Masonry Magazine June 1986 Page. 32
TERRA COTTA EXHIBIT
continued from page 18
Generous support made both the competition and the exhibition possible. The newly manufactured tiles will be seen for the first time in the exhibit where they will be installed in different patterns and configurations which demonstrate the diversity of each design. Also on display will be the original competition drawings by each winner as well as the drawings made by the jurors that show how they would use the terra cotta pieces they chose in a structure of their own design.
The historical section in the exhibit will include photographs of such early terra cotta buildings as the National Bank of the Republic in Philadelphia by Frank Furness (1883); the Pension Building in Washington, D.C., by Montgomery C. Meigs (1882), and the Guaranty Building in Buffalo by Louis Sullivan (1895). Early skyscrapers using terra cotta for their building material are also featured, including the Flatiron and Woolworth Buildings (1903, 1913) in New York and the Wrigley Building in Chicago (1919).
Examples of today's use of terra cotta include the Best Products Headquarters Building in Richmond, Virginia, by Hardy Holzman Pfeiffer, and the River Crest Country Club in Fort Worth by Taft Architects.
Although terra cotta ornament was used in America as early as the 1850s, it was not until after the disastrous Chicago fire of 1871 that its fireproof qualities led to its widespread use. Mass production followed and terra cotta was incorporated into building designs throughout the country. Examples still abound in most cities, although frequently its presence is often mistaken for other building materials such as stone or marble, which it can easily be made to resemble.
With the end of the construction "boom" years during the Great Depression there was a steep decline in the manufacture of terra cotta and the architecture of the 30s and post-war years did not employ the type of ornament that terra cotta makes possible. However, in the past two decades many architects have again become intrigued with ornament and the use and production of terra cotta to match this new interest has been rapidly increasing.
The National Building Museum is housed in the historic Pension Building which is an early example of the use of terra cotta as a decorative material. The exterior of the building is encircled by a 1,200-foot-long terra cotta frieze depicting a procession of soldiers and sailors. In the Great Hall the elaborately decorated bases of the eight giant Corinthian columns are also cast from terra cotta.
The National Building Museum, mandated by Congress in 1980, is the only museum in the country that celebrates America's building heritage through its educational programs and exhibitions both in the museum and throughout the country.
The National Building Museum is located at Judiciary Square, NW, F Street between 4th and 5th, Metro Red Line, Washington, DC.
Exhibition hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday: 12 noon to 4 p.m., weekends and holidays. Tours are given 11 a.m., Tuesdays: 12:15 p.m., Thursdays, and 1 p.m., Saturdays. Group tours by appointment: (202) 272-2877.
QUALITY MORTAR AT LOWER COST
Easy-Spred, the mortar plasticizer that replaces lime. Easy-Spred is a mortar plasticizer that performs better and costs less to use than lime. One 7 lb. bag of Easy-Spred replaces a 50 lb. bag of lime. Its water retention capability promotes better curing, less shrinkage, and the contractor doesn't have to retemper as often to maintain plasticity. Board life is increased as much as two times compared to a Portland/lime mix.
Easy-Spred is made from a formulation of minerals naturally compatible with basic ingredients in mortar, and is effective for use with brick, block or stucco. It accepts color pigments without bleaching, as lime often does, to make a brick color match easier.
BOCA, ICBO and Southern Building Code Conference listed.
"Smart" Buildings
Fortune magazine had a clever line in a recent issue concerning the architectural concept of "smart" vs. "dumb" buildings. "Once brains are in vogue, buildings can no longer rely on good looks."