About the author  ⁄ Laurel Fritz

Laurel Fritz (fritz@pvnworks.com) is an architectural historian at Preservation Design Works (PVN), a consulting and project management firm in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

A Brief History of Architectural Concrete Blocks

It wasn’t so long ago that a concrete block would not care to show its face in polite society.” This proclamation formed the lead of an extensive article, “Behold the Lowly Concrete Block,” in the March 1956 issue of the architectural journal, House and Home. The celebratory article argued that concrete block was “one of the most glamorous and flexible building materials at our command.”

Read More →
STRUCTURE magazine