing Comapny Subjects: House construction Tile construction Hollow tiles Architecture, Domestic Publisher: Pittsburgh&#160;: National Fire Proofing Co. Contributing Library: University of Maryland, College Park Digitizing Sponsor: LYRASIS members and Sloan Foundation View Book Page: Book Viewer About This Book: Catalog Entry View All Images: All Images From Book Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book. Text Appearing Before Image: Stable and garage of residence illus-trated on page 25. Constructed of NatcoHollow Tile.Robert W. Gardner, New York, Architect. 1 N/-Y1 \.*\.s ■HOLLOW-TILE Details of Construction for NATCO HOLLOW TILE Fireproof Houses PXAMPLES on precedingpages show clearly thescope of Natco Hollow TileConstruction the beautiful aswell as practical results madepossible thereby. (§ The following pages showspecific and graphic informa-tion as to the technical require-ments of executing construc-tion of this character. (§ These details can be readilyapplied to any work wherethe use of Hollow Tile is con-templated. NATIONAL FIRE ■ PROOFINGCOMPANY- p? Text Appearing After Image: Above is a photographic reproduction of a typical Natco Hollow Tile member. The visiblepoints of superiority, as compared with similar Tile of different makes, are the deep dovetail scoringfor the better bonding of stucco or plaster, the absence of imperfections and the better generalsymmetry due to the more accurate machining by this Companys unequaled equipment. Equally important qualities not obtainable in other tile are not so apparent to the eye. Theseconsist of finer properties in the raw clay and its more uniform and thorough burning, resultingin greater density and a highei degree of inherent strength. It is to certify these advantages, and to instantly identify the tile possessing them, that the name Natco is stamped plainly upon the face of each tile. NATCO HOLLOWTILE NATIONAL FIRE -PROOFINGm -COMPANY- if Sfa/cc? //o/fo* T//e 3 */2~*/JS V* /2&#160;» /Z e*/z&gt;/2 Note About Images Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original work.
context_page_description: Structural clay tile describes a category of burned-clay building materials used to construct roofing, walls, and flooring for structural and non-structural purposes, especially in fireproofing applications. Also called building tile, structural terra cotta, hollow tile, and clay block, the material is an extruded clay shape with substantial depth that allows it to be laid in the same manner as other clay or concrete masonry. In North America it was chiefly used during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, reaching peak popularity at the turn of the century and declining around the 1950s. Structural clay tile grew in popularity in the end of the nineteenth-century because it could be constructed faster, was lighter, and required simpler flat falsework than earlier brick vaulting construction. Each unit is generally made of clay or terra-cotta with hollow cavities, or cells, inside it. The material is commonly used in floor arches, fireproofing, partition walls, and furring. It continues to be used in Europe to build fire-resistant walls and partitions. In North America the material has largely been replaced by concrete masonry units.
context_section_description: The first recorded use of structural clay tile in the United States was in 1853. Frederick A. Peterson designed hand-shaped clay ovals that he placed between I-beams and covered with cement to create flooring. Peterson debuted his method in the Cooper Union Building in New York City. However, Peterson's method was not mass-produced or replicated until the 1870s. In 1871, Balthasar Kreischer and George H. Johnson patented a new method similar to Peterson's, based on earlier precedents including those of British architect Joseph Bunnett in 1858, as well as designs by Peterson. Each of these methods emerged out of a growing need to fireproof buildings following massive fires across the United States during that last quarter of the nineteenth century. Prior to the widespread use structural clay tile, brick and masonry construction dominated fireproofing techniques. However, brick and masonry construction, especially vaulting, was heavy, was time consuming to construct, and required the construction of costly custom formwork. Structural clay tile offered a lighter, faster, and simpler alternative. An interlocking system of angular clay tiles that were fit together with a keystone became popular in the early 1870s, after designs by Vincent Garcin were mass produced to create flat segmented arches. This flat segmented arch, developed by Garcin, was first used in the United States at the New York Post Office, Kendall Building in Chicago, and the Singer Manufacturing Building in St. Louis, becoming the most prolific use of hollow clay tile until the end of the century.
caption: An example of a typical NATCO hollow clay tile as advertised in their 1910 catalogue.  "The visible points of superiority, as compared with similar tile of different makes, are the deep dovetail scoring for the better bonding of stucco or plaster, the absence of imperfections and the better general symmetry due to the more accurate machining by this company's unequaled equipment. Equally important qualities not obtainable in other tile are not so apparent to the eye. These consist of finer properties in the raw clay and its more uniform and thorough burning, resulting in greater density and a higher degree of inherent strength. It is to certify these advantages, and to instantly identify the tile possessing them, that the name NATCO is stamped plainly upon the face of each tile." —From NATCO Catalog "Fireproof Construction for Houses and Other Buildings at Moderate Cost," 1910.
exif: {}