Can you tell what building in the Warehouse District this architectural feature belongs to?
Answer - 323 Lakeside
Designed by Christian, Schwarzenburg and Gaede for L.N. Gross Co., this building was meant to house the ladies’ shirtwaist division of the company. L.N. Gross Co. was one of the leading producers of ready-to-wear clothing in Cleveland during the early 20th century. They were also the first specialty manufacturer of women’s clothing in Cleveland.
You may also notice that the bricks on the building are a variety of colors. While this may appear to be a design choice, however, it has more to do with practicality than aesthetics. The building was built in 1917-1919 when brickmaking was more primitive and kilns often did not hold an even temperature throughout. This uneven temperature resulted in bricks being different colors depending on where they were placed in the kiln. If a single color of brick was desired for a project, they would be separated into colors. However, it was often more economical and practical to use a blend of bricks.
Today, kilns can be evenly heated and bricks can be more consistently colored. For those looking for a mismatched aesthetic, brickmakers will pull bricks from different batches to achieve that look.