Architectural terracotta is fired clay, typically glazed, molded into decorative blocks, tiles and ornamental units for facades, cornices and roofing rather than plain structural brick. Its plasticity before firing allowed elaborate relief ornament to be cast cheaply and repeated across a facade, which made it especially popular for late nineteenth and early twentieth century commercial and civic buildings in the United States, where glazed terracotta cladding gave steel-framed skyscrapers a fireproof, ornamental skin. Roofing tile is architectural terracotta's other major historic use, common across the Mediterranean, Latin America and parts of Asia for its low cost, durability and characteristic reddish color.
Terracotta
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Source 111 West 57th Street (Wikipedia)
Source Eldridge Street Synagogue (Wikipedia)
Source Equitable Building (Manhattan), Wikipedia
Source Wikipedia: Flatiron Building
Source Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre (Wikipedia)
Source Prudential (Guaranty) Building, Wikipedia
Source One Vanderbilt (Wikipedia)
Source Royal Albert Hall, Wikipedia
Source Algonquin Hotel, Wikipedia
Source The Dakota (Wikipedia)
Source Waldorf Astoria New York (Wikipedia)
Source Woolworth Building (Wikipedia)
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Wikipedia
Wikimedia FoundationWikipedia: Terracotta, introductory paragraph, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Terracotta
is a clay-based non-vitreous ceramic fired at relatively low temperatures.
Wikipedia: Terracotta, Architecture History section
Architectural terracotta is a broad term encompassing a wide ranging variety of clay-based architectural elements such as wall reliefs, decorative roof elements, and architectural sculpture.
View the Source Eldridge Street Synagogue (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationSeen In: Eldridge Street Synagogue, infobox material field: Brick, terracottaView the Source Wikipedia: Flatiron Building
WikipediaSeen In: Flatiron Building, IntroductionQuote, Seen In: Flatiron Building, Introduction
the upper stories are clad with glazed terracotta
111 West 57th Street (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationSeen In: 111 West 57th Street, IntroductionQuote, Seen In: 111 West 57th Street, Introduction
The residential tower has a glass facade with piers made of terracotta
One Vanderbilt (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationSeen In: One Vanderbilt, IntroductionQuote, Seen In: One Vanderbilt, Introduction
The facade is made mostly of glass panels, while the spandrels between stories are made of terracotta. The superstructure is made of steel and concrete
The Dakota (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationSeen In: The Dakota, IntroductionQuote, Seen In: The Dakota, Introduction
The facade is largely composed of brick with sandstone trim and terracotta detailing.
Woolworth Building (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationSeen In: Woolworth Building, Wikipedia leadQuote, Seen In: Woolworth Building, Wikipedia lead
Its facade is mostly clad with architectural terracotta, though the lower portions are limestone, and it features thousands of windows.
Algonquin Hotel, Wikipedia
Seen In: The Algonquin Hotel, Wikipedia leadQuote, Seen In: The Algonquin Hotel, Wikipedia lead
The first two stories of the facade are made of rusticated limestone blocks, while the upper stories have a Renaissance Revival brick facade, with limestone, metal, and terracotta details inspired by the Beaux-Arts style.
Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationSeen In: Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, Wikipedia articleQuote, Seen In: Guangzhou CTF Finance Centre, Wikipedia article
The facade of the skyscraper is made out of glass and has vertical mullions, made out of white glazed terracotta.
Waldorf Astoria New York (Wikipedia)
WikipediaSeen In: Waldorf Astoria New York, Wikipedia articleQuote, Seen In: Waldorf Astoria New York, Wikipedia article
In addition, 200 railroad cars brought some 800,000 cubic feet (23,000 m3) of limestone for the building's facing, 27,100 tons of steel for the skeleton superstructure, and 2.595 million square feet (241,100 m2) of terra cotta and gypsum block.
Equitable Building (Manhattan), Wikipedia
Seen In: Equitable Building, Wikipedia articleQuote, Seen In: Equitable Building, Wikipedia article
=== Facade === The building's facade is made of brick, granite, and terracotta, and white Yule Marble and iron are also used in the building.
Royal Albert Hall, Wikipedia
Seen In: Royal Albert Hall, Wikipedia articleQuote, Seen In: Royal Albert Hall, Wikipedia article
The hall was constructed mainly of Fareham Red brick, with terra cotta block decoration made by Gibbs and Canning of Tamworth.
Prudential (Guaranty) Building, Wikipedia
Seen In: Guaranty Building, Wikipedia articleQuote, Seen In: Guaranty Building, Wikipedia article
The supporting steel structure of the building was embellished with terra cotta blocks.
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