Presenting a collection of St. Louis bricks, sidewalk markers, and the Fleur-de-lis as architectural detail on and in city buildings, brick collecting, urban exploration, and my life by Christian Herman. Reporting from Tower Grove South in St. Louis, MO
3/23/09
Painted brick
I came across this tragedy while driving through Richmond Heights a few weeks ago. I actually had to make a U turn to gawk. It's a bright purple. Seriously, bright purple.
I know I should be prosecuted for this statement, but I am fine with wacky colors. They enliven neighborhoods. They suggest a quirkiness and whimsy in sober, all red brick neighborhoods.
By way of disclosure, I live in New Orleans, the land of cutesy colorful (ALL colors) frame structures. So I have become attached to painfully colorful streetscapes. That is not to say, though, that St. Louis's ruddy streetscapes don't still enchant me, because they do. I'm just saying, where color pops up, try to embrace it. Or at least color on the non-brick portions of the structure.
Painting brick is heinous. Brick needs to breathe. Eventually it flakes and the only solution is sandblasting which softens the joints and blows out the mortar.
I don't know of many homes in my neighborhood that present with a red brick facade. Colors and texture vary house to house.
I do embrace the marvelous colors in our face bricks.
Brick is of nature. Purple belongs on a Prince album cover.
The non brick portions are limestone and wood. The wood doors on my building were painted when I bought it...maybe three layers. Quarter sawn oak doors painted!
4 comments:
I know I should be prosecuted for this statement, but I am fine with wacky colors. They enliven neighborhoods. They suggest a quirkiness and whimsy in sober, all red brick neighborhoods.
By way of disclosure, I live in New Orleans, the land of cutesy colorful (ALL colors) frame structures. So I have become attached to painfully colorful streetscapes. That is not to say, though, that St. Louis's ruddy streetscapes don't still enchant me, because they do. I'm just saying, where color pops up, try to embrace it. Or at least color on the non-brick portions of the structure.
Tsk.
Painting brick is heinous. Brick needs to breathe. Eventually it flakes and the only solution is sandblasting which softens the joints and blows out the mortar.
I don't know of many homes in my neighborhood that present with a red brick facade. Colors and texture vary house to house.
I do embrace the marvelous colors in our face bricks.
Brick is of nature.
Purple belongs on a Prince album cover.
Can we agree on the need for a little spicy colors on the non-brick portions of brick homes?
:D
The non brick portions are limestone and wood. The wood doors on my building were painted when I bought it...maybe three layers. Quarter sawn oak doors painted!
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