The Rose-Vined Arches of San Juan Capistrano V Nr- I NSPIRED by the beauty and enduring strength of the old Cloister walls of the Missions of Cal¬ ifornia, we have created “Cloister' brick. They closely resemble the brick that show in these time-scarred walls erected by the Jesuits after their expulsion from the Spanish dominions in 1767; walls that offered the protection of fear¬ less pioneers to their persecuted brethren. Our “ Cloister ” brick are like the old in character, but far exceed¬ ing them in richness, Copyright, 1920 WESTERN BRICK CO. Danville, Ill. O NCE in a long, long time, out of a wondrous fund of age and experience, the past combines with the present to contribute to the future. Among the most generous gifts offered—not to us (excepting in trust) but to posterity, is "Cloister'' brick—the brick of unparalleled longevity, simplicity, and beauty. Where soft, warm tones and harmonious effects are desired—where all the beauties of the rougher-faced textures are demanded—where quiet dignity and charm are sought, the most exacting requirements of the architect and builder are met in the "Cloister." These brick are shale. They are sidecut. They are impervious. They are without glaze—yet they possess a soft, velvety surface—and they are inexpensive. "Cloister" brick are made in four shades—from the warm brown tones, through the intermediates, to a bright red. There is nothing just like the "Cloister" brick. They are an original product. They are made from a mixture of certain shales and given a special treatment in moulding and burning. Nothing can be like them. Our samples will convince you. Western Brick Co., Danville, III . A RTIST NATURE, with her softly blending brush of time, must ever add improving touches to man’s handi¬ work. Over the remnants of the brick walls of the Missions of the Old World—now standing as monuments to the memory of the loving hands of those who builded so uniquely—Nature has thrown a network of clinging ivy to lend enchantment to their simple romance. These noble old structures awe us with their dignity. They directly appeal to us through their sincerity. We are im¬ pressed with their freedom from ostentation. Always has the master craftsman built with simplicity, permit¬ ting himself slight indulgence in ornament cached where only those who sought might see and enjoy, and keeping the whole free from a confusion of details; and always has the master concentrated his effort on fitness. When you, in your turn, are about to build, some things must be remembered. This is one of them—that a house cannot run away and hide itself. Where you put it, there it stands and stays and indicates its builder. Shall it reflect a maker feeble and wabbly or shall it reflect a maker solid, sound, and true? Let it be real if you yourself are real. Invest it with a sense of lasting worth. Your home in the last analysis will be what you are. Shall it be tawdry, supine, unsound, unsafe? Shall it represent a mask or shall it show a reliable intelligent face? Let your home be sound. Let it not depend upon a false exterior. Let it, without bedizenjment of paint, turn a cheerful 4 and fearless countenance to wind, rain, and sun. Houses that are not substantially built are like infection—spots that should be eliminated because they undermine the structural strength of the community. If they are not, so far as it is possible to make them, proof against fire and the ravages of time, they are points of least resistance that menace the common good. Realize your “castle in Spain." Let it no longer be builded remotely in thin air of the stuff that dreams are made of, but here and now and of good pigment. Let the reality exceed the vision. Make your ideal home of " Cloister " brick because you love it. And this love of home — Whence does it come? Why does it dominate? If you think deeply you will know that the heart it shows, is "the woman in man." Not only to the home are " Cloister " brick well adapted, but to churches, schools, public buildings, and factories as well. “ Cloister " brick invests them with the same sense of last¬ ing worth which they give the Home, for after all, these, too, are but homes which claim us before "tired day has sunk into the arms of restful night" and we seek, before the hearth, our hour of ease and story telling. THE HEARTH “The Hearth am I,the deep Heart of the Dwelling, A pleasant Nook for Ease and Story-telling, Where Friendship’s Flame shall find a glad Renewal While Mirth and kindly Chat supply the Fuel.” 5 6 T HE pages which follow not only depict, but also dwell in detail upon the fitness of “ Cloister" brick as build¬ ing units for homes, schools, churches, public buildings, and factories. Each building is different from the other from the standpoint of design and plan only. The nature of the material is