Fire and Clay
How Bricks Reveal the Hidden History of Chicago
Published on 23. April 2026
Book
Hardback
320 pages
978-0-226-82810-7 (ISBN)
Description
A remarkable exploration of Chicago's architectural history through the humble brick.
By the late 1920s, at its peak of brick making and consumption, Chicago was making over a billion bricks a year for its buildings and importing almost another billion nicer face bricks for their front facades. Throughout Chicago's history, brick dramatically transformed from a simple fireproof building material into an integral piece of architectural design. And no one knows the hidden details and stories of this fascinating history like Chicago's foremost brick aficionado, Will Quam.
In Fire and Clay, Quam takes us on journeys to experience the beauty and mystery of Chicago's buildings. He also explores how developers, architects, and masons followed changing fashions as they designed and built the city, creating connections across disparate neighborhoods. The red bricks that make up Lincoln Park mansions, for example, are the same as those found on Pullman row homes and Pilsen workers' cottages, just as Rogers Park's colorful bricks can also be found far across the city in South Shore. Known for his popular walking tours, Quam has built his life around the appreciation, study, and evangelizing of this most humble building block's many wonders. Here, he pours all his knowledge into the first book of its kind, beautifully illustrated with more than one hundred of his own full-color photographs.
More than just an investigation into brick, Fire and Clay gives readers a fresh lens through which to explore the city anew and find clear connections across its different neighborhoods. By the end of this lively tour through Chicago's history, readers will never look at a brick building the same way again.
By the late 1920s, at its peak of brick making and consumption, Chicago was making over a billion bricks a year for its buildings and importing almost another billion nicer face bricks for their front facades. Throughout Chicago's history, brick dramatically transformed from a simple fireproof building material into an integral piece of architectural design. And no one knows the hidden details and stories of this fascinating history like Chicago's foremost brick aficionado, Will Quam.
In Fire and Clay, Quam takes us on journeys to experience the beauty and mystery of Chicago's buildings. He also explores how developers, architects, and masons followed changing fashions as they designed and built the city, creating connections across disparate neighborhoods. The red bricks that make up Lincoln Park mansions, for example, are the same as those found on Pullman row homes and Pilsen workers' cottages, just as Rogers Park's colorful bricks can also be found far across the city in South Shore. Known for his popular walking tours, Quam has built his life around the appreciation, study, and evangelizing of this most humble building block's many wonders. Here, he pours all his knowledge into the first book of its kind, beautifully illustrated with more than one hundred of his own full-color photographs.
More than just an investigation into brick, Fire and Clay gives readers a fresh lens through which to explore the city anew and find clear connections across its different neighborhoods. By the end of this lively tour through Chicago's history, readers will never look at a brick building the same way again.
Reviews / Votes
"Despite the changes in our tools, the practice of adorning our city directly from the earth itself is the same, and I've learned through Quam's extensive research how to better appreciate the process within my day-to-day life. While I'm sure Fire and Clay will be a delightful addition to my home's bookshelf to share with Chicago residents and visitors alike, I'm excited for readers to adventure the city this summer with the book as their companion." * Chicago Review of Books * "Quam entices readers via his personal fascination with the topic, along with his humor, expertise, and exemplary and keen-eyed photographs. Lovers of unconventional approaches to history, architecture, sightseeing, and insightful writing will reap many new and unexpected insights from [Fire and Clay]." * Shelf Awareness * "Quam devotes equal space to the practical elements of the trade. I can safely report that I now know more about brick than I thought possible." * Chicago Reader * "Chicago is an architecture city, with locals and visitors alike flocking to landmarks by Frank Lloyd Wright, Daniel Burnham, Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, and many more. Yet, until recently, one of the most ubiquitous architectural elements wasn't quite getting its due: brick. . . . [Quam] hopes [Fire and Clay] will spread the gospel of brick to more Chicagoans as well as architecturally curious folks elsewhere." * Preservation Magazine * "Quam's Fire and Clay is a delightful read for anyone who's interested in the city and what makes it tick-or, in this case, stand." * Third Coast Review * "While Fire and Clay will harness an appreciation of brick as a building material, it might also spark readers to want to see some of the brick buildings in the book up close, hearing about them straight from the author's mouth." * John Hill, Archidose * "After reading Fire and Clay, you'll never walk down a street the same way again. Thanks to Quam's passion and masterful writing, you'll recognize how burly bricklayers and artistic architects wove patterns and colors together to build the story of Chicago." * Geoffrey Baer, WTTW * "This book is a love affair with brick-smart, beautiful, and deeply human, revealing the soul of the city it shapes." * Carol Ross Barney, design principal and founder of Ross Barney Architects * "Quam's book-like his fascinating tours-is a clever and generous act of obsession, transforming Chicago's most ubiquitous building material into a beautiful way of understanding the city, the people who built it, and those who live in it today." * Stewart Hicks, architectural designer and educator * "With stunning photographs, intriguing facts, and a lively narrative, Fire and Clay is a very valuable addition to the Chicago canon." * Laurie Petersen, editor of AIA Guide to Chicago * "Quam uses the brick to fashion a fascinating story of Chicago's people and history, while shining an overdue spotlight on the craftspeople whose work turned this lowly material into architectural gold." * Lee Bey, author of Southern Exposure *More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Chicago
United States
Publishing group
The University of Chicago Press
Illustrations
102 color plates
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 207 mm
Thickness: 34 mm
Weight
1156 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-226-82810-7 (9780226828107)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
Will Quam is an architecture historian and photographer. Since 2016, he's shared Chicago's architecture and history through his project Brick of Chicago, also leading award-winning walking tours for thousands across the city. His photographs and expertise have been featured by PBS Chicago, The Chicago Tribune, Block Club Chicago, McSweeney's, and more. You can find him at @brickofchicago on Instagram.
Content
Introduction: A City Built Mostly of Itself
1. The Awkward Middle Child of Building Materials
2. The Perfect Brick
3. The Subtle Variations of Nature
4. Tapestry, Texture, and Tint
5. Excess and Terra-Cotta
6. Shape, Line, and Simplicity
7. Freedom from the Monotony of Mass Production
8. The End of Common Brick
9. A Grown-Up, Permanent Material
10. The Playful and Familiar Brick
11. Modern Forms, Traditional Materials
12. Chicago Bricks Are Falling Down
Afterword
Acknowledgments
Notes
Glossary
Index
1. The Awkward Middle Child of Building Materials
2. The Perfect Brick
3. The Subtle Variations of Nature
4. Tapestry, Texture, and Tint
5. Excess and Terra-Cotta
6. Shape, Line, and Simplicity
7. Freedom from the Monotony of Mass Production
8. The End of Common Brick
9. A Grown-Up, Permanent Material
10. The Playful and Familiar Brick
11. Modern Forms, Traditional Materials
12. Chicago Bricks Are Falling Down
Afterword
Acknowledgments
Notes
Glossary
Index