NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES
CONCRETE BLOCK
Another popular stucco surface achieved through deliberate trowel marks were used on Mediterranean, Spanish Revival and Craftsman style homes.
Another turn-of-the century labor and money saver in Arkansas home construction was concrete block molded in the appearance of cut stone. Concrete, like stucco, had an ancient precedent as a building material, but its appeal as a fashionable exterior and porch treatment did not reach its zenith in the United States until just after the turn of the century. Concrete originally consisted of natural materials like clay and lime such as that found in volcanic ash that had been exposed to intense heat. An artificial form called Portland cement was invented during the Industrial Revolution in England, but the natural formula continued to be marketable until the 1890s.
An improved version of Portland cement was produced in Great Britain through the nineteenth century and held a large share of the imports to the United States until the 1871 construction of the first American cement company in Pennsylvania. The American cement industry had organized into professional groups by 1900, one of which was the Portland Cement Association. The obvious function of this group was to advance the use of Portland cement, which was accomplished through workshops, advertising, catalogues and pattern books. Concrete block was highly recommended by the association in 1905.[46]
Early production of concrete block in the nineteenth century was achieved by filling cast-iron or wooden box molds called "side-face machines" with a "dry mix" of concrete mixed with the minimum amount of water for hardening. The concrete was added in layers and hand-tamped. The block was removed via the hinged sides of the mold box and laid out to dry for seven to ten days in an upright position. [47]
Mass production of concrete block buildings did not develop until Harmon Palmer patented a cast-iron hollow block machine in 1900. With this invention, it was claimed that two men could produce between eighty to one hundred blocks in a day. Blocks were cast with the design plate on the bottom in "down-face" machines that rotated up 90 degrees for release of the block. Hollow blocks were considered superior as they were lighter, insulated better and were more moisture-resistant.[48] Once the popularity of the concrete block as a building material was established, competing companies began marketing their own machines. All followed Palmer’s pattern of metal frame and mold box with hand release lever for opening the sides and removing the finished product.[49] In the years prior to standardization of the concrete industry the size of some early blocks was 24"or 32" long. Blocks were also thicker, sometimes weighing as much as 180 pounds.[50] With the organization of manufacturing associations the standard block size for most machines by 1924 was reduced to 8" X 8" X 16"; however, 1/2 or 1/4 size block attachments were accessible, as well as gable, bay window, circular and corner block attachments.[51]
The formula for the blocks was composed of Portland cement, water, sand and stone or gravel aggregate. It was advocated that the stones for the aggregate be no larger than 1/2" inch and that the concrete should be wet but not over-moist, which would cause the block to adhere to the metal or sag upon removal from the mold. The most common specifications called for one part cement to two or three parts sand to four or six parts aggregate.[52] When embossing a design on the face of the block, a fine-mix using highly ground sand or aggregate would be placed on the design plate and then topped with a coarse-mix for strength. The face design came in a variety of patterns, some providing a delicate refined look such as egg and dart, rope face, wreath face and scroll face. These designs were more commonly used as trim in water tables, belt courses, copings, cornices and sills. Other designs were imitative of cut stone like rock face and panel face, which were most often utilized for construction of entire houses.
Decorative concrete blocks can be found on the foundations and porches of early twentieth century Arkansas homes.
Concrete blocks were also popular for house foundations, being cheaper than stone and stronger than brick. Face designs seen most often on foundations were rock face, cobblestone, panel face and ashlar. Despite initial protest by architects as to its failed attempt to imitate the beauty and strength of stone, the masses across the U.S. and Arkansas embraced concrete block because it was comparatively inexpensive, it needed no paint and most important it was fire resistant. Many garages during the 1920s were composed of concrete, because building codes in some states called for limited frame construction within a certain distance of the property line, and also because cars and the fuels used to maintain and propel them were highly combustible.[53] Banks and commercial buildings were often constructed of block because of its fire resistant characteristics while farm buildings of concrete provided protection against tornadoes. Porch kits could be purchased from Sears in 1908. The customer could choose between Ionic or Gothic capital molds for columns and could produce concrete bases, balusters, rails and under-porch "lattices".[54]
A second search of the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program archives for the earliest incidence of concrete blocks used either as foundation material or siding material for a building produced a construction date of circa 1904. The next concentration of concrete block buildings occurred between 1913 and 1915 followed by 1920 to the latest date of surveyed concrete properties, 1930. Commercial buildings with party walls and banks were a large part of the surveyed properties constructed of concrete blocks, most of them being built during the 1920s as replacement buildings after catastrophic fires destroyed frame commercial districts. Concrete block was normally utilized for new construction rather than as a remodeling material. As with the search for evidence of stucco use in Arkansas, the AHPP archives are a limited resource in comparison with the true numbers of structures utilizing concrete blocks in the state. However, they do offer a reasonable representative sample.
Rock face and panel face were the most popular decorative concrete block patterns in the state.
The face designs seen most often in the State Historic Preservation Office’s archives were rock face and panel face. The basic machine offered by Sears, Roebuck and Company home catalogues came with the rock face pattern, which could be a factor in the frequent appearance of that design in Arkansas. Sears, Roebuck catalogues also offered plans for concrete houses but did not provide the concrete block because most people would make their own. To cover all the bases the company offered its version of the block machine in 1905, asserting that ease of production was such that anyone could start their own cottage industry or make blocks for their personal use.[55] This could account for its occurrence in many rural areas of the state and in railroad towns that would receive regular mail shipments, making the acquisition of block machines easier. It is interesting to note the rapidity with which concrete blocks made their appearance in Arkansas after the turn-of-the-century invention of the machines, an indication that the state had become less impenetrable.
After 1930 concrete block began to lose popularity. Two factors have been cited in its demise; the rise of modernism and changes in technology. Concrete as a building material did not decline, but sleek, smooth surfaces had become more stylish by 1920. Also at this time, automated machines that had the capability of producing more than one block at a time were available, upstaging antiquated hand-tamped units. Improved block machines and the growth of the concrete industry into new areas of construction brought an end to the use of ornamental face concrete blocks in Arkansas and nationwide.[56]
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EFFECTS OF THE DEPRESSION
