51黑料

ST. LOUIS 鈥� Beyond immediate needs tied to shelter and safety, preservation experts and local officials say they鈥檝e heard a common refrain in the aftermath of last month鈥檚 deadly tornado that ravaged parts of 51黑料, bringing down multiple brick structures:

What鈥檚 going to become of all that brick from damaged buildings 鈥� and how can the city save the material that鈥檚 a distinct symbol of 51黑料 pride and identity from landfills and potential larceny?

鈥淲e鈥檙e one of the few truly brick cities in the country,鈥� said Alderman Michael Browning of the 9th Ward. 鈥淚t speaks to the character of the city. That鈥檚 a character we want to preserve.鈥�

On May 16 an EF3 tornado cut across the city from the Central West End and into north 51黑料 neighborhoods of historic red brick homes, like Fountain Park, killing five people. Homes and buildings were toppled by the storm, leaving rooms without walls or roofs, and creating mountains of brick, lumber and more.

51黑料鈥� strong brick heritage stretches back well over a century 鈥� or even to past millennia, in a geological sense. The local abundance of clay provided the material that industrialists like the Hydraulic Press Brick Co. converted into untold volumes of brick, starting in the 1800s.

From its 51黑料 hub, the company grew to become the world鈥檚 biggest brick producer, and created what 鈥渃ame to be known as the perfect brick鈥� with a red tinge, said Will Quam, a Chicago-based architecture expert who leads brick-related tours, and will visit 51黑料 to give a talk about bricks later this month.

鈥淲hen you think of this platonic ideal of a brick, you鈥檙e picturing a brick made in 51黑料 by the Hydraulic Press Brick Co.,鈥� he said. 鈥�51黑料 was the real epicenter of brick fashion in the late 19th century.鈥�

Bricks can take on different hues and characteristics, based on local geology where their clay is harvested. For example, bricks from Chicago and Milwaukee are distinctly lighter in color than those made here.

Today, the glory and grit of 51黑料 brick has made the material a target that can fetch premium prices, and is coveted by salvagers, brickyards, brazen thieves and, eventually, builders even out of state.

鈥淧eople love the look an old brick and they will pay good money for it,鈥� Quam said. 鈥淭hey want the look of a brick that has weathered for 100 years as opposed to a modern brick that is maybe too perfect.鈥�

He said that around Chicago, reclaimed 51黑料 bricks are selling for $1.51 each, or $800 for a pallet of 530 bricks. That鈥檚 almost 20% more than reclaimed 鈥淐hicago Common鈥� bricks, which he said go for $1.25 apiece.

That appeal of 51黑料 brick is raising fears that the tornado could accelerate the long-established trend of 51黑料鈥� salvaged brick leaving town, often for destinations across the southern U.S., where it can commonly be sliced up and used as cladding.

鈥淵ou have people who will lose their homes and will then lose their brick to some multimillion-dollar development in the South,鈥� said Quam.

In the weeks since the tornado, 51黑料 residents, volunteers and workers have begun sifting through jumbled piles of rubble from the damaged buildings that may be condemned and empty or collapsed, sometimes setting aside tidy stacks of bricks.

Residents said they and their neighbors intend to reuse those intact, salvaged bricks to rebuild and repair their homes.

鈥淚 haven鈥檛 heard anyone say anything about selling their bricks,鈥� said Richard Ellis, a Fountain Park resident who was helping with work at a nearby home on Thursday night. 鈥淭hat has not even been a discussion.鈥�

A hallmark brick city

51黑料 brick is a valued piece of local history, geology and architectural flavor. Even before the tornado struck, city officials were talking about how to protect it.

鈥淧eople aren鈥檛 stupid 鈥� they do value it,鈥� said Michael Allen, a history professor at West Virginia University who, until last year, was a lecturer on architectural history at Washington University. 鈥淭hey just might not value the building it comes from as much as the commodity it generates when it鈥檚 demolished.鈥�

But not all 51黑料 brick has the same appeal. Salvagers are generally looking for bricks made in a 鈥渟weet spot鈥� from about 1900 to the 1930s, said Kyle Lansing, a local salvager and preservation specialist. Before that, he said, bricks were often hand-pressed.

鈥淭his summer鈥檚 gonna be full, just in north city,鈥� said Lansing. 鈥淭here鈥檚 so much stuff up there that should be saved that I hope to be a part of.鈥�

Another challenge comes from the limited capacity of salvage workers compared to the scale of regional storm damage, and the slower pace of reclamation work, which is done by hand.

鈥淎 lot of those buildings are still going to be standing in six to eight months,鈥� said Allen. 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 time to do something at scale. It doesn鈥檛 have to be done all at once.鈥�

Some of the homes, church buildings and businesses the tornado fully or partially toppled have been in families or congregations for decades. Others are city-owned, leading some aldermen in hard-hit wards to question the typical practice of hiring local demolition contractors who work at a discounted price, in exchange for the right to resell bricks or other salvageable materials.

The officials wonder if it could be a better deal for the city to pay more for demolition work, while getting to keep the brick, instead 鈥� especially when the material could be used in rebuilding efforts.

鈥淲hat is the greater cost?鈥� asked Alderwoman Laura Keys of the city鈥檚 11th Ward, who said she discussed the matter with the mayor鈥檚 office on May 13, three days before the tornado. 鈥淲ould it be better for us as a city in the long run to go ahead and pay them outright 鈥� and take custody of those bricks?鈥�

Alderwoman Sharon Tyus of the 12th Ward agreed that a change should be explored to prevent further exports of the city鈥檚 bricks, especially with salvage work set to unfold 鈥渁t such a large scale,鈥� she said.

鈥淚 would love to see that stop happening and that we would save them and keep them in the neighborhood,鈥� Tyus said. 鈥淚 would love to see the brick taken back and kept in 51黑料.鈥�

Demolition and salvaging isn鈥檛 the only way valuable bricks leave neighborhoods 鈥� theft has long been a concern, especially from vacant buildings. Tyus, for instance, said that several years ago, she watched a 鈥渨hole garage be stolen, brick by brick,鈥� in her neighborhood.

Brick generally represents the most valuable material that can be salvaged from a demolished home, experts said.

鈥淚n the midst of recovery, thieves can often blend in and look like contractors,鈥� said Allen, the professor. 鈥淲ho鈥檚 going to second guess, in the moment?鈥�

Rumors of recent brick thefts in tornado-damaged areas have been circulating, city officials and residents say, but 51黑料 police spokesman Mitch McCoy said Saturday the department isn鈥檛 aware of any reports being filed.

To help retain and protect more of the city鈥檚 brick, Keys, Tyus and others hope to see the material funneled toward a 鈥渂rick bank鈥� repository that local residents could draw from during future construction or restoration efforts. Residents and the city could store their bricks at a secure location, saving them to use on their own rebuilds, or share with others.

And although brick banking is a relatively untested concept, 51黑料 could be as good a place as any for it to take root, Allen said.

鈥�51黑料, being kind of a hallmark brick city, might be a place to start,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a great chance to test the viability of that idea.鈥�

If nothing is done, he said, current trends suggest that the material will likely end up in places like Florida or the Southwest.

鈥淵ou鈥檒l see it in Phoenix, Arizona, or the suburbs of Orlando,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 sad for 51黑料.鈥