Ivory Glazed Terra Cotta Cornice - 41 Hartford

Probably produced by Winkle Terra Cotta. Matching coping blocks and soldier brick vents on twin buildings.

Sold (For Sale: 1921 New World Altas)

I'm selling my Atlas from 1921. Cover condition is poor, contents are intriguing (and sometimes amusing). Price: 30.00. I can accept a pay pal payment (that will hold it until it can be picked up) please contact me via my profile page email addy.
Scroll down to see some of the graphs and photos.

Fyler - The Paper Street

Last week I had an opportunity to meet with the owner of Keller Manufacturing on Fyler just west of Morgan Ford Rd. Click on the title above to link his business (I want one of these: http://www.gardexusa.com/commercial.asp)

Mr. Keller kindly answered my questions about his business, the buildings (made in 1961), how the street used to look before it was paved and some history of the street (below).

Keller Manufacturing is a series of buildings that I've admired for years:


A paper street is a road or street that appears on maps but in reality remains unpaved. It generally occurs when city planners or sub-division developers submit plans that include such streets; and when changes occur, they are not removed or updated. Fyler was paved in the mid 60's.

Sometime around the turn of the last century a company existed on Fyler that manufactured terra cotta barrel tiles for roofing. The owner of the company has a series of houses made across the street and along MGF that he rented to his employees:

I think this hill of created when Fyler was finally graded and paved. It's filled with broken pieces of terra cotta that previously cluttered the street.

Bits of terra cotta:



This is a typical house along Flyer. Four rooms: The living room and bedroom are upstairs, kitchen and bathroom are downstairs. No basements.

No windows on either side of the houses.

These houses across from Marti's memorial garden on Morgan Ford Rd were also employee housing.

Q: Why does that tree have bumps?

That's what a ten year old asked me last summer when I was walking Beau.
A: It has a virus.

Tumbleweed snagged on Cornice

Vitrolite

The building on the north west corner of Grand used to be covered in black vitrolite. It was removed and replaced with black matte tile.

Vitrolite storefront on Morgan Ford Rd.


Vitrolite on walls in Christopher's bathroom.

Sphere: Grand and Wyoming

Parapet: Grand and Connecticut

Tile on storefront on Meramec east of Grand

20 years ago I took a series of print photos of the tiles on storefronts in China Town (San Francisco). If I ever have the time, I intend to rephoto and post here.

Grand Ave circa 1971- 1975

I believe all of this photos were taken by Walter Gunn.

North west corner of Grand and Juniata. Currently occupied by Jay Asia.

The Ritz (now a parking lot just south of Mangia).


South east corner Grand and Juniata. Razed, and now a parking lot.

Quoined Brick in TGS

TGS has a plethora of quoinage. If structural, quoins were part of load bearing walls; if decorative, they were made of a variety of materials including brick, stone and wood.

WPA Post office in Santa Barbara, CA.

Sarah & I go to Uncle Bill's then stroll Kingshighway Hills

Sarah came to visit over the holidays and suggested we go to Uncle Bill's. Now she's back in NY working on a masters in Neuroscience while this rocket scientist realizes I neglected to take a photo of her.
Love you, Sarah!

The corner of the building is actually an angle so the bricks cut a corner (my frst brick joke.)


Original mortar.


Wall sculpture in the Ladies

Then we took a walking tour.



Sarah thought this was a bricked in window but it's original to the building.
The brick bonds in K. Hills are superb.

What makes this building exceptional (other than the crazy brick bonds) is the popped out front that encloses the front doors. The first floor tenant gets the extra bonus of a stained glass window in the entry.

The copper roof rocks too.

Pop Quiz: Name the various courses of brick used on this house (no reading ahead).

Help me decide which is better, the herringbone brick bond or the leaded glass window.


Kennard School with its intricate glazed terra cotta.



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Famous-Barr Store Label circa 1968

This label was in a vintage Brioni men's suit I sold on Ebay. Love that vintage Famous logo with the jumping letter and tilted a.

The logo font changed every few years but this one was The Best.

My Dream House

Sure, I'd live here.
My friend Sarah told me about this house when visiting from NYC over the holiday.
Click on the title to jettison to Forgotten NY and read about The Howard & Jessie Jones house in Bay Ridge, which the AIA Guide deems "Black Forest Art Nouveau."

