Saw a brick archway in Charleston that made me stop and stare

I was walking down King Street last weekend and saw this old brick arch over a doorway. The curve was so smooth, and every brick was cut just right. It looked like it was done by hand maybe a hundred years ago. Has anyone here ever tried to match that kind of work on a repair job?

4 comments

4 Comments

ray_martinez821mo ago

My buddy tried fixing one on his old church and ended up having to tear the whole thing out and start over. Have you seen any of those new arches holding up better than the old ones?

the_jana2mo agoMost Upvoted

A mason once told me those old arches are nearly impossible to fix right.

hall.joel2mo ago

My grandpa was a mason in Savannah. He said the same thing as @the_jana, that the skill for those arches is pretty much gone now.

ellis.faith2mo ago

Well that's a cheerful thought. Guess we'll just have to admire the ruins when they finally fall down. What a way to lose a craft.