Sources and methods

Every fact used

1. 1897

   Thurber's brick plant in Erath County, about 75 miles west of Fort Worth, opened in 1897, began making vitrified paving brick in 1898, made only pavers by 1911, and closed around 1930–31. The closing date is approximate: sources give 1930 (the Handbook of Texas, Tarleton’s Gordon Center) or 1931 (the state marker, Tarleton’s Industrious Historian).

   • Texas Historical Commission Atlas record 5143004901
   • Tarleton State University, The Industrious Historian, 2025-02-19: Thurber brick plant
   • Handbook of Texas: Thurber, TX

   On BR-1 Tyler's brick streets, BR-4 Timeline, BR-5 Where the bricks came from

2. 1897

   The state marker at Thurber says manager W. K. Gordon persuaded company president R. D. Hunter to build the brick plant in 1897; it began with three Ross-Keller presses driven by a Corliss steam engine nicknamed 'Old Hunter,' covered five acres and employed 800 men.

   • Texas Historical Commission marker 4901: Site of Thurber Brick Plant (1994)Original machinery included three Ross-Keller brick presses powered by a Corliss steam engine nicknamed "Old Hunter." The operation covered five acres and employed 800 men.

   On BR-5 Where the bricks came from

3. 1897

   The Thurber plant opened as the Green and Hunter Brick Company and was making 30,000 bricks a day by November 1897; a Tarleton history later puts output at a reported 80,000 bricks a day. The two daily figures likely describe different years; neither source says when 80,000 was reached.

   • Tarleton State University, The Industrious Historian, 2025-02-19: Thurber Brick Plantthe Green and Hunter Brick Company opened in Jun 1987, and by November, brickmakers produced 30,000 bricks a day.
   • Tarleton State University, W. K. Gordon Center: Thurber Historyworkers at Thurber produced a reported 80,000 bricks daily. They made several varieties of brick, but specialized in road paving brick.

   On BR-5 Where the bricks came from

4. 1905

   In his 1905 annual message, Mayor John Bonner said Tyler's streets were in the best shape they had ever been, but that total satisfaction would not come until they were paved.

   • National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form, Historic and Architectural Resources of Tyler, Texas (Diane E. Williams, July 2000), Section E, p. 29Mayor John Bonner addressed the problem of unpaved city streets in his 1905 annual message.

   On BR-4 Timeline

5. 1906

   According to the National Register nomination, brick paving in Tyler began in 1906 with railroad crossings paved in red brick from Thurber, Texas; the streets around the courthouse followed in 1907, and Oakwood Street from Broadway to the depot in 1908. This is the National Register nomination’s account. Another account dates the first brick streets to around 1912, so the paving is dated here from the early 1900s into the 1940s, with no single start year.

   • National Register of Historic Places nomination, Brick Streets Neighborhood Historic District (Texas Historical Commission Atlas)
   • Tyler Morning Telegraph, 2015-08-17: Tyler's 13.8 Miles of Brick Streets Give East Texas Town Historic Charm

   On BR-1 Tyler's brick streets, BR-5 Where the bricks came from

6. 1906

   According to the city's 2000 multiple-property survey, Tyler's first paving began on July 2, 1906, when contractors Allen and Harrison laid red brick from Thurber, Texas, at railroad crossings. The Tyler Morning Telegraph, citing city data in 2015, puts the first brick streets around 1912, so no single start year is given here.

   • National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form, Historic and Architectural Resources of Tyler, Texas (Diane E. Williams, July 2000), Section E, p. 29on July 2, 1906, the first paving began with red brick from Thurber, Texas. Allen and Harrison, were the contractors, laying red brick at the crossings.

   On BR-3 In the maps’ own words, BR-4 Timeline, BR-5 Where the bricks came from

7. 1906

   The 2000 National Register survey of Tyler says heavy rains from December 1904 to August 1905 made a mire of the streets, and that four weeks of snow and rain in January 1906 gave them 'a muddy and dilapidated appearance about which frogs are not the only croakers,' a line it cites to the mayor's annual messages.

