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Metallic Brick Company
History
In 1916, M. Marks started the Metallic Brick Company, with office and yard at the corner
of Chicago Avenue and Monterey Pass Road, 10 miles east of Los Angeles. This company owned
90 acres of land at the east end of a low range of hills. The Monterey shale was mined for
clay. From a pit, the shale was put into a small bucket elevator using a shovel. It was
elevated to a mixer. Sand molded brick was made using an Arnold Creager brick machine.
The bricks were air-dried and burned in an open kiln, using crude oil for fuel. The plant
employed a few men and production was small. William L. Mulford was the superintendent.
This operation closed in 1920.
Metallic Brick
Bottom face of the Metallic brick showing the raised brand name in a frog. Donated by Ron Rose.
Side view of the Metallic brick showing the mottled, rounded clay clumps.
Top face of the Metallic brick showing the longitudinal strike and highly pitted surface.
End view of the Metallic brick.
Common brick is orange-red, somewhat mottled in color. Sides and ends have a water-struck smoothness.
Round red clumps of clay up to 1/4 inch across and minor irregular white feldspar up to 1/8 inch across
can be seen on the surface and in the interior clay body. Thin lip 1/8 inch thick around the top edges.
Top face is highly pitted with deep pits up to 1/2 inch across and a longitudinal strike with brush-like
striations. Edges are straight and sharp but chipped, corners are often rounded. Bottom face displays
a beveled rectangular frog 1/4 inch deep, 6 3/4 inches long and 1 7/8 inches wide centered on the face.
Inside the frog are raised block letters "METALLIC" spanning 6 inches and 1 inch high. This sample was
made by a water-struck, soft-mud process, although there may have been sand-struck bricks made as well.
Length 8 1/2, width 3 3/4, height 2 3/8.
Source
Boalich, E.S., Castello, W.O., Huguenin, Emile, Logan, C.A., and Tucker, W. Burling. "The Clay Industry
In California." California State Mining Bureau Preliminary Report 7, 1920.
Brick and Clay Record, v. 49, no. 12, p. 1111.
Los Angeles City Directories, 1916-1920.
Copyright © 2006 Dan Mosier
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Comments or questions are welcomed.
Please send email to Dan Mosier at danmosier@earthlink.net.