alike in all. Walls of “ Cloister " brick do not vary. They are not a jum¬ ble of conflicting colors. In groups of buildings they are pleasingly uniform, maintaining the same standard of good taste which has characterized them from the beginning. “Cloister" brick are not in any sense a fad, yet they are strictly modern. Because of their intrinsic worth they never become old-fashioned. In the humble home as well as in the mansion they seem to have a certain pride of being, which proclaims them the most aristocratic of all building-material. They look protective, as though to say—“Here you are safe from fire—from intrusion and from health menace.” Indeed “ Cloister" brick always appear to show a certain sym¬ pathetic feeling. In the church they look as serious as the pious throng which gathers within the consecrated walls, while in the school they have a sort of gaiety, which reflects the frolicsome good cheer of healthy youth. In the public building they seem conscious of the many con¬ tributing purses. In the factory—the great furnace in which our daily needs are wrought—they have a saving sense which endures, and wel¬ comes the daily toiler. They are not cold and forbidding, but seem to emanate a cheerful glow, a cordial sense of welcome that encourages to better effort, like the smiling face of a true friend. In fact, to each whose money calls for “ Cloister ” brick they answer with the choicest things required. “ Cloister ” colors combine in perfect harmony with those employed by Nature. Never was an artist—no matter how renowned he may have been—in doubt as to color schemes that he did not revert to the old master—Nature. Green is the complementary color of red. Consequently any building of “ Cloister ” brick, with a few touches of green from vines or plants, and the great green background of trees and grass, affords a picture of natural beauty. The mortar may be mixed in any color desired, and adds to the appearance The beautiful color range of “Cloister" brick is the result of intense firing, which also produces brick of an except¬ ionally impervious character. “I clothe the Cloister Wall, I creep the Bricks between, 1 make thy Casement cool in living Green." by means of contrast. 8 ‘“Cloister C. H. Johnston, Architect "Home's not merely four square walls, Tho with pictures hung and gilded; HOME is where affection calls. Where its shrine the heart has builded." I N these post-bellum days one hears much about effici¬ ency, concentration of effort and economy in business. The planning and building of a home is an extremely important business. If the home answers the full purpose for which it is built, that is sufficient. But it too often happens, in this process, that the interior is the all-absorbing matter, although the exterior of a home should prove equally important. When durability of construction, economy of mainte¬ nance, and beauty of exterior, are attributes of your home, then you have a truly perfect house. When love has filled it with the carefully thought-out comforts of all the inmates, when personal preferences have been considered and have found expression in the perfect house, then it rises to the ranks of a perfect home. 10 Fermor S. Cannon, Architect If the interior is a masterpiece of home planning, some¬ thing to be enjoyed for generations, then should not the exterior walls be equally beautiful, and at the same time be built of a material which will protect the interior and preserve the home? "Cloister" brick are ideal in this re¬ spect. Their quality is guaranteed. Their color range is superb. Their cost is moderate. The amount of money available for home building deter¬ mines, to a very large extent, the character and size of the house. The man of modest resources is often circum¬ scribed in his real desire in this direction. As a result he frequently acts unwisely in the kind of a home he builds, by building less substantially than he should, in order to secure certain elements that he feels his home must possess to make it ideal. The ravaging hand of time, ever alert to the work of man who fails to consider it, quickly brings about a keen reali¬ zation of the mistake, but all too late. ntsm 11 ^'Cloister Charles F. Schweinfurth, Architect The average home-builder would greatly prefer a brick house. He knows that a brick house would have many ad¬ vantages, economies, and comforts not possible in a frame building. That it would be permanent and fire-resistive; that it would not depreciate to any extent; that it would carry a lower insurance rate; that it would always be cool in sum¬ mer and most economically heated in winter. That over a period of years, because of these economical features, it would prove less costly than a frame house and have many comforts, meantime, which the other could not afford. Yet, with full knowledge of this added comfort and final economy, he often builds of a less substantial material, be¬ lieving that the first cost of a brick house is so much greater, that it would vastly exceed the sum of money available. 