   • National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form, Historic and Architectural Resources of Tyler, Texas (Diane E. Williams, July 2000), Section E, p. 29four weeks of snow and rain in January 1906 gave "...the streets a muddy and dilapidated appearance about which frogs are not the only croakers"

   On BR-4 Timeline

8. 1907

   The Sanborn fire insurance map of Tyler dated September 1907 says on its first sheet: 'Grades generally level. streets not paved.' The 2000 National Register survey and the 2003 Brick Streets nomination say the streets around the courthouse square were paved in 1907, and the survey dates the first paving, at the railroad crossings, to July 2, 1906. The record does not reconcile them.

   • Library of Congress, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Tyler, Smith County, Texas, Sept. 1907, sheet 1Grades generally level. streets not paved.

   On BR-1 Tyler's brick streets, BR-3 In the maps’ own words

9. 1907

   Sources disagree on 1907: the Sanborn map of Tyler dated September 1907 says 'streets not paved,' while the 2000 National Register survey and the 2003 Brick Streets nomination say the streets around the courthouse square were paved in 1907 with Mineral Wells brick. Neither source gives a month for the square, so the two may describe different points in 1907. The same 2000 survey dates the first paving, at the railroad crossings, to July 2, 1906.

   • Library of Congress, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Tyler, Smith County, Texas, Sept. 1907, sheet 1Grades generally level. streets not paved.
   • National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form, Historic and Architectural Resources of Tyler, Texas (Diane E. Williams, July 2000), Section E, p. 29In 1907 streets around the square were paved using red brick made of heat treated clay manufactured at the Mineral Wells Brick Co.
   • National Register nomination, Brick Streets Neighborhood Historic District (Diane E. Williams, Aug. 22, 2003), Section 8, p. 57In 1907 the streets surrounding the courthouse were similarly paved with brick made by the Mineral Wells Brick Co.

   On BR-3 In the maps’ own words, BR-4 Timeline, BR-5 Where the bricks came from

10. 1908

    The 2000 survey says paving continued in 1907 and 1908, 'extending pavement as far east on Oakwood Street as the Cotton Belt depot'; the 2003 Brick Streets nomination dates the Oakwood paving from Broadway to the depot to 1908. Neither says what material was used. The depot’s own National Register nomination (2000) says its brick parking area was likely paved when East Oakwood was paved “prior to 1925.”

    • National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form, Historic and Architectural Resources of Tyler, Texas (Diane E. Williams, July 2000), Section E, p. 29Paving continued in 1907 and 1908, extending pavement as far east on Oakwood Street as the Cotton Belt depot.

    On BR-4 Timeline

11. 1912

    The Sanborn map of Tyler dated February 1912 says on its first sheet: 'About one mile of brick paved streets.' It fits neither start date cleanly: the 2000 survey dates the first paving to 1906 and the square to 1907, and city data reported in 2015 puts the first streets around 1912.

    • Library of Congress, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Tyler, Smith County, Texas, Feb. 1912, sheet 1Grades mostly level. About one mile of brick paved streets. Public lights electric arc and incandescent.

    On BR-1 Tyler's brick streets, BR-3 In the maps’ own words, BR-4 Timeline

12. 1919

    The Sanborn map of Tyler dated August 1919 says on its first sheet: 'Streets in business section mostly paved with brick and asphalt. Others are in fair condition.' City Manager V. W. Prater wrote in 1923 that only about 5 of Tyler’s 130 miles of street were paved.

    • Library of Congress, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Tyler, Smith County, Texas, Aug. 1919, sheet 1Streets in business section mostly paved with brick and asphalt. Others are in fair condition.

    On BR-1 Tyler's brick streets, BR-3 In the maps’ own words, BR-4 Timeline

13. 1923

    In September 1923, City Manager V. W. Prater wrote in the Courier Times that Tyler had about 130 miles of street and only about 5 miles were paved.

