Located (I think, I've misplaced my notes) in the Princeton Heights neighborhood.
Dreamy Art Deco styling terra cotta with wire cut brick and stained pick mortar.
Too bad the original store front windows were 'remodeled'.
1/25/10
Spendid glazed terra cotta
Wowsa:
Located (I think, I've misplaced my notes) in the Princeton Heights neighborhood.
Dreamy Art Deco styling terra cotta with wire cut brick and stained pick mortar.
Too bad the original store front windows were 'remodeled'.
Located (I think, I've misplaced my notes) in the Princeton Heights neighborhood.
Dreamy Art Deco styling terra cotta with wire cut brick and stained pick mortar.
Too bad the original store front windows were 'remodeled'.
1/24/10
Black brick with red trim house
This is the first house I've encountered made of black brick. It's in the Princeton Heights neighborhood just east of Hampton.
1/23/10
1/22/10
Brick hot line
My neighbor Mel called today with a hot tip about hearing a huge KABOOM. A building on her block lost the outer wythe of brick at the top.
In this photo you can see a previous repointing job that can only be tagged hoosier rehabbing.
I'm thinking this was a combination of less than amateur tuck pointing combined with the recent freeze/thaw. There had to be water behind the brick that froze, expanded, then blew the course out.
In this photo you can see a previous repointing job that can only be tagged hoosier rehabbing.
I'm thinking this was a combination of less than amateur tuck pointing combined with the recent freeze/thaw. There had to be water behind the brick that froze, expanded, then blew the course out.
1/16/10
Permastone Tsk, Tsk
There we were trying to figure out what what wrong with the facade of a store front on Virginia when I spied the side: Permastone!
I assume the wood frame went up to protect the plate glass windows.
This side shot shows the original face brick.
I assume the wood frame went up to protect the plate glass windows.
This side shot shows the original face brick.
1/14/10
Candlelight Vigil for a downspout
Every year during a thaw my downspout freezes. It's on the north side of the building so it's shaded during the day and presently frozen solid. The thawing snow on the 1,400 square foot graded roof melts and rushes to the gutter where it drops into the downspout.
Five years ago this wasn't a problem since my original copper downspout looked like this:
The above is a photo of my neighbors down spout.
Four years ago I had contracted to have the gutter and only the gutter replaced. The price was 100.00.
Wilken's crew arrived, I left for the morning, and when I returned home I found two men on the roof and the copper downspout in the yard. They replaced it with an aluminum downspout with an elbow that catches thawing snow and causes it to freeze at the joint creating a dam. They also neglected to replace the gutter on the side of my building and did not install fascia under the 20 foot gutter. Idjets.
Less than a year later I was in small claims court with the owner Paul Wilken of Wilken Seamless Guttering and his two 'witnesses' -- his employees who stole my downspout and sold it for scrap. My beautiful and historic original downspout! They told the judge they scraped it for 140.00.
Paul argued he couldn't attach aluminum to copper. I agreed and mentioned I was aware of galvanic action but that a piece could have been used to prevent the metals from meeting and removing the downspout had never been discussed.
I won the case but only the 100.00 I originally paid. The original downspout had been anchored into the brick. These chumps drilled into the mortar and the freezing water is popping out mortar joints. Oh yeah, I also have gaping holes in brick.
Yep, that's a lit candle under the joint. Talk about hooiser rehabbing!
I took this photo yesterday and the ice was gone within an hour.
What worked best was pots of boiling water slowly poured onto the metal from both floors.
The ice along the outside of the downspout is a result of thawing snow dripping from the above gutter. Had I not found a way to melt the ice on the inside and outside there would have been more water damage inside the house. Yes, it did cause damage to an interior wall.
Mortar joint popping out from ice:
Five years ago this wasn't a problem since my original copper downspout looked like this:
The above is a photo of my neighbors down spout.
Four years ago I had contracted to have the gutter and only the gutter replaced. The price was 100.00.
Wilken's crew arrived, I left for the morning, and when I returned home I found two men on the roof and the copper downspout in the yard. They replaced it with an aluminum downspout with an elbow that catches thawing snow and causes it to freeze at the joint creating a dam. They also neglected to replace the gutter on the side of my building and did not install fascia under the 20 foot gutter. Idjets.
Less than a year later I was in small claims court with the owner Paul Wilken of Wilken Seamless Guttering and his two 'witnesses' -- his employees who stole my downspout and sold it for scrap. My beautiful and historic original downspout! They told the judge they scraped it for 140.00.
Paul argued he couldn't attach aluminum to copper. I agreed and mentioned I was aware of galvanic action but that a piece could have been used to prevent the metals from meeting and removing the downspout had never been discussed.