Sarah says the roof is 'rolling'. I don't care, I still want to play on it; how very Antonio Gaudi meets the Three Bears. Click on this photo to view the wave in the roof.

The Fleur-de-lis as architecture detail

The Fleur-de-lis is the symbol of St. Louis and can be found in the interiors of homes as well as exteriors. I love that and am always on the hunt. I've heard of the Fleur on register covers, In BPW, I've seen them as connected to tie rods (instead of the standard star).

These photos were taken by Christopher Thiemet of Circa Properties in the house of Steve Wilke-Shapiro when it went on the market.

This is the third stained glass window I know of in TGS featuring the Fleur.

Introducing the Tower Grove South bumper sticker

The TGS Block Captain Steering Committee designed this bumper sticker as a fundraiser for the BC Fund. Actual size is 4x6 inches.
Purchase info: http://towergrovesouth.org/node/112

PRM & MOO BRICK 2 emails within 48 hours

Within the last 48 hours I've received two email from different parts of the country about the PRM &MOO NO. 1 BRICK. One came from Wisconsin, the other is from (I'm assuming) New Orleans. Does anyone here have info to share with Scott and Nick?

Salamander Brickworks, abandoned gold mine, Black Hills, SD

Menomonee river, Milwaukee

Boiler, abandoned gold mine, Black hills, SD

Boiler

The brick photos above are by Scott. I love the photo of the brick under clear water. I may like seeing clear water best.

The first is an email exchange with Scott with a funny subject line: I have a brick to show you

Hi,
I stumbled across your blog while trying to identify a brick, it helped a lot. This brick was found in the Menomonee river in Milwaukee - right next to Miller Park baseball stadium. What are now the huge parking lots to the East of stadium used to be the Milwaukee Railroad yards. I sometimes go fishing for steelhead in the fall in this river and found this brick in a few inches of water. I left it there but when I returned the next time, I couldn't find it. I attached a photo, it's actually a nice one. I have another cream, half brick that says prm&m No. 1. I think I found it in the river too. I also attached a photo of a brick I found at an abandoned mine site in the Black Hills of SD. It is from the Salamander Fire Brick company in NJ. I'm sure it was used to surround the boiler that they used to run the machines. Please tell me the age of my river brick - if you know.

Hi Scott,
WOW, fabulous photos! May I post them on my post along with your email?

I don't know the age of your bricks, I am guessing early 19th century and that they were use as pavers. Some people who read my blog may have an answer and respond. I am only an amateur. People collect bricks. I encourage you to grab them and sell them on Ebay; they will go to caring collections. I've bought bricks on ebay and others do also.

What is that construction in the first photo, it looks like it was used for fire and mining for what?

Sure you can post it, I'd be honored. The fire bricks were used to concentrate the heat around the boiler, I think they just had a fire under it in the open space. You have bricks, I have abandoned mines in the Black Hills.

Mine entrance?

Old Mill Building


This second email included the photo below.

I saw a brick on your blog, and it says "PRM & MOO NO. 1 BRICK". On new years day I went on a tour of a plantation in New Orleans Lousiana, and went into an old slave quarters. The brick around the fire place was the PRM & M CO type as well, but these say Bullhead. I think the No. 1 is actually N.O. L as in New Orleans, Louisiana, and the brick is PRM & M Co. See the attached picture of the bricks on the fire place.

Originally I took a picture of the brick so that I could do some research on the brick company in order to find out if the domicile was authentic. I haven't found any info on the company. If you know anything about it, let me know.

Thanks,
Nick

Holy Family Church - before and after

Click on the title (then click on tour and again in panoramic) for a panoramic view of Holy Family Church.


It was bought by CFX a few years back and shows the current interior.

Missing from the before photos are the stations of the cross which hung on the base of the arches (right above the brick). I also didn't see the confessionals in this photo and wondered if Vatican ll did away with them.

That's a catholic joke...you had to have been there.

Thanks to Jan for supplying the link.

Beau is shocked

Holy cats! Someone painted their concrete side walk pink.

Beau contemplates lifting a leg.