Masonry Magazine June 1961 Page. 6
Ebbets Field Apartments
Ebbets Field Apartments, Brooklyn, by Architects Brown & Guenther, is cited by Guenther as typifying the good experience of architects with mason contractors and bricklayers in building today's structures.
Architect Cites High Standards of Masonry
In a special interview for MASONRY and the Bricklayers Journal, Berhard W. Guenther, partner in the New York City architectural firm of Brown & Guenther, attributed much of the continuing success of brick in construction to the high standards practiced by mason contractors and bricklayers and to product developments of the manufacturers.
The architect recently extolled brick as a fine building material in a special article in the Sunday New York Times. It also appeared in other Eastern newspapers.
Mr. Guenther's firm has designed a large number of major housing projects, including Jefferson Houses, Queensview West, Kingsview, Inwood Terrace and Inwood Heights in New York City. Among its current commissions is Ebbets Field Apartments, which are being constructed on the former home of the Brooklyn Dodgers and which will provide units for 1,317 families. The firm is also widely known for its work in the church and school fields.
Craftsmanship and product development compliment sound design in modern structures, prominent New York architect tells MASONRY in special interview.
"Our firm, and I believe the entire architectural profession have had extremely good experience with mason contractors and their mechanics," said Mr. Guenther. "Large-scale housing developments and apartment buildings today must follow austere lines because of the need for overall economy. As a result such buildings must depend almost entirely on the quality of their brickwork to make a good and attractive appearance.
"In churches and other religious buildings the excellence of the design is brought out by good brickwork, because simple, contemporary architecture gets its greatest effect from well-installed materials. Incidentally, Norman and Roman size bricks, for some years difficult to obtain in the New York market, have reappeared and are being used with great success," the architect said.
The bricklayer has always taken great pride in his craftsmanship and can be depended on to turn out a good job even under trying conditions, according to Mr. Guenther. "Young men coming into the trade should be encouraged to develop this same pride and there is evidence this is happening," he declared.
Mr. Guenther noted that a contest had recently been staged among apprentices in New York City, and that this had resulted in much favorable publicity. The winner will later compete with apprentices from other parts of the state. "Such matches not only stimulate all young men in the trade to do their best work but also indicate to the general public that the craft values and sets high standards of workmanship," he said.
Across the nation, Mr. Guenther finds, there is a revival of interest in massive brick wall surfaces well laid up. This interest has been stimulated in part by the fact that manufacturers are producing brick with interesting surface textures and in a wide variety of colors.
"The industry needs to continue stressing the fact that brick is a material suitable for all architectural styles," Mr. Guenther said. "When it is selected properly, used with intelligence and laid up well, it has just as much of a place in contemporary as in traditional architecture."
Mr. Guenther believes that the biggest challenge to the industry is the need for more research at the manufacturing level, so that a greater variety of brick can be developed at present costs or less. More decorative units might also be developed within the limitations of the material and further work is needed on cavity wall units which can be erected as a single unit.
"Architects and the public are always in the market for something new and this fact applies to products with a long history," said Mr. Guenther. "A great advantage accrues to an old industry which can talk about its new colors, textures, sizes and other developments, especially when it calls wide attention to them through publicity and other means. The industry establishes itself in the public mind as modern and progressive, so even the consumer who continues to use its standard products is happier."
MASONRY-JUNE, 19