12 Liese & Ludwick, Architect Contrary to general belief, a permanent, fire-resistive house of brick is now but slightly more in first cost than a frame house. The constantly increasing scarcity and the high price of good lumber during the last few years have influenced this to some extent; and because the available supply of lumber is being rapidly consumed it will be but a short time before the now existing slight difference in cost has been totally absorbed. The following interesting excerpts, from a timely article by P. S. Lovejoy, a recognized forestry writer, on the approaching lumber shortage, appeared in a recent issue of one of our national magazines: “Sixty years’ lumber cut left,” says the Bureau of Corporations. “Fifteen years will see us badly crippled,” says the Forest Service. "Ten years and you ship it from the Coast,” says the lumberman. “In five years Southern pine drops a half,” says the Association. “Poor hemlock lumber $45.00 a thousand," says the yardman. “Oh, well, I guess it'll be all right, somehow,” says the damfool. "What might be done about it?” asks the reasonable citizen 13 Qeorge Mac Lucas & Fitton, Architects The first cost of a brick house never exceeded the cost of a frame house to the extent that the building public has been led to believe. The alleged “spread” in cost has been due wholly to a lack of accurate cost comparisons, which, recently made, shed some very interesting light on this vital subject. Reliable statistics, lately (1919) appearing in “ Architec¬ ture ,” a well-known journal published by Charles Scrib¬ ner’s Sons, New York City, give the following average comparative costs of various types of construction through¬ out the entire country, and when this point is taken into consideration, it is easily understood that masonry walls, in sections where there are brick and hollow tile plants, cost no more than frame walls: COMPARATIVE COSTS Percentage increase on total cost of building: Clapboards, frame.no per cent Brick veneer, frame. 5.8% 10" brick wall with 2 " air space. 9.1% Brick veneer on hollow tile. 10.7% 14 Cram & Qoodhue, Architects Qeo. E. Ramey, Associate Architect S CHOOLS and churches are the very foundations upon which community character is built. By them a community is indexed. If they be imposing and well maintained they reflect intelligent and vigorous community life. Standing, as they frequently do, quite apart from other structures, these buildings offer an ideal opportunity for pleasing exterior embellishment, although sound judgment needs to be displayed in this respect, since, when built, they must ever stand and present a sightly view to all who either pass or enter them. For this reason they must never offend the most aesthetic taste. 16 m €\m\vv Henry H. Dupont, Architect Schools and churches built of “ Cloister " brick quickly fit into a community and become a part of it. When ‘‘ivy- clad’’ they are most interesting. “ Cloister ” colors are natural ivy backgrounds. The Old Spanish Missions of California, which inspired our "Cloister ” brick, were not only the center of religious activity, but were also the seat of learning. There were no other schools and the only available books were housed within the Mission walls. Consequently, the people came in search of academic instruction as well as religious teaching. How logical it is, then, that the same type of brick which composed the walls of many of these old missions should 17 be used in the schools and churches of today, giving the same simplicity and dignity, with the added attraction of color and finish found in the modern product! "Cloister" brick have already been extensively used in thousands of America’s leading schools and churches. Many architects specify them exclusively for this work. Where they are not specifically mentioned by the archi¬ tect, the building committee seldom fails to find in them a common interest—they have every inherent quality which is required for a school or church. You can see samples of "Cloister" brick at our manv sales- offices or we will send them to you direct from the factory. 13 ]. M. White, Supervising Architect University of Illinois m €im\dv I N the suburban districts and in the smaller cities, other public buildings, as well as schools and churches, play an important part in declaring the character of the com¬ munity. The city hall, the library, and the court-house— all are potent factors in the building of the City Beautiful. For this reason, our City Fathers are giving much more consideration to their architecture than ever before. No longer are they the great piles of cold, forbidding stone commonly seen in the older districts, which did not fit into the later structural life of the community. Brick are now being used, in a marked degree, for our new public buildings, which are rapidly replacing these old time-worn structures. 