The Design Element "D" For "Diapering" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Reading about another architectural term that is used to describe a decorative wall treatment or pattern on masonry or wood that adds visual interest to what would otherwise be an unattractive surface.  Its name is rooted in Middle English as "diaper," referencing a diamond-shaped pattern like a baby's diaper (prior to the disposable type.) Lancaster's famous architect C. Emlem Urban produced three examples of this repeated-pattern technique in Lancaster.  All three examples were executed in distinctly different design styles from the years 1892-1927.  First is John Reynolds Middle School at 605 W. Walnut St. in Lancaster city, constructed in the Gothic Revival style in 1924. Urban applied the diapering surface treatment on four large, blank masonry walls to add texture and visual interest on four large, blank masonry walls.  The crisscross brick diamond-pattern, reminiscent of espalier is a framed panel measuring 12 feet wide by 20 feet tall. To accentuate the texture and shadows, Urban used a rough-cut tapestry brick.  The framed panels add much-needed interest to a building exceeding 250 feet in length.  The second example is the three-story, red brick Elmer E. Steigerwalt mansion located in the 600 block of West Chestnut Street in Lancaster.  It was constructed in 1894.  Urban employed the diaper diamond pattern above the second-floor bay window near and parapet.  

One method of diapering.

For additional interest, he inserted a brick medallion in the center of each diamond.  The third example is on Charlie Wagner's Cafe, located at Lenox Lane and East Grant Street which was designed in 1892 and is his only example of Romanesque Revival.  The diapering effect is used as a "hat band" around the perimeter of the building, between the second and third floors.  The single row of crosshatched brick adds interest and wall texture to the surface.   Perhaps there may be more structures that share the "Diapering" technique, but I have not been able to document any.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.