I won the case but only the 100.00 I originally paid. The original downspout had been anchored into the brick. These chumps drilled into the mortar and the freezing water is popping out mortar joints. Oh yeah, I also have gaping holes in brick.
Yep, that's a lit candle under the joint. Talk about hooiser rehabbing!
I took this photo yesterday and the ice was gone within an hour.
What worked best was pots of boiling water slowly poured onto the metal from both floors.
The ice along the outside of the downspout is a result of thawing snow dripping from the above gutter. Had I not found a way to melt the ice on the inside and outside there would have been more water damage inside the house. Yes, it did cause damage to an interior wall.
Mortar joint popping out from ice:
1/13/10
1/12/10
Frozen fountain in TG Park
Photo by UPI/Bill Greenblatt from
http://www.ecoworld.com/photos/cold-weather-st-louis.html
http://www.ecoworld.com/photos/cold-weather-st-louis.html
1/10/10
Hotel Saum
1919 S Grand Blvd.
The Saum was built in 1926 as a luxury hotel and at the time was the tallest building in the area.
Vintage post card. I love these vintage cards that were printed on a linen blend stock. I like the scale of the streets which were brick pavers and had street car tracks. In this old 'photos' the streets have been airbrushed into obscurity.
From a page of an old architecture magazine:
The Saum was built in 1926 as a luxury hotel and at the time was the tallest building in the area.
Vintage post card. I love these vintage cards that were printed on a linen blend stock. I like the scale of the streets which were brick pavers and had street car tracks. In this old 'photos' the streets have been airbrushed into obscurity.
From a page of an old architecture magazine:
1/7/10
The steps in my house
Check out the trends on the stairs that leads to my basement.
Each one is different and was cut with a hand saw 95 years ago to fit snugly against the foundation stones. I get it enjoy this craftsmanship daily.
I know I need to sweep the stairs.
Each one is different and was cut with a hand saw 95 years ago to fit snugly against the foundation stones. I get it enjoy this craftsmanship daily.
I know I need to sweep the stairs.
Diamond Brick
I spotted these outrageous 'diamond' bricks on a house in Holly Hills. I've seen them on two different houses in TGS as detailing but this home is a tribute to the rarely seen bricks.
They're rose in color and have matching stained mortar.
They're rose in color and have matching stained mortar.
1/2/10
Holly Hills
Two weeks ago I caught a holiday cold and was on lock down in the house for a few days where I whined about being house bound and not outside. I worked every day since my monthly health insurance premium has jumped to a staggering 560.00 monthly. I whined about not having a day off for months and the cold to anyone who called.
I consoled myself with the realization that I am surrounded with elements of nature in my home:
Brick walls, wood window frames, joists, doors, floor boards and stairs, mortar, glass, and the original plaster walls with strands of horse hair.
Having a fever I marveled at this for hours while staring at a corner of the carpet then headed out for a delirious drive (I had to get out) and landed in front of this home in Holly Hills on Leona. CRAZY! The bird bath, barrel tiles and brick had me squealing.
Triple arch alert!
Check out the beefy terra cotta and the course of bricks at the base of the building:
I consoled myself with the realization that I am surrounded with elements of nature in my home:
Brick walls, wood window frames, joists, doors, floor boards and stairs, mortar, glass, and the original plaster walls with strands of horse hair.
Having a fever I marveled at this for hours while staring at a corner of the carpet then headed out for a delirious drive (I had to get out) and landed in front of this home in Holly Hills on Leona. CRAZY! The bird bath, barrel tiles and brick had me squealing.
Triple arch alert!
Check out the beefy terra cotta and the course of bricks at the base of the building:
12/28/09
Merry Christmas to me
Once a year my former sweetie Chris visits from Seattle and always brings flowers and computer assistance.
It's the router.
It's the router.
12/25/09
X
One of my abundant peeves is the use of X in artwork because it voids content.
I've been around awhile and have eXperinced X used by countless generations of amateur painters. It's easy to smear or slap an X on a canvas and the result is a bold non-statement.
Antoni Tapies was probably in an empty mood when he painted these:
The above is an acknowledgment of brick.
I told you painters studied brick and rectangles are critical to painting.
Don't just say no say something.
Oh yeah, Merry Xmas.
I've been around awhile and have eXperinced X used by countless generations of amateur painters. It's easy to smear or slap an X on a canvas and the result is a bold non-statement.
Antoni Tapies was probably in an empty mood when he painted these:
The above is an acknowledgment of brick.
I told you painters studied brick and rectangles are critical to painting.
Don't just say no say something.
Oh yeah, Merry Xmas.
12/18/09
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