Exposed Brick
A common architectural “accent” (if you will) seen in New Orleans is a home or interior wall where plaster or some shell covering is falling away due to age- exposing old worn brick underneath. I call this an “accent” because it looks pretty cool, so few people attempt to correct it.
Unfortunately, new structures are sometimes altered to mimic this. People will literally cover a brick wall with something, then hit it with a hammer to expose the brick. Sad, I know. The “antiquing” of New Orleans. That cheapens the look and now when you see the genuine phenomenon, you can’t be sure if it’s contrived or true sign of age and character. It’s just one more way New Orleans devours itself.
The buildings in this photo series seem to exhibit brick exposure just around windows or doors. It makes sense that it happened due to moisture escape or structural shift around items that are not part of the contiguous brickwork of the wall. But If I noticed that, so could someone looking to mimic it. You just can’t trust anything these days.
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