HISTORY OF BRICK
Born from the alchemy of water, earth and fire, bricks are one of the earliest — and most intuitive — building materials. Originally formed by hand, the first bricks date back to 10,000 to 8,000 B.C., when nomadic humans began to build permanent settlements following the end of the Ice Age. The materials and processes used to produce clay bricks have changed only minimally over time, their elemental form used to define some of our greatest feats of architectural innovation and artistry.
An ancient means of making shelter
The story of clay bricks coincides with the beginnings of civilization. An invention predating pottery and the discovery of metals, the first bricks were shaped by human settlers as they first began to domesticate animals and cultivate crops for sustenance.
Following the thaw of the Ice Age, Neolithic humans, no longer forced to follow the migratory path of animals or the cycles of each harvest, began to take root in the newly temperate landscape. As they settled, their structures became permanent, made from the most abundant material available to them — the ground beneath their feet.
Honed by hand
The earliest bricks were dug out of the earth with sticks, mixed with water and shaped by hand like loaves of bread before being left in the sun to dry and harden.
Starting in Mesopotamia in 5,000 B.C., the shape of the brick became standardized using wooden molds, enabling their forms to be squared off and thereby more easily stacked into rectilinear walls. The most impactful advancement, however, arrived in 3,500 B.C. with the invention of fired brick and clay pavers, which gave the material the resilience of stone and thereby enabled the formation of more durable, enduring structures.
Designed at human scale
Unlike building materials that appear in sheets, slabs or panels, brick was, and has remained, sized to the human hand. Ergonomic in dimension, weight and material, the clay brick's maneuverability allows it to be lifted and set into place by the average person, eliminating the need for tools and machinery.
The K-Brick
In 1927, Anna Keichline, the first woman registered as an architect in Pennsylvania, patented the K-Brick, a forerunner of the modern concrete block. Keichline's design required less material than conventional brick and was quicker to fire, making it more cost-effective and efficient. Shaped like the Roman numeral "two," the K-Brick was fireproof and lent itself to the construction of hollow walls that could be filled with insulating or sound-proofing material.
A world of color
The color of a particular brick may be the result of the clay used as well as how it's fired, with variations occurring due to temperature and the level of oxygen present in the kiln. In England, the famous "Staffordshire Blue" brick is made from local Etruria marl red clay, which, when fired at high temperature in a low-oxygen atmosphere, takes on its signature deep blue-gray hue.
On the opposite end of the color spectrum "Cream City" brick, used extensively in 19th-century structures in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, was produced from deep bands of magnesium- and calcium-rich glacial clay present in the area. When fired, the bricks turn buttery yellow in color.
Our Clay Pavers similarly reflect the palette of California's natural landscape, ranging from warm browns and stormy grays to pale alabaster.