20 ]. M. White, Supervising Architect University of Illinois For public building of the average type, there is no better material for the walls than “Cloister brick. A public building must withstand the ravages of time. It must always be a pleasing sight. It must have solidity, dignity and, above all, it must have character. If your public buildings are made of “ Cloister" brick, their inviting appearance impresses the stranger intensely, it affects their cost but slightly, while you, as a local tax¬ payer, will be impressed both by their sightliness and their economy. “Cloister buildings, as the years pass, never require a coat of paint to “tone them up.' Time does not affect 21 Shattuck & Hussey, Architects Liese & Ludwick, Associates “ Cloister" walls—they are impervious to wind, sun, and rain — they never look old and shabby. We can point with pride to many municipal buildings which are “ Cloister'' built, some of them many years old, yet they look as “young - ’ as those more recently con¬ structed. If you are officially interested in the civic welfare of your community, let "Cloister'' brick be fully considered for its future buildings — they will meet every requirement im¬ posed upon them. “ Cloister" brick, from year to year, are uniform in color. Public bui'dings built of them at different times are^never lacking in color harmony. 22 MsBawivili iiiinmnmn M.J. Morehouse, Architect T HE factory of today is quite apart from the factory of yesterday. It has become something more than a mere place of production. It now serves in a greatly enlarged capacity. The progressive employer is no longer satisfied with conditions which prevailed in the past. Restaurants, gymnasiums, shower baths, rest rooms, and many other innovations are features which are now as much a part of plant machinery as are lathes and presses, for they materially increase production. In the days when the factory was merely a place of men, materials, and machinery, the appearance of the structure which housed it was given little attention, but with the advent of the “brotherhood of man" the factory building became an important consideration. 24 Cloister Charles E. Bacon, Architect fvy-: 3 A factory building which houses a business conducted along these modern lines must be built in keeping with it— exterior appearance has become a factor of prime interest. The factory of “ Cloister" brick, ivy clad, is not an un¬ common sight today. It adds to the civic appearance of the community in which it stands and makes better citi¬ zens of the employees it houses. In factory construction, economy and permanence are other important considerations. A building material must be fire-proof and permanent. Excessive depreciation is a thing of the past; the money spent in up-keep and repairs must be reduced to a minimum. 25 M. J. Morehouse, Architect “ Cloister" brick give permanence, pleasing appearance, and an air of prosperity to a factory far beyond their cost. They have great supporting strength in the wall and answer fully every demand of a structural nature. An important matter to have always in mind, in the first se¬ lection of brick, is additional factory units. Not only be sure that you can secure the same kind of brick for new units, but be equally sure that their color will be the same. “ Cloister" brick are absolutely dependable in this respect. We will always make them and their color value is highly uniform from year to year. r%j t WTTrrTTrTttf ti -- iiillhiin »^S sifflSffii the 26 T HE Western Brick Company was organized in 1900 and had an an¬ nual capacity of thirty million brick—at that time much the largest output of high-grade brick of any individual plant in the country. The early product found a quick and ever-increasing market and our man¬ ufacturing facilities have been steadily expanded to a point where we are now manufacturing considerably over one hundred million brick yearly, re¬ quiring three immense plants with eighty large kilns. Our annual production of brick, placed end to end, would more than girdle the earth. If laid in a solid wall, six feet high, it would be sixty miles long and require one bricklayer, working three hundred and sixty-five days per year, more than two hundred years to lay it. Shipped at one time a train of ten thousand cars, more than ten miles long, would be necessary. The exceptionally high-grade shales and fire clays from which the product is made are practically inexhaustible and are underlaid with the necessary coal required to burn them. This is all delivered to our many kilns, over our