    • National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form, Historic and Architectural Resources of Tyler, Texas (Diane E. Williams, July 2000), Section E, p. 29Tyler has about 130 miles of street....About 5 miles are paved.
    • National Register nomination, Brick Streets Neighborhood Historic District (Diane E. Williams, Aug. 22, 2003), Section 8, p. 57By 1923 only about five miles of Tyler's 130 miles of street were paved and most residential streets remained unpaved.
    • Living New Deal: Street Paving, Tyler TXBy 1923 only about five miles of Tyler's 130 miles of street were paved and most residential streets remained unpaved.

    On BR-3 In the maps’ own words, BR-4 Timeline

14. 1923

    Prater's 1923 article complained: 'We call Tyler the metropolis of East Texas but still we are content to pull around in sand and chugholes in dry weather, mudholes in wet weather.'

    • National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form, Historic and Architectural Resources of Tyler, Texas (Diane E. Williams, July 2000), Section E, p. 29We call Tyler the metropolis of East Texas but still we are content to pull around in sand and chugholes in dry weather, mudholes in wet weather

    On BR-4 Timeline

15. 1925

    A 1925 bond added 15 streets to Tyler's brick paving, and brick paving continued through 1947.

    • Tyler Morning Telegraph, 2015-08-17: Tyler's 13.8 Miles of Brick Streets Give East Texas Town Historic Charm
    • Historic Tyler: Brick Streets Neighborhood Historic District

    On BR-1 Tyler's brick streets

16. 1925

    The Tyler Morning Telegraph reported in 2015 that Tyler voters passed a bond in 1925 to build 15 streets on top of a base of 11 already built, and that newspapers at the time called it 'the largest public improvement project ever launched in the city of Tyler' and 'the beginning of new Tyler.' No source we have found gives the bond’s amount or the date of the vote.

    • Tyler Morning Telegraph (Faith Harper), 2015-08-17: Tyler's 13.8 miles of brick streets give East Texas town historic charmIn 1925, Tyler voters passed a bond to construct 15 streets to add to its base of 11 already constructed.Newspapers at the time heralded the move as "the largest public improvement project ever launched in the city of Tyler"
    • National Register nomination, Brick Streets Neighborhood Historic District (Diane E. Williams, Aug. 22, 2003), Section 8, p. 57A bond for street paving passed in 1925 by Tyler provided funding for continued street paving, some of it in south central residential areas.

    On BR-3 In the maps’ own words, BR-4 Timeline

17. 1925

    In the Brick Streets district, portions of many streets that were originally dirt were paved with red brick beginning in the mid-1920s; the nomination dates the district's brick streets to about 1925 to 1940. Districts differ: the Charnwood nomination’s inventory dates its brick streets about 1910 to 1925, earlier than the Brick Streets and Azalea inventories (about 1925 to 1940).

    • National Register nomination, Brick Streets Neighborhood Historic District (Diane E. Williams, Aug. 22, 2003), Section 7, p. 7in the mid-1920s, and the district retains the largest concentration of surviving brick-paved streets in the cityc. 1925-1940 Infrastructure: Brick streets

    On BR-4 Timeline

18. 1928

    The Sanborn map of Tyler dated March 1928 says on its first sheet '18½ MILES OF PAVING,' without naming the material. The figure counts all paving, not only brick. In 1923 the city manager counted about 5 paved miles.

    • Library of Congress, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Tyler, Smith County, Texas, March 1928, sheet 118½ MILES OF PAVING

    On BR-1 Tyler's brick streets, BR-3 In the maps’ own words, BR-4 Timeline

19. 1930

    Demand for brick paving fell as cities chose cheaper asphalt, and the Thurber brick plant closed after the 1929 crash: in 1931 according to the state marker and Tarleton's Industrious Historian, in 1930 according to the Handbook of Texas and Tarleton's Gordon Center.

