Designed in the Beaux Arts style, the former Watt & Shand department store — now part of the Lancaster Marriott and the Lancaster County Convention Center — features tan-tone narrow-gauge brick
C. Emlen Urban's Paired Mansions at 623-625 W. Chestnut St., Lancaster, were built in 1898 and feature narrow-gauge Pennsylvania Iron Spot brick framing putti and cornucopia.
The 1897 residence C. Emlen Urban designed for John N. Hetrick on West Chestnut Street, Lancaster, uses narrow-gauge brick. It was designed in the French Baroque style.
C. Emlen Urban used narrow-gauge brick, woven into corner blocks, on the 1904 Stevens High School, also known as Girl's High School, on Chestnut Street.
Designed in the Beaux Arts style, the former Watt & Shand department store — now part of the Lancaster Marriott and the Lancaster County Convention Center — features tan-tone narrow-gauge brick
MATTHEW TENNISON
C. Emlen Urban used narrow-gauge brick, woven into corner blocks, on the 1904 Stevens High School, also known as Girl's High School, on Chestnut Street.
ARCHITECTS’ ALPHABET, PART 14: N IS FOR NARROW-GAUGE BRICK
The Architects’ Alphabet is a 26-part series describing design elements featured in Gregory J. Scott’s new book, “Urban Legend, The Life & Legacy of C. Emlen Urban,” Lancaster’s most renowned architect. Photos for the book, which is now available at egganddartbooks. com, are by Matthew Tennison.
Architects of renown eventually gravitate to either their favorite design style or building material that ultimately defines their work and becomes their “trademark.” For Frank Lloyd Wright, it was the prairie style, for Frank Gehry, it is deconstructivism and for Philip Johnson it was postmodernism. Like Thomas Jefferson, Lancaster’s own C. Emlen Urban was a champion of neoclassical architecture and building materials that respected the design principles of the ancient Greeks and Romans.
Architect C. Emlen Urban used narrow-gauge brick in the 1904 Stevens High School, also known as Girls High School, on West Chestnut Street.
Designed in the Beaux Arts style, the former Watt & Shand department store — now part of the Lancaster Marriott and the Lancaster County Convention Center — features tan-tone narrow-gauge brick
C. Emlen Urban used narrow-gauge brick, woven into corner blocks, on the 1904 Stevens High School, also known as Girl's High School, on Chestnut Street.
Narrow-gauge brick and thin mortar provides a monochromatic wall surface on the 1904 C. Emlen Urban-designed Stevens High School — also known as Girls High School — on Chestnut Street.
Elongated narrow bricks provide a stark contrast against the glazed blocks and medallion on the 1904 Stevens High School — also known as Girls High School — on Chestnut Street. The building was designed by C. Emlen Urban.
C. Emlen Urban's Paired Mansions at 623-625 W. Chestnut St., Lancaster, were built in 1898 and feature narrow-gauge Pennsylvania Iron Spot brick framing putti and cornucopia.
The Davidson building on West Chestnut Street, designed by C. Emlen Urban, is the former Long & Davidson Shoe Factory. It features gold-tone common brick.
The Davidson building on West Chestnut Street, designed by C. Emlen Urban, is the former Long & Davidson Shoe Factory. It features gold-tone common brick.
The 1897 residence C. Emlen Urban designed for John N. Hetrick on West Chestnut Street, Lancaster, uses narrow-gauge brick. It was designed in the French Baroque style.
The 1897 residence C. Emlen Urban designed for John N. Hetrick on West Chestnut Street, Lancaster, uses narrow-gauge brick. It was designed in the French Baroque style.
On the 1909 Frederick C. Robie House, designed in Chicago by Frank Lloyd Wright, the narrow-gauge Pennsylvania Iron Spot brick emphasizes the Prairie Style horizontality.
Examples of narrow-gauge brick on Lancaster buildings [photos]
Narrow-gauge Roman brick is an ancient building material that was “reintroduced” to architects in the early 20th century. Its long, thin profile and thin bed of mortar emphasize the horizontality and monochromatic appearance of the walls built with it. It was a favored building material of Lancaster architect C. Emlen Urban and others. Here are examples of its use on private homes and public buildings in Lancaster and beyond.
Architect C. Emlen Urban used narrow-gauge brick in the 1904 Stevens High School, also known as Girls High School, on West Chestnut Street.
GREGORY J. SCOTT
Designed in the Beaux Arts style, the former Watt & Shand department store — now part of the Lancaster Marriott and the Lancaster County Convention Center — features tan-tone narrow-gauge brick
MATTHEW TENNISON
Tan-tone narrow-gauge brick is featured on the 1897 building known as the Breneman residence on North Duke Street.
MATTHEW TENNISON
C. Emlen Urban used narrow-gauge brick, woven into corner blocks, on the 1904 Stevens High School, also known as Girl's High School, on Chestnut Street.
GREGORY J. SCOTT
Narrow-gauge brick and thin mortar provides a monochromatic wall surface on the 1904 C. Emlen Urban-designed Stevens High School — also known as Girls High School — on Chestnut Street.
