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Glazed architectural terra cotta is aceramicmasonrybuilding material used as a decorative skin. It featured widely in the 'terracotta revival'[1] from the 1880s until the 1930s.
It was used in the UK,United States,Canada and Australia and is still one of the most common building materials found in U.S. urban environments. It is theglazed version ofarchitectural terracotta; the material in both its glazed and unglazed versions is sturdy and relatively inexpensive, and can be molded into richly ornamented detail. Glazed terra-cotta played a significant role inarchitectural styles such as theChicago School andBeaux-Arts architecture.
The material, also known in Great Britain asfaience and sometimes referred to as "architectural ceramics" in the USA was closely associated with the work ofCass Gilbert,Louis Sullivan, andDaniel H. Burnham, among other architects. Buildings incorporating glazed terra-cotta include theWoolworth Building inNew York City and theWrigley Building inChicago.
Glazed architectural terra-cotta offered a modular, varied and relatively inexpensive approach to wall and floor construction. It was particularly adaptable to vigorous and rich ornamental detailing. It was created byLuca della Robbia (1400–1482), and was used in most of his works.
Terra-cotta is an enriched molded clay brick or block. It was usually hollow cast in blocks which were open in the back, with internal stiffeners called webbing, substantially strengthening the hollow blocks with minimal weight increase. The blocks were finished with a glaze, with a clay wash or an aqueous solution of metal salts, before firing.
Late 19th-century advertising for the material promoted the durable,impervious and adaptable nature of glazed architectural terra-cotta. It could accommodate subtle nuances of modeling, texture and color. Compared with stone, it was easier to handle, quickly set and lower cost. The cost of producing the blocks, when compared to carving stone, was a considerable saving, especially when casts were used in a modular fashion—that is, used repeatedly. It never needed paint, and periodic washings restored its appearance.
Variations in the color and pattern of the glaze could make it look likegranite orlimestone; this flexibility helped make it attractive for architects.
Four major types of terra-cotta were widely used[2]
The American Terra Cotta Corporation, founded in 1881,[3] operated for eighty-five years in the little town of Terra Cotta in the heart of Illinois dairy country (nearCrystal Lake, Illinois). The company fabricated architectural terra cotta for more than 8,000 buildings throughout the U.S. and Canada. It was the last exclusive manufacturer of architectural terra cotta by the time it ceased production in 1966. From its founding, in time to rebuild the fire-ravished city of Chicago, until its closing, it was the major producer of architectural glazed terra cotta in North America.
Guastavino tile was used in many places, including theBridgemarket under theManhattan side of theQueensboro Bridge.
Although glazed terra-cotta was much more common in the US, it was used in centralCanada starting around 1900, on many of the area's first skyscrapers. The glazed terra-cotta used in central Canada was usually imported from the US or England.
From around 1880 unglazed terra-cotta was supplanted by the glazed version – faience, and glazed brick – which were easily cleaned, and not blackened by city smoke. A prominent producer wasBurmantofts Pottery in Leeds, which also exported toParis andMontreal.[7]
Faience was popularised inMelbourne in the 1920s by architects such asHarry Norris. One of the leading commercial architects of the time in the city, Norris was strongly influenced by trends in American architecture and used faience on projects such as theNicholas Building and the Kellow Falkiner Showrooms (a 1928 car showroom) inSouth Yarra.[8] InSydney, it featured on notable buildings such as BMA House, designed byJoseph Charles Fowell. Australian-made tiles were available fromWunderlich Tiles, a company founded by London-bornFrederick Wunderlich.[9]
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