    • Tarleton State University, The Industrious Historian, 2025-02-19: Thurber Brick PlantDemand for expensive brick paving fell as cities opted for cheaper asphalt. Company officials permanently closed the brick plant in 1931.
    • Tarleton State University, W. K. Gordon Center: Thurber HistoryA reduced market, combined with general economic depression starting in 1929, led to the closure of the Thurber brick kilns in 1930.
    • Handbook of Texas: Thurber, TXThe company maintained operation of the brick plant until 1930

    On BR-4 Timeline, BR-5 Where the bricks came from

20. 1934

    In 1934 South Donnybrook Avenue between Frazier and Rix streets was paved with red brick as a Civil Works Administration project.

    • National Register nomination, Charnwood Residential Historic District (Diane E. Williams, 1998/1999), Section 8, p. 44, citing City of Tyler Engineering Department files, 1925-1950the 1934 paving with red brick of South Donnybrook Avenue between Frazier and Rix streets as a Civil Works Administration project

    On BR-4 Timeline

21. 1935

    The Brick Streets nomination says that in 1935 more than 1,400 families were on county relief, that 'most were unskilled laborers and agricultural workers and it was these men who were employed in local WPA and PWA projects,' and that those programs' work included paving streets. The nomination does not tie these men to particular streets.

    • National Register nomination, Brick Streets Neighborhood Historic District (Diane E. Williams, Aug. 22, 2003), Section 8, p. 58Most were unskilled laborers and agricultural workers and it was these men who were employed in local WPA and PWA projects

    On BR-4 Timeline, BR-6 Who laid them

22. 1935

    In the mid-to-late 1930s the Civil Works Administration, Public Works Administration and Works Progress Administration paved Tyler streets in both brick and asphalt, according to city engineering records. The nomination calls the PWA the “Progress Works Administration”; the agency was the Public Works Administration.

    • National Register nomination, Brick Streets Neighborhood Historic District (Diane E. Williams, Aug. 22, 2003), Section 8, p. 58Paving using both brick and asphalt was conducted by the Civil Works Administration (CWA), the Progress Works Administration (PWA) and the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the mid-to-late 1930s
    • National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form, Historic and Architectural Resources of Tyler, Texas (Diane E. Williams, July 2000), Section E, p. 30were paved in the 1930s as Works Projects Administration (WPA) projects

    On BR-4 Timeline, BR-6 Who laid them

23. 1935

    The Charnwood nomination says Houston Street between Broadway and the Mo-Pac right-of-way and portions of Donnybrook were paved in the 1930s, and that the federally funded Civil Works Administration 'provided labor to complete Houston and South Donnybrook in the mid 1930s.'

    • National Register nomination, Charnwood Residential Historic District (Diane E. Williams, 1998/1999), Section 8, p. 43District streets paved during this decade include Houston between Broadway and the Mo-Pac right-of-way, and portions of Donnybrook.

    On BR-6 Who laid them

24. 1938

    The 1938 Sanborn atlas of Tyler says on its report page 'Paving:—About 37 miles,' without naming the material. The line is on the atlas’s report page, not sheet 1, and counts all paving, not only brick. The 2000 survey says about 20 miles of brick streets were completed by about 1942.

    • Library of Congress, Sanborn Fire Insurance Map from Tyler, Smith County, Texas, 1938, Report page (image 2 of 59; not sheet 1)Paving:—About 37 miles.

    On BR-1 Tyler's brick streets, BR-3 In the maps’ own words, BR-4 Timeline

25. 1938

    The Charnwood nomination, citing city engineering files, says East Dobbs Street was paved with red brick in 1938 as a Public Works Administration project (its description section says East Dobbs was surfaced within five years of 1925); East Dobbs is one of three Charnwood streets that keep original brick.

    • National Register nomination, Charnwood Residential Historic District (Diane E. Williams, 1998/1999), Section 8, p. 44, citing City of Tyler Engineering Department files, 1925-1950the 1938 red brick paving of East Dobbs Street as a Public Works Administration project

    On BR-4 Timeline

26. 1938

    The East Ferguson nomination (2001) says East Ferguson Street, which runs east from the north side of the courthouse square, was paved by 1938, citing Smith County deed records, 'with the red brick still in place.' The nomination’s text places the street outside the district’s boundary, while its inventory lists it as a contributing brick street.

