Conkling ~ Armstrong Terra Cotta Philadelphia

[Phillyxpat]

[1]



I ran into this sample book of Conkling ~ Armstrong Terra Cotta Company in Philadelphia. I always thought a lot of the decoration on older buildings was carved stone. Most of it was probably terra cotta which is now pretty much a lost architectural art form. Here are some samples from the book and the buildings they adorn in Philly.



[Port-folio] (Open Library)



[2]



[3]



[4]



Witherspoon Building


[5]



[6]



[7]



[8]



[9]



Philaphilia: Old-Ass Building of the Week-- July 4th



Crozer Building


[10]


peterdecamp

1420-22 Chestnut St. Constructed in 1899; steel-framed and clad with non-load-bearing terra cotta and pompeian brick.

Architect: Frank Miles Day, known for his effectiveness in revival styles.

Architecture: French Renaissance (particularly upperframed levels) reflecting the era of Francois I, "combining the principle strains of western art ~ the classic, and the gothic, in a synthetic style sanctioned by history and having the happy result of leaving an elegant bit of French chateau elevated in the skyline. . ." ~ George Thomas.

The Crozer Building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980.

[11]


[12]


[13]


[14]



[15]philadelphiaspeaks-bunch-old-photos-49

[Titus]

Nice find!

[ZARK]

Great stuff, Phillyxpat. If only this kind of work were done today..

[Jayfar]

Complementary to that book:

Amazon.com: Terra-Cotta Skyline: New York's Architectural Ornament: Susan Tunick, Peter Mauss: Books

I bought this cheap at the Last Word Bookshop on 40th St in University City a few years ago. They may still have it. Despite the New York subtitle, it covers the history of the terra-cotta industry nationally.

[CHIOSSO]

wonderful stuff phillyxpat.

[Phillyxpat]

Thanks. I was thinking that a decorative frieze around most modern buildings say around the second story level, made of some colorful terra cotta, might go a long way to making these modern glass and steel skyscrapers a little bit warmer or more appealing at street level. I did a little internet research and the last things Conkling and Armstrong was doing in the early forties were Art Deco terra cotta decorations for movie theaters. Even the spelling is different these days in that most articles push the words together into terracotta. I am also mindful of a lot of workers homes, row houses in the early part of the twentieth century in Philly, that pressed tin decorations on bay windows or porch trim was in possible imitation of the terra cotta decoration thing on well to do houses.

[CHIOSSO]

I hate to admit it but when I was starting out in construction I did a lot of demo work. I smashed some beautiful stuff. But I made up for it later.