Flemish bond in .the Old Swedes 
Church. The headers are burned to 
a bluish-black glaze 
Common running bond in its best form. Every fourth 
row is one of alternate headers and stretchers to tie 
the facing brick to the rest of the wall 
English bond—alternate rows of head¬ 
ers and stretchers, with joints of the 
latter over one another 
The Best Use of Brickwork 
THE COMMONER METHODS OF BONDING BRICK WALLS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE VALUES 
BOTH IN APPEARANCES AND STABILITY—THE PASSING OF THE “ PRESSED BRICK FRONT” 
by Harold Donaldson Eberlein 
[Two houses that are alike in every respect, but the brick walls, may be almost as dissimilar in appearance as if one were of stone and the other of 
brick. The best use of wall materials is a subject of as great importance as the architectural style that is to be followed, yet the layman, as a rule, 
seems not to appreciate this fact; to him a brick house is merely a brick house — until he realizes that his finished home falls far short of his ideal. 
This article is the second of a short series, in which the aim is to make clear the possibilities in securing distinctive character through an intelligent 
use of the various building materials. The author wishes to give credit to Mr. H. L. Duhring, architect, for many helpful suggestions. — Editor.] 
T F “pigs is pigs,” doubtless, by the same token, “bricks is bricks” 
and also “mortar is mortar.” Notwithstanding the profund¬ 
ity of this truism, it is just as well to remember that there are 
bricks and bricks and that there is mortar and mortar too, and 
that both, when brought together in a wall, 
mutually interact and are susceptible to 
large diversity of treatment. This very pos¬ 
sibility of different combination affords the 
architect a field for the exercise of not a 
little ingenuity. To call the attention of the 
layman — especially the layman who has a 
house to build — to the possibilities pre¬ 
sented is the purpose of this paper. Most 
people consider one brick wall much the 
same as another, and consequently there 
has been no stimulus to strive for artistic 
•effect in brick texture. One way in which 
that desired end may be hastened is by be¬ 
coming fully cognizant of the resources 
within our grasp. It is high time for us to 
realize the possibilities of our structural 
stuffs in this era of extensive building, 
when on every hand there is the will, back¬ 
ed by abundant means, to secure the best 
results that can be achieved by the union 
■of the architect’s and builder’s arts. 
Until quite recently in America far too 
little use has been made of the capabilities 
•of brick as a means of architectural expres¬ 
sion, and the thrall of pressed brick and running bond as the 
dominant type of brick masonry is by no means shaken off yet, 
though there are unmistakable indications of education in taste. 
We are too much accustomed to look upon an exterior wall sur¬ 
face as an inevitable necessity, rather than 
as an opportunity for seemly decoration, 
or for insuring harmony with the sur¬ 
roundings. Surfaces of brick, stone, plas¬ 
ter and even wood, lend themselves to 
artistic and varied treatment, though none 
in that respect are superior to brick in the 
wide range of variety attainable. Lacking 
perhaps some of the virile strength and 
rigidity, perhaps too, some of the stern 
dignity of stone, it furnishes a medium 
more readily adaptable to the many-sided 
expression of creative activity to be found 
in an advanced stage of culture. In point 
of color and texture, the brick wall has 
but few limitations to impose on the archi¬ 
tect. The style of architecture for a 
building once determined, the owner and 
the architect have a great assortment of 
possible wall textures and colors to pick 
from. Although one texture of wall sur¬ 
face may be just as appropriate as another 
for the particular style of architecture to 
be employed, still the man who is to live 
in the house may have his strong pref- 
This old Southern mansion and its garden 
wall are of all-header bond, breaking joints 
( 85 ) 
