Yesterday my construction class took a field trip to McNear Brick in Marin County. We were lucky enough to get a tour from Dan McNear, the great-great-grandson of founder John Augustus McNear.
From every perspective McNear Brick is fascinating.
The fundamentals of brick manufacturing are the same today as they were in 1868 when McNear opened, and parts of the McNear brickyard still feel of that era.
Some sections of the yard are completely abandoned, rendered obsolete by evolving technologies. One feels particularly strange inside the old kilns, dark catacombs that once contained infernos.
The machinery, which had ceased operations for the day by the time of our visit, still had an appearance of being from another time.
At the end of our tour, Dan McNear explained that the factory's days were numbered. Developers are attempting to acquire an adjacent quarry -- when they get it, the factory will be next in line.
McNear Brick, the company, is in the process of moving operations to a new factory closer to their source materials. (The original clay deposit was exhausted in 1989.) I feel strongly, though, that the site should survive as well. (I love mills)
From a historical angle, McNear is worthy of preservation. Bricks and concrete from McNear have been used for many important Bay Area projects; McNear lightweight concrete aggregate was used in the original pours for the roadbed of the Golden Gate Bridge.
From a practical angle, McNear is an important recycler of building materials. Demolition contractors, instead of dumping old bricks in to landfills, simply give them to McNear, which in turn makes them into the raw materials for new projects.
Regardless of its future, the McNear Brick factory is an incredible place. It achieves beauty through a combination of functionality, history, and materiality. I hope it survives.
McNear Brick homepage
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