Split-face concrete block residential buildings are the parking meter lease deal of Chicago architecture: ugly, regrettable—and something we’re stuck with for decades to come. This blight ...

Split-face concrete blocks are a class of architectural block that has a rough, stone-like texture created by splitting a block. They were popular from the mid-1880s through the years after the ...

The stone face could reflect the influence of local Libyan traditions, hinting that the villa’s owner or its craftsmen might have been of Libyan origin.