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Checked out the old courthouse in Springfield and the brickwork is wild

Took my kid there for a school project. The arches over the main entrance are insane. Each one has these tiny, tight radial bricks. Must have been a nightmare to lay. How did they even cut them that precise back then? Anyone know what that style is called?
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olivia_barnes97
Took a masonry class years ago and we tried to replicate that. It's called gauged brickwork. They'd soak the bricks in water, then cut them with a special saw that had a wire blade. The wet clay was easier to shape. The real trick was the lime putty mortar they used, it set slow so you could adjust each brick for a perfect fit. Modern mortar is too fast.
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evana71
evana714d agoTop Commenter
Used to think it was just regular brickwork. Seeing it up close makes you appreciate the insane skill it took.
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