The house we were hoping to buy (not the one pictured here), before the offer fell through, was an American Foursquare made of rusticated concrete blocks. I must admit that I thought the concrete exterior made it the ugliest house on the street, and fantasized about painting it. But prompted by my husband I did some reading on rusticated concrete blocks, which gave me a much greater appreciation for this building material and its place in history.

I was struck by this point from an article in The Old-House Journal (Oct 1984):

“Like linoleum, asphalt shingles, and ceramic tiles, ornamental concrete block was one of a host of building materials popularized in the late- and post-Victorian era, but now thought of as just ‘functional’ or even unattractive. Opinion is changing, however, as more of us begin to recognize and appreciate the materials that helped make the turn-of-the-century period an exciting transition from old building traditions to the modern age.”

Rusticated concrete block (concrete blocks created in a mold which gave them the appearance of rough stone) goes by many other names:

• ornamental concrete block
• decorative block
• cast block
• rock face block
• mold-formed block
• imitation stone
• artificial stone

Rusticated concrete blocks were an inexpensive alternative to brick or stone, made from readily available raw materials (cement, sand, and aggregates — important in a time of decreasing lumber supply), and assembled like ordinary masonry. They were also touted as convenient, fireproof, lighter than stone, and stronger than brick.

Concrete was widely used in Ancient Rome, but not revived until the 19th century. In North America concrete blocks appeared in the 1860s, when several patents were issued and companies began mass-producing concrete blocks. When Portland cement became widely available in the 1890s concrete block manufacturing really took off.

The next phase in its popularity came with the availability of inexpensive block-making machinery. (The first block molding machine was created by Harmon S. Palmer in 1900.) Along with blocks imitating natural stone they also produced other designs, from cobblestone to scrolls to lattice. Interestingly, these machines were sold in the Sears, Roebuck, and Company catalogue and aimed particularly at DIY home-builders and farmers. In 1910 you could buy a manual machine with eight special molds, plus attachments and accessories, for $63.75. Sears’ famous kit homes also made use of rusticated concrete blocks.

The blocks were usually created right on the building site. They were very popular for foundations and garages, and in rural areas they were used for small commercial buildings, gas stations, and churches. In the Midwest especially, where they were thought to withstand tornadoes better than frame buildings, concrete blocks were used for farm buildings. You could even get curved block kits for erecting silos.

Rusticated concrete blocks were sometimes used for entire houses, being well-suited to the American Foursquare style, for example. Porches with railings and columns could be created using special molds. Concrete blocks could be coloured red, grey, brown, or white using natural aggregates (e.g. sandstone), but as this was expensive it was not common. Sometimes the first storey alone would be concrete, and the second storey clapboard or wood shingles.

In the 1930s new automated machines, which could only produce smooth blocks, appeared on the scene. Along with changing architectural taste and new building materials, these machines led to rusticated concrete becoming a thing of the past. Of course, now that it’s on my radar I often spot it on old homes and garages. Maybe you will too.

Sources

• “Ornamental Concrete Block Houses” by J. Randall Cotton via The Old-House Journal (October 1984)
• “Return to Concrete Block Houses” by J. Randall Cotton via The Old-House Journal (March/April 1995)
• “Block History” via Classic Rock Face Block
• “Decorative Concrete Block” by Ken Roginski via The Old House Guy
• “Rock-Faced Concrete Blocks” by William Kibbel III via Old House Web
• “Rusticated Concrete Block” via Wikipedia

Featured Image: from “Decorative Concrete Block” by Ken Roginski via The Old House Guy