Salvaging the Historic Tiles of California’s Burned Fireplaces

ALTADENA, Calif. — Eleven weeks have passed since photographer Mark Read’s historic home burned to the brick during the Eaton Fire in Altadena, California, where he’d lived for the last nine years. Built in 1912 as an art studio for Elena Scripps Kellogg, the Craftsman-style cottage featured a north-facing window, intricate woodworking, and Batchelder tile on the fireplace hearth — one of the only parts of the house to survive. 

On a Saturday afternoon in March, a team of volunteer masons gingerly pulled the surviving tiles from the lathe and brick of the damaged fireplace mantle, carefully lifted them into shallow cardboard boxes, and set them aside for Read to preserve and keep. This is the delicate but hardy labor behind Save the Tiles, an ad-hoc endeavor dedicated to recovering historic tiles from more than 98 fireplaces in homes destroyed or damaged by January’s wildfires.

According to Read, just five or six tiles remain from his fireplace — including 110-year-old picture tiles in terracotta, which feature angelic cherubs and a charmed castle scene, and green glazed mantle tiles. One depicts a peacock, a classic motif of Arts and Crafts iconography that is also particular to Altadena. 

“This, to me, is a creative endeavor,” James Dawes, owner of Placemakers Inc., told Hyperallergic. Dawes has been salvaging historic tiles for 30 years through his company, which recently arrived to work on Read’s and others’ houses, inspired by the work of the Save the Tiles team. He’s also preserved Batchelder tiles from fireplaces in San Francisco, where he lives and works. “We’re saving beautiful California history,” said Dawes. 

The tiles are named for Ernest Batchelder, a member of the American Arts and Crafts Movement who made and glazed his tiles using a backyard kiln in the 1920s, when many bungalows in this style were built in communities across the nation.

“Batchelder tiles crossed class lines,” Amy Green, owner of Silverlake Conservation, told Hyperallergic. From elaborate installations at places like the Pasadena Playhouse and the Fine Arts Building to the living rooms of dozens of homeowners, residents of all economic backgrounds enjoyed them.

Decorative tiles have become increasingly fashionable since the early aughts, Green explained, and Save the Tiles has found other styles made by companies like Claycraft Potteries, Calco, and Spanish Tile Company, all featuring California iconography specific to the era and region in Altadena.

The story of Altadena’s tiles begins and ends with fire. The blazes paradoxically strengthened the Batchelder tiles in some cases. But others were overfired, resulting in melted or destroyed glaze. 

As Green puts it, the cliche about rising from the ashes rings true. 

“The owners I talked to felt like there was one small piece of their homes left,” said Green. 

Read told Hyperallergic that he plans to rebuild and incorporate the remaining tiles into the future structure, which will look as similar to his original studio as possible. 

“LA is really showing up in so many different ways,” Read said. “It’s heartening that so many people are using their personal time to come help.”