Brick by Brick

Rest your feet on the brick section of the pathway behind the Science Museum's parking deck. Before the Science Museum moved into this building, it was Broad Street Station.

These reclaimed bricks were a part of the steam plant that heated the train stations in the 1900s. The steam plant is gone, but its multi-purpose bricks remain.

Bricks are an old building material dating back to 7,000 BCE, and they’re still used today for good reason: they are durable, long-lasting, non-reactive, customizable, and fire-resistant.

Primarily made of molded clay, bricks are fired at high heat and then cooled in a process called vitrification. The clay and other components seal together to create a durable brick. It's the same process that turns sand into glass.

Did you notice the brick that reads “Portsmouth Ohio Block”? These bricks were made in Portsmouth, a major brick-producing hub in the late 1800s.

Clay bricks have been in Virginia for hundreds of years. Two bricklayers arrived on the first English ship to Jamestown in 1607. Two years later, they built the first brick house, just the size of a small studio apartment, along the James River.

In 100 years, these bricks will still be around. How do you think they will be used then?