Acme's Dave Martin makes hobby from bricks

Bricks are more than a business to Dave Martin, regional sales manager for Acme Brick in Springfield, and a showroom full is not enough. Martin keeps his own personal brick collection in his office.

Brick-a-brac

Martin started his brick collection in 1966 with three bricks, all produced in Kansas. The oldest and his favorite one of his original three was produced in Topeka and stamped with the message: "Don't Spit On Sidewalk."

The stamped bricks were manufactured in the early 1900s. They were shipped all over the state of Kansas to be used in sidewalks, at the suggestion of a Kansas doctor, to help curb the spread of tuberculosis. The doctor then worked to get legislation passed to make spitting on the sidewalk illegal throughout the state, Martin said.

The second brick, a slightly darker red, was produced in Buffalo, Kan., with the word "buffalo" stamped on the side, and the third, a buff-colored brick with an orange tinge, was produced in Salina with twin Kansas cornflowers proudly stamped on its face.

Though Martin treasured his small collection, he didn't get serious about enlarging it until the mid-1970s when his home in Topeka was destroyed by a tornado that ripped through the area. When he went back to the ruins, the only things he found left intact in the rubble were those three bricks.

He took this as a sign and began his massive collection. A glass case, which takes up one whole wall in his office, represents a large portion of the collection, produced at locations throughout the United States, Mexico and beyond.

The collection contains every size and color of brick made, many like "Don't Spit On Sidewalk" have historic value, along with sentimental value. Martin said that as a novice he tried to buy from other collectors, but he soon learned that money was not an issue. Brick collectors wanted to trade rather than sell.

Building a career

Martin has been with Acme Brick Company since 1964, before it became a part of the Justin Industries conglomerate. Martin started as a clerk in the original Acme showroom, located on the Plaza, and stayed with the company through three moves first to Topeka, Kan., then to Little Rock, Ark., then to Lawrence, Kan.

He worked on his college education at each location, finally receiving his degree at the University of Arkansas in Little Rock. He and his wife, Charlotte, moved back to Springfield with the company in 1977.

Acme Brick

Acme is the largest brick manufacturer in the United States, according to Martin. It is also the only one he knows of that has its own testing lab, located in Denton, Texas.

The company owns 19 plants, producing brick in Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. The color of the brick depends on the region where it is produced.

"My assistant of 16 years, Julie Sowards, and I can tell at a glance where a brick was produced," he said.

Acme's large showroom, located at 2325 W. Battlefield Road, is full of examples of brick, floor tile and glass block displays. Each brick sample is displayed in a 14-by-24-inch frame so customers can see how the pattern runs.

Next to the display, a rack contains lists of houses in various subdivisions in and around Springfield. Potential buyers can drive through the subdivisions to see how a certain style looks on an existing home.

The company takes a positive stance on environmental consciousness and has won awards for the effort. When a clay mine plays out the topsoil is replaced and new trees and grass are planted to restore the area back to its original state.

High demand

Martin said the Highland Gray bricks, used on a lot of European style homes and produced in Oklahoma City, are now in great demand. The plant stays eight to 10 months behind in production. He said he strongly advises people to order early. Customers see an example of the Highland Gray when they drive by the Acme showroom the building is faced with it.

The Old Town pattern, produced in Fort Smith, Ark., is also very popular today, and so is the Charleston and the Southern Hills patterns. The red, white and black pattern of the Southern Hills design, manufactured in Weir, Kan., has been in great demand for a long time and continues to be popular. The Weir plant is running about six months behind in production, Martin said.

Martin and other sales company representatives meet in Fort Worth, Texas, two or three times a year to see and discuss new brick patterns.

"Sometimes it is hard to bring out a new pattern when the demand is so heavy of existing ones," he said. "There's no time in the production schedule."

Martin said that though the construction business usually runs in three-year cycles, in Springfield there's been no let-up for the last 10 years. Martin said he and the local staff of 20 people work hard to keep up with demand and with new trends, particularly in the tile business, which changes more frequently than the other products Acme carries.

Custom products

Acme Brick will produce custom bricks, with a logo or message for towns or organizations. In 1982, Acme made the special bricks for the Kickapoo High School courtyard that have Kickapoo Indian prayer symbols engraved on them.

The company has also produced a number of intricate brick sculptures on special request. Martin said the artist goes to the plant to draw and carve the design into the green bricks, then the bricks are carefully numbered and fired to be assembled later on site.