“Brick, a ubiquitous object that inhabits the compositions of so many of the structures throughout our landscape; so commonplace, most likely do not often reflect on their history and the ways in which bricks are tied to the development of our capitalist systemic structures.”
- Sam Dodd, Architectural Ceramics: Boom and Bust Brick (summarized by Mychelle Moritz)
The clay brick is the most fundamental unit to the built environment of historic Canadian and American cities, representing resource extraction, industrial development, skilled labour, material culture, and the establishment of the nation’s first institutions. The brick’s simple form has only slightly evolved since its earliest known uses in Jericho (7000 BCE) and can be traced through nearly every human civilization. Many forms of this technology continue to be used worldwide, whether sun-baked, mixed with straw, or fired and glazed; various techniques exist across all cultures. Although adobe brick existed in North America long before colonization, British and Dutch colonizers brought the manufacturing of fired brick to America as early as the 17th century. As the colonies grew, brick remained chosen by builders and architects because of its superior building strength, longevity, fire and weather resistance, and the aesthetic value of its natural properties. The unglazed brick thus became the most common symbol of North American colonial structures, and through the inherent colour of the clay itself, it retains a reference to the original site of its extraction. Across North America, clay deposits vary due to the geologic processes that lead to their formation. Namely, the erosion of rock by rivers and rain, but also the sedimentary deposits caused by melting glaciers and deposits of volcanic ash. However, it is the process of colonialism that will shape the extraction of this resource, leaving a trail of brick manufacturing across the continent, linking the city to its landscape. This paper will explore how institutions were built to extract profit from the land and establish the colonial state. Bricks are used to build cheap and long-lasting structures, to house and protect us, and in doing so, lay the class divisions of our society.
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