Existing comment:
A Building with Only Two Walls:
You are now looking at the exterior wall of an earlier building. How do you determine this? One cue is the brick. This is "hard brick," a type manufactured of special clay and kilned to resist moisture. Building materials were scarce in the 19th century, and this brick would not have been wasted in walls not exposed to the elements.
When the building you are in was constructed in 1844, the exterior walls of both neighboring structures became interior walls of this building. Only the front and back walls are "new".
You can see several types of brick in the fireplace in front of you.
1. Brick of wall once shared with building next door.
2. Former exterior wall, with plaster added to cover wall after construction of this building.
3. Former interior wall, comprised of soft bricks.
Fire destroyed the building next door in 1914. This common wall for the two structures escaped demolition but the soft bricks, formerly inside the adjoining structure, have deteriorated due to decades of exposure.
When you step outside you will see an example of stabilization next door -- a painted soft brick wall supported by steel beams to keep it from crumbling. |