Tuesday, September 18, 2007

More about bricks

Last week I mentioned the demise of the Lighthouse Diner in my neighborhood, and seeing the crew out early in the morning, sorting and stacking bricks.

I like the idea of bricks as urban molecules: universal, interchangeable Legos they use to build the city. When the building comes down, the bricks go somewhere else. Why would you throw away a perfectly good Lego?

It turns out that the bricks in question were being claimed by a company called Windy City Antique Bricks. Here is their truck, all loaded up and preening atop a bed of rubble. I could tell that the truck was there on the off chance that someone might take its picture, so I indulged it.


5 comments:

Taffiny said...

Shame the truck didn't tell you what was going to be done with the bricks ( a windy city should have lots of things made with bricks), but maybe he didn't know.

Antique bricks, well I have to like that. What stories they contain.

Unknown said...

And it was posing so nicely for you too. It's not in the least bit vain that truck is it?

Unknown said...

Love the idea that brick hold a story:-)

Popping by to say that some key things are being discussed re the novel racers over on the blog. It would be great to have your thoughts.

Thanks :-)

basest said...

one hopes that those bricks will become part of a new and beautiful building, but i think the sad part is that those bricks will likely end up in some McMansion somewhere.

on the other hand, those bundles could be elevated on cranes in strategic parts of the city, just waiting for some cartoon mishap to occur.

The Moon Topples said...

Taffiny: If the story of the three little pigs taught Chicago nothing, then the fact that it burned to the ground in the late 1800s has certainly reinforced the idea of brick as a good building material.

Ver: Yes, one should certainly count vanity among its vices.

Liz: I have been and weighed in. Curious to see what happens.

Basest: New legislation had decreased the amount of cartoonish mishaps. I have complained to my alderman, but he fled the conversation, leaving and alderman-shaped hole in the wall as he went.