Brick Necklace

Hand made, real brick chunky chain choker in honor of the Henry Bolte House.

The Henry Bolte house located at 212 Robert Ave In St. Louis burnt down. My grandpa, Henry Bolte, acquired this property in 1968 and lived here until he died in 2005. It was built in 1875 to serve the Carondelet neighborhood Police station horse stables. My grandpa, along with his sons Ted, Ron, Ken, and Don with their bare hands, converted the stables into a gorgeous single family home. It had a full bar, entertainment area, and second kitchen on the bottom floor that opened up to the brick enclosed courtyard. It was named a historic landmark by the city of St. Louis in 1982.

My family reunions and Christmases were held there. So many foundational memories were held in this space.

When I opened Brick City Printing just down the road, I intentionally drove by this house just to feel grounded. To remember my grandpa with those wheel barrows full of bricks and dried mortar on his hands to reminding me the value of hard work.

Seeing it burnt down like this reminds me that life is just n endless cycle of building and then rebuilding when time, circumstance, or just evil inevitably starts to break you down.

But as long as you have the skills, the right materials, you can always build something better. This building isn’t in my family any more but when it burnt down I just had to do something with the grief. So I started making these necklaces out of real bricks. And I would love to make one for you too.

Because you can always rebuild as long as you got the bricks.