MADE OF BRICKS

The table below lists the buildings and structures made of California bricks. Most history books will proudly speak of their charming brick buildings and when they were built, but they often neglect to tell us the origin and maker of the bricks. For good reason, that information has not been easily available or has been lost or forgotten. In historical archaeological investigations of building sites, bricks may be among the remaining artifacts, yet little or nothing is known about them. Another major concern is the disappearance of older brick buildings where examples of early bricks are no longer available for study. The absence of such information can result in the incomplete knowledge and understanding of the history and archaeology of a region. In an attempt to reconstruct and preserve that information, I propose to compile a list of known sources. This list inturn can then be used as a guide for historians and archaeologists to help identify the origins of other unknown brick structures. So here is a place where we can list information and finally give due credit to the brickmakers who helped to build our cities and towns.

Here is where you can help! If you have some information about brick structures that you can share, let me know so that I can add it to this list.

The buildings are grouped by cities in the third column and are listed in alphabetical order. Some buildings have multiple types of brick and multiple brickmakers, which are listed in their respective order when known. Where "Street" is blank, further research will be necessary to locate the exact address of the building, which may no longer be standing. Some addresses may be the original address as reported, not the current one. Under source, "Pers. Obs., 2001" indicates that I have personally identified the brick at the site in the year 2001.