GREGORY J. SCOTT
Elongated narrow bricks provide a stark contrast against the glazed blocks and medallion on the 1904 Stevens High School — also known as Girls High School — on Chestnut Street. The building was designed by C. Emlen Urban.
MATTHEW TENNISON
C. Emlen Urban's Paired Mansions at 623-625 W. Chestnut St., Lancaster, were built in 1898 and feature narrow-gauge Pennsylvania Iron Spot brick framing putti and cornucopia.
MATTHEW TENNISON
C. Emlen Urban's Paired Mansions at 623-625 W. Chestnut St., Lancaster, were built in 1898 in the Italian Renaissance style.
WOHLSEN ARCHIVES AT FRANKLIN & MARSHALL COLLEGE
The former Breneman family mansion, circa 1897, is on North Duke Street and features narrow-gauge brick.
MATTHEW TENNISON
The Davidson building on West Chestnut Street, designed by C. Emlen Urban, is the former Long & Davidson Shoe Factory. It features gold-tone common brick.
MATTHEW TENNISON
The Davidson building on West Chestnut Street, designed by C. Emlen Urban, is the former Long & Davidson Shoe Factory. It features gold-tone common brick.
MATTHEW TENNISON
The 1897 residence C. Emlen Urban designed for John N. Hetrick on West Chestnut Street, Lancaster, uses narrow-gauge brick. It was designed in the French Baroque style.
WOHLSEN ARCHIVES AT FRANKLIN & MARSHALL COLLEGE
The 1897 residence C. Emlen Urban designed for John N. Hetrick on West Chestnut Street, Lancaster, uses narrow-gauge brick. It was designed in the French Baroque style.
MATTHEW TENNISON
The narrow-gauge brick on the Watt & Shand building creates a monochromatic façade.
MATTHEW TENNISON
The Watt & Shand department store building features tan-tone narrow-gauge brick on a radius.
MATTHEW TENNISON
The thin mortar bed on narrow-gauge brick on the Watt & Shand building creates a monochromatic appearance.
MATTHEW TENNISON
On the Watt & Shand building, the narrow-gauge brick doesn’t detract from the cast-stone lion-head motif.
MATTHEW TENNISON
On the 1909 Frederick C. Robie House, designed in Chicago by Frank Lloyd Wright, the narrow-gauge Pennsylvania Iron Spot brick emphasizes the Prairie Style horizontality.
WIKIMEDIA COMMONS
In addition to Mr. Urban’s passion for neoclassical design, he also subscribed to using an ancient building material that was “reintroduced” to architects in the early 20th century — specifically, narrow-gauge Roman brick. The Romans invented the process of fired-clay bricks, as an alternative to sun-dried mud bricks, for their longevity, consistency and mass production capability.
Their roads, buildings, aqueducts and bridges were built using Roman bricks and remain intact thousands of years later!
The term “narrow gauge” refers to the long, thin and narrow profile of the brick. The average narrow-gauge brick measures 12 inches long by 2 inches high, compared to a standard brick measuring 7.7 inches long by 2.25 inches high. The thin proportion, in addition to a very thin bed of mortar, emphasizes the horizontality and monochromatic appearance of the wall.
The former Breneman family mansion, circa 1897, is on North Duke Street and features narrow-gauge brick.
MATTHEW TENNISON
The narrow-gauge brick was a favorite for Frank Lloyd Wright’s Prairie Style homes, emphasizing horizontality and for C. Emlen Urban’s neoclassical revival buildings offering a nod to the ancient Romans. Urban’s most notable public buildings in Lancaster utilizing narrow gauge brick would be the 1898 Watt & Shand department store building, the 1904 Stevens Girls High School and the 1898 paired mansions on West Chestnut Street. Chances are, if you see the distinctive gold narrow-gauge Roman brick on a building in town, the architect is most likely C. Emlen Urban!
The 1897 residence C. Emlen Urban designed for John N. Hetrick on West Chestnut Street, Lancaster, uses narrow-gauge brick. It was designed in the French Baroque style.
MATTHEW TENNISON
Did Urban only use narrow-gauge brick on commercial and civic buildings?
Urban employed narrow gauge on hundreds of row homes in the city as well.
What colors of brick were popular?
Gold tone is the most popular as seen on the Stevens School. However; Urban used a tan tone on the Watt & Shand department story building.
C. Emlen Urban's Paired Mansions at 623-625 W. Chestnut St., Lancaster, were built in 1898 and feature narrow-gauge Pennsylvania Iron Spot brick framing putti and cornucopia.
MATTHEW TENNISON
What are the rust flecks in the brick?
The flecks are iron added to the clay slurry prior to firing. Referred to as “Pennsylvania Iron Spot Roman brick,” they were used by Frank Lloyd Wright on his famous 1909 Robie House in Chicago.
This column is contributed by Gregory J. Scott, FAIA, a local architect with 50 years of national experience in innovation and design. He is a member of the American Institute of Architects’ College of Fellows. Email GScott@rlps.com.
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