    • National Register nomination, East Ferguson Residential Historic District (Diane E. Williams, 2001), Section 7, p. 7East Ferguson Street extends east from the north side of the courthouse square and was paved by 1938 (Smith County Deed Records) with the red brick still in place.

    On BR-4 Timeline

27. 1938

    Not every street got brick: the Short-Line nomination says Short Street, about five blocks northwest of the courthouse square, was paved with asphalt by 1938, citing deed records.

    • National Register nomination, Short-Line Residential Historic District (Diane E. Williams, 2001), Section 7, p. 7Short Street was paved by 1938 (Smith County Deed Records) with asphalt; Line and Ellis were likely paved about the same time.

    On BR-4 Timeline

28. 1942

    The 2000 survey says about 20 miles of brick streets were completed up to about 1942, when World War II diverted funds and manpower, and that by then residents were no longer routinely choked by dust or mired in mud; the Tyler Morning Telegraph (2015), citing city data, says brick streets were installed through 1947.

    • National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form, Historic and Architectural Resources of Tyler, Texas (Diane E. Williams, July 2000), Section E, p. 30About 20 miles of brick streets were completed up to about 1942 (Tyler Public Library b), when World War II diverted funds and manpower.
    • National Register nomination, Brick Streets Neighborhood Historic District (Diane E. Williams, Aug. 22, 2003), Section 8, p. 58By 1942 about 20 miles of red brick streets existed in Tyler

    On BR-1 Tyler's brick streets, BR-3 In the maps’ own words, BR-4 Timeline

29. 1942

    By 1942 Tyler had applied for and received 31 federal or state public-works grants, among them brick and concrete paving for dozens of streets, and funded 25 more projects with tax money and property-owner assessments.

    • National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form, Historic and Architectural Resources of Tyler, Texas (Diane E. Williams, July 2000), Section E, p. 68In addition, the city funded another 25 projects using tax monies and property owner assessments

    On BR-4 Timeline

30. 1950

    The Brick Streets (2003) and Azalea (2002) nominations say asphalt replaced brick as Tyler's paving material of choice in the 1950s; the city's figures reported in 2015 put the last brick streets in 1947.

    • National Register nomination, Brick Streets Neighborhood Historic District (Diane E. Williams, Aug. 22, 2003), Section 7, p. 7Brick paving was replaced by asphalt as the material of choice throughout the city in the 1950s
    • National Register nomination, Azalea Residential Historic District (Diane E. Williams, July 31, 2002), Section 7, p. 6Brick paving was replaced by asphalt as the material of choice in the 1950s

    On BR-4 Timeline

31. 1999

    The Charnwood Residential Historic District became Tyler's first National Register historic district on August 20, 1999; it covers 12 blocks and has 208 contributing properties, its brick streets among them.

    • Historic Tyler: Charnwood Residential Historic District
    • Wikipedia: National Register of Historic Places listings in Smith County, Texas
    • Historic Tyler: Historic districts

    On BR-2 The brick streets on a map, BR-4 Timeline

32. 2001

    Beside the 1905 Cotton Belt depot, a brick-paved parking area that extends Oakwood Street and a brick sidewalk in front of the depot are contributing features of its National Register listing.

    • National Register nomination, St. Louis Southwestern Railway (Cotton Belt) Passenger Depot (Diane E. Williams, July 14, 2000), Section 7, p. 6Adjacent to the depot on the west is a Contributing brick paved parking area that is an extension of one of Tyler's historic brick streets.the parking area was likely paved with red brick when East Oakwood Street was similarly paved prior to 1925.

    On BR-4 Timeline

33. 2003

    Around 2000-2003 the National Register documents said only about seven miles of red brick streets remained in Tyler, much of it in central residential areas. Later city figures are higher: about 15 miles (2013), 13.8 (2015), 13 (2023). The 2015 report notes that brick also survives under asphalt; no source reconciles the counts.