own industrial railroad tracks which have a storage capacity for eighty cars. The plants in which the “Western'' line is made are most unique. They are, indeed, manufacturing plants in every sense of the word and not do in any way resemble “the old brick yard" familiar to the average man. WESTERN BRICK COMPANY 28 The plant-equipment and machinery are most modern, and labor-saving devices of the latest approved type are constantly being installed to keep our cost of production low. Every piece of ware which leaves the plant is carefully inspected and when you get it you can be sure of its quality, for it is made under ideal conditions by satisfied labor, which has been with us for years and is a "partner"' in the business—our plants being operated under the co-operative plan. In addition to our factory sales-offices in Indianapolis, Fort Wayne, Peoria, and Danville, we have factory representatives in all of the principal cities of the Middle West. In these offices you may see our product in its many pleasing colors, laid up in all sorts of bonds and mortars. You can always find your ideal wall, which will look just the same in your own home The Western line is also being handled by many local lumber dealers who have full sample lines. Wherever you place an order for Western brick you can do so with full as¬ surance that you are getting every consideration in quality and price. The distribution of our products is not permitted through any channels which do not fully protect the final buyer, for complete satisfaction in this respect is the solid rock upon which this great business has been built. )ANVILLE, ILLINOIS . . s . . , ^ S 30 , dh €\m\vv Our Other Products W HILE “Cloister” brick are one of the principal products of our great plant, yet we make numerous other types of face brick, hollow brick and hollow building tile, all of which are listed on this page. DORIC AND GOTHIC STIPPLED BRICK Doric and Gothic Stippled Brick are the result of years of pioneering to produce a face brick of rare texture and unusual quality and beauty. They are offered made of two wholly different mixtures of clay in two entirely different color ranges. Doric and Gothic Stippled Brick are fully described in our brochure “The Art of Stippling” which will be sent free upon request. "DORIC" STIPPLED BRICK This is made from materials containing a strong content of fire clay, running rather to the tans and buffs and numbered: "DORIC" 871.—Very dark purplish brown and black, quite uniform in color. "DORIC" 872.—Deep brown, with a slight pur¬ plish caste; not absolutely uniform. "DORIC" 875.—A variant from 872, in that its prevailing color is lighter, the tans are more promi¬ nent and shading not quite so uniform. "DORIC" 876.—A golden-tan brick, distinctly different in shading from anything else produced; not absolutely uniform, but with sufficient life to make wall interesting. “DORIC" 878.—Olive-buff; comparatively even in color. "DORIC" 879.—Very light brick with slight pink caste. The various combinations of these different shades have been used, especially Nos. 876, 878 and 879, which is usually called "Doric Chicago Mixture." "GOTHIC" STIPPLED BRICK. —This is made from shale, running in shade through the reds and browns. "GOTHIC" 971.—Very dark brown or black. “GOTHIC" 972.—A dark rich brown, fairly uni¬ form in color. “GOTHIC" 973.—This shade shows consider¬ able variation, ranging through reddish colors. "GOTHIC" 974—A brownish-red mixture, hav¬ ing considerable variation in color, but of perfect blend. "GOTHIC" 975.—A red, with wonderful old-rose shades. RUG TEXTURE FACE BRICK "Western Rugs" or vertical scored Rough Tex¬ tures; thoroughly burned and ranging in color through the reds and purples. These "Rugs" are manufactured in very large quantities and price will be found very moderate. CHIMNEY BRICK, NO. 160 A light red, cheap facing brick. OCTAGONS AND ROUND CORNERS For all of the above shades are kept in stock. Specials and Arches can be made to order, usually in about four weeks from receipt of full-sized details. SHALE COMMON BRICK Graded according to quality rather than color. Vitrified Hard Wire Cuts and Medium Hard Wire Cuts. SHALE HOLLOW BRICK Two grades, according to hardness: Vitrified and Semi-Porous. SHALE PARTITION, BUILDING AND FLOOR TILE The following sizes, with returns and halves, are kept in stock; special sizes made to order Graded according to hardness into Vitrified and Semi-Porous. 4x 5x 12 3 x 12x 12 6x 12x 12 5x8x 12 4x 12x 12 8x 12x 12 We will gladly send samples of any of these prod¬ ucts to interested parties. WESTERN BRICK CO. “More than a Hundred Million a Year DANVILLE, ILL. 31 Western Brick Company Danville, Ill. Branches Indianapolis, Ind. Ft. Wayne, Ind. Peoria, Ill, Factory Representatives in all Prin¬ cipal Cities of the Middle West.