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"Organic" brickwork


Richard Moore

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Had a "WTF?" moment today. Classic old craftsman (with classic old problems). I came across the porch column in the first photo, then the second, then the main fireplace chimney. All seemed to be "growing" out of a pile of brick rubble.

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Fortunately, I was able to get a peek at a gap in one area of a very normal looking brick support column in the middle of one of the "piles". Once I was less concerned about the structure, I was able to step back and enjoy the artistic merit. The home across the street had the same "details". Actually kind of cool looking, but I'd never seen it before.

The rest of the brickwork was in good shape, but I'm not sure how I would have reported it had I not been able to see that one center column.

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Greene and Greene built a house similarly on the ocean, but their detail had the same sort of "growth" out of the underlying native stone. The house looks like it grew out of the cliff.

Never seen anything like this brick pile though. I'm not sure if I think it's cool, or if it looks sloppy. Definitely strange.

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Hi,

That's part of the craftsman era building ethic. Bungalows were designed to be low-slung and to appear to be one with nature. Greene & Greene weren't the only architects that built them that way. There are still plenty with clinkers done like this in Seattle although they are slowly disappearing as they are flattened so that a McMansion can be put in to take its place.

OT - OF!!!

M.

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