    • National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form, Historic and Architectural Resources of Tyler, Texas (Diane E. Williams, July 2000), Section E, p. 30Approximately seven miles of brick paving remains, much of it in central city residential areas.
    • National Register nomination, Brick Streets Neighborhood Historic District (Diane E. Williams, Aug. 22, 2003), Section 8, p. 57Tyler retains about seven miles of red brick streets city wide

    On BR-3 In the maps’ own words, BR-4 Timeline

34. 2004

    The Brick Streets Neighborhood Historic District, listed on the National Register in 2004, covers 29 blocks about half a mile south of Tyler's original town square, and all or part of 11 of its 14 streets keep their original red brick paving.

    • National Register of Historic Places nomination, Brick Streets Neighborhood Historic District (Texas Historical Commission Atlas)
    • Historic Tyler: Brick Streets Neighborhood Historic District
    • Wikipedia: National Register of Historic Places listings in Smith County, Texas

    On BR-1 Tyler's brick streets, BR-2 The brick streets on a map, BR-4 Timeline

35. 2004

    The Texas Historical Commission's Atlas gives the Brick Streets district's National Register listing date as April 28, 2004. Historic Tyler, Inc. gives January 2004.

    • Texas Historical Commission Atlas: Brick Streets Neighborhood Historic District (Atlas 2004000379)Date Listed 4/28/2004 Reference Number 4000379

    On BR-4 Timeline

36. 2013

    In 2013, City of Tyler planner Heather Nick told KLTV that the brick streets were built 'predominantly by African American men,' and a city film shows the crews laying bricks assembly-line style in real time. The film is described only as showing assembly-line style work, not how the bricks were laid.

    • KLTV: Watch the Original Film of the Historic Tyler Brick Streets Be Built
    • National Register of Historic Places nomination, Brick Streets Neighborhood Historic District (Texas Historical Commission Atlas)

    On BR-1 Tyler's brick streets, BR-4 Timeline, BR-6 Who laid them

37. 2013

    In May 2013 city planner Heather Nick told KLTV the brick streets 'were constructed back in the 30's and 40's' and that Tyler had 'about 15 miles of brick streets.' Her dating is narrower than the National Register’s (paving from 1906) and the city’s 2015 figures (through 1947), and her 15 miles differs from 13.8 (2015), 13 (2023) and about seven (2000–03).

    • KLTV, 2013-05-01: Original video of the historic Tyler brick street construction"The brick streets are really unique, they were constructed back in the 30's and 40's and predominantly by African American menwe have about 15 miles of brick streets," says Nick.

    On BR-4 Timeline

38. 2013

    The City of Tyler showed its film of brick street construction to schoolchildren, who thought it was sped up; planner Heather Nick said it was real time.

    • KLTV, 2013-05-01: Original video of the historic Tyler brick street constructionthey think the video is sped up but it's not, that's actual real time," says Nick.

    On BR-6 Who laid them

39. 2014

    In 2014 the Tyler Morning Telegraph gave the city about 26,000 bricks it dug up while building a parking lot on Erwin Street, where a street once ran.

    • Tyler Morning Telegraph (Faith Harper), 2015-08-17: Tyler's 13.8 miles of brick streets give East Texas town historic charmThe Tyler Morning Telegraph donated roughly 26,000 bricks last year that it unearthed during construction of a parking lot on Erwin Street.

    On BR-7 The lift

40. 2015

    As of 2015, the city counted nearly 14 miles (13.8) of brick streets made of about 12.6 million bricks, of three types no longer manufactured, so repairs draw on stockpiled bricks. Counts differ by year and source: about 20 miles of brick by about 1942 and about seven in 2000–03 (National Register documents), about 15 in 2013 (a city planner), 13 in 2023 (the city).

    • Tyler Morning Telegraph, 2015-08-17: Tyler's 13.8 Miles of Brick Streets Give East Texas Town Historic Charm
    • Tyler Morning Telegraph, 2025-09-17: Crews Remove Historic Bricks on College Avenue to Make Way for Infrastructure Work in Downtown Tyler
    • Historic Tyler: Brick Streets Neighborhood Historic District

    On BR-1 Tyler's brick streets, BR-4 Timeline, BR-7 The lift, BR-8 Lay a street

41. 2015

    Because the old bricks are a finite resource, the city requires utility crews to lift them one by one and stack them for city workers to relay, and as of 2015 a dedicated three-person city crew repaired brick streets by hand.

