Illustrated Architecture Dictionary .................... Styles of Architecture

Concrete blocks A standard for foundations and later as a substructure under brick or other forms of cladding, concrete block is one of the most ubiquitous 20th-century building materials.  An early form was the handmade picturesque rusticated concrete block.  So called because the exposed surface resembled textured stone, rock-face block first appeared late in the 19th century when innovations in cement making made it possible to press concrete blocks on work sites.  When an inventor named Harmon S. Palmer created a machine that added textured or architectural faces to the blocks as they were pressed, rock-face block became a national phenomenon. The blocks were a staple of Sears kit homes, appearing from the foundations to the roof line. Many of these early concrete installations suffer from deterioration, especially steps, porch walls, and other exposed areas. Luckily there are several sources for modern rusticated block. - Old House Journal, April1, 2017

Concrete blocks Ornamental cast concrete blocks were popular from about 1890 until 1940, used most often for foundations but also for porch and whole-house construction. They were available at building supply houses, but also could be made on-site using block machines sold by Sears, Montgomery Ward, and other building suppliers. The 1910 Sears Building Catalog sold molds not only for blocks, but also for fluted  columns, column bases and capitals, piers, water tables, and nearly any detail needed to assemble a house. Removable plates allowed the machine to cast a variety of face designs, including rock face, ashlar, cobblestone, bush-hammered, or decoratively scrolled. - Old House Journal, August-September 2013, p. 39

Concrete block houses Features: Exterior: Cast (molded) cement Roof: Projecting eaves Roof: Hipped Roof: diamond-pattern asbestos shingles Roof: dormer Windows: one-over-one double-hung sash Porch: hipped roof Porch: square pier Porch: Coping Interior: Built-in cupboards Interior: Cozy inglenook, with, built-in benches, with ceramic tile floor Interior: Oak doors, sometimes with lead glass Interior: Swinging doors - A Field Guide to American Houses," by Virginia & Lee McAlester. New York: Knopf, 2000, p. 444. - "A Visual Dictionary of Architecture," by Francis D. K. Ching. New York: John Wiley & Sons, 1997, p. 219

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Photos and their arrangement © 2004 Chuck LaChiusa
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