As a topper to our tree triangles we used historic bricks from the Oaklands! These Chicagoland bricks were cheap in the day at less than 3 cents each and were used on three sides of the Oaklands exterior and lots of interior walls, fireplaces, chimneys etc. They can be commonly seen especially on backs and sides of old buildings around town. Originally the exterior front wall facing 9th St was going to be a mix of red stone and Chicagoland brick but the owner in a last minute switch decided to go with a fully red sandstone facade (see original colorized rendering of the Oaklands pic6). The bricks we used here are scraps from the Oaklands and show what the color once was before they absorbed a century of coal soot and grime, and then were painted for the first time in the 80s or 90s. Chicagoland bricks are very porous and do not typically hold up well at or below grade because of freezing. However, since these are already broken, as they deteriorate, it will just add to their charm.