    • Tyler Morning Telegraph, 2015-08-17: Tyler's 13.8 Miles of Brick Streets Give East Texas Town Historic Charm
    • KLTV, 2023-07-26: Tyler City Council Approves $870K Historic Brick Street Face Lift
    • Historic Tyler: FAQ

    On BR-1 Tyler's brick streets, BR-4 Timeline, BR-6 Who laid them, BR-7 The lift, BR-8 Lay a street

42. 2015

    The Tyler Morning Telegraph reported in 2015 that some original brick streets had been paved over with asphalt but kept the brick beneath, and that the bricks were the sub-base for numerous old-town streets, including downtown portions of Broadway.

    • Tyler Morning Telegraph (Faith Harper), 2015-08-17: Tyler's 13.8 miles of brick streets give East Texas town historic charmThe bricks are the sub-base for numerous streets in the old-town area, including the downtown portions of Broadway Avenue.

    On BR-4 Timeline

43. 2015

    Streets operations manager Robin Smart described brick repair in 2015 as 'a young man's job,' done mostly with picks and shovels and on one's knees laying bricks.

    • Tyler Morning Telegraph (Faith Harper), 2015-08-17: Tyler's 13.8 miles of brick streets give East Texas town historic charm"This is a young man's job," Smart said. "It's manual labor. Most of the work is one with picks and shovels, and on your knees laying bricks."

    On BR-7 The lift

44. 2015

    Streets operations manager Robin Smart estimated in 2015 that about 10 percent of each brick is lost every time it is disturbed, and said how long the city's stockpile lasts depends on the number of utility cuts and infrastructure projects.

    • Tyler Morning Telegraph (Faith Harper), 2015-08-17: Tyler's 13.8 miles of brick streets give East Texas town historic charmSmart estimates about 10 percent of each brick is lost every time it is disturbed.

    On BR-7 The lift

45. 2015

    In 2015 the Tyler Morning Telegraph reported that brick repair cost $7 to $17 a square foot, against about 35 cents for a seal coat and about $1 for an asphalt overlay, and that the city had spent about $47,000 on brick repairs so far that year (as of mid-August).

    • Tyler Morning Telegraph (Faith Harper), 2015-08-17: Tyler's 13.8 miles of brick streets give East Texas town historic charmMaintaining the bricks can cost between $7 and $17 per square foot, depending on what needs to be done underneath.so far it has spent about $47,000 on repairs in 2015.

    On BR-7 The lift

46. 2015

    In 2015 the city gave two main reasons for brick street repairs: utility cuts and 'level ups' that flatten sagging areas.

    • Tyler Morning Telegraph (Faith Harper), 2015-08-17: Tyler's 13.8 miles of brick streets give East Texas town historic charmThe first is for utility cuts to put in new infrastructure and the other is for what the city calls "level ups," which make sagging areas level again.

    On BR-7 The lift

47. 2015

    In 2015 city crews relaid bricks on fresh sand and sealed them with dyed concrete, mixed in the city's own hopper, so repaired streets would not look like a patchwork quilt, the Tyler Morning Telegraph reported.

    • Tyler Morning Telegraph (Faith Harper), 2015-08-17: Tyler's 13.8 miles of brick streets give East Texas town historic charmThe colored concrete is for aesthetics so the streets do not look like a patchwork quilt.

    On BR-7 The lift

48. 2021

    On July 14, 2021, the city council approved restoring brick at 43 utility cuts that had been patched with asphalt, a project of nearly $100,000 from the General Fund and Street Commitment Fund.

    • KLTV, 2021-07-14: City of Tyler making repairs to 43 utility cuts in historic brick streetsTyler City Council on Wednesday approved the restoration of 43 utility cuts that were repaired with asphalt, not bricks, in the historic roadways.

    On BR-4 Timeline, BR-7 The lift

49. 2021

    KLTV reported in September 2021 that the city had frozen its Brick Street Operator position in 2021 budget cuts and the streets had gone a year without maintenance because of the pandemic; Mayor Don Warren made a three-man brick crew a priority, the position was to reopen October 1 with the new budget, and the city had another $350,000 with a contractor for larger reconstruction.

    • KLTV, 2021-09-09: City of Tyler adding back positions to fix vintage brick streetsDue to budget cuts in 2021, the city froze the Brick Street Operator Position.the city also has an additional $350,000 with a contractor to do larger reconstruction projects on brick streets.

    On BR-4 Timeline, BR-7 The lift

50. 2021

    Mayor Don Warren said in July 2021: 'They are a part of our culture and our heritage and when people come to Tyler, one of the things they really look at are our brick streets.'

    • KLTV, 2021-07-14: City of Tyler making repairs to 43 utility cuts in historic brick streetsThey are a part of our culture and our heritage and when people come to Tyler, one of the things they really look at are our brick streets

    On BR-7 The lift

51. 2022

    In May 2022 the city decided to rebuild two brick streets, South Thompson Avenue and Barger Street, in asphalt after a 2020 storm sewer collapse, stockpiling their bricks for repairs elsewhere.

    • KLTV, 2022-05-11: 52 City of Tyler streets to receive improvementsWe will be going back with asphalt and taking those bricks and stockpiling those for use in repairing other brick streets around town

    On BR-4 Timeline

52. 2023

    In July 2023, the Tyler City Council approved an $873,961 contract with Crown Civil Construction to rehabilitate 21,355 square feet of brick streets and rebuild Bois D'Arc Avenue from South Oakwood Street to the railroad tracks; by April 2024, 35 sites had been repaired. The city’s 2023 repair list has 35 numbered rows, two of them marked N/A with no area, so 33 sites with an area to repair.

    • KLTV, 2023-07-26: Tyler City Council Approves $870K Historic Brick Street Face Lift
    • KLTV, 2024-04-03: Webxtra Tyler's Brick Streets Undergoing $874K Repairs

    On BR-2 The brick streets on a map, BR-4 Timeline, BR-7 The lift

53. 2023

    In July 2023 KETK reported that the Street Maintenance Department identified areas of 'the 13 miles of brick streets around the City' that need repair, while KLTV's version of the same release said '13 miles of brick street were identified as needing repair.'

    • KETK, 2023-07-26: Tyler's historic brick streets to get $870,000 in improvements this yearThe Street Maintenance Department identified areas of the 13 miles of brick streets around the City that need repair.

    On BR-3 In the maps’ own words, BR-4 Timeline

54. 2023

    The city's '2023 Brick Streets Repairs' list attached to KETK's July 26, 2023 story has 35 numbered rows, two of them 'N/A' with no area, so 33 repair sites; their areas add up to 21,355 square feet, the figure KLTV and KETK reported, and the largest was 2,750 square feet at 902 South College Avenue, at the Dobbs and College intersection. The total is the sum of the list’s square-foot column, read from a scanned table; it matches the contract figure KLTV and KETK reported.

    • City of Tyler, 2023 Brick Streets Repairs: Location of Work and Details Base for Quantity in Proposal (PDF attached to KETK story, 2023-07-26)902 S. College Ave | 50 X 55 | 2750 | 305.56 | Dobbs & College Intersection

    On BR-4 Timeline, BR-7 The lift

55. 2023

    The 2023 repair list includes brick repair sites at 1410 North Bois d'Arc Avenue (northwest corner at West Cedar), 800 North Border Avenue (north of West Bow), 210 Goodman Street, 201 East Oakwood Street and 303 South Oakland Avenue (south of East Mulberry). A repair site shows brick at that spot in 2023, not how much of the street is brick.

    • City of Tyler, 2023 Brick Streets Repairs list (PDF attached to KETK story)1410 N. Bois d Arc Ave | 9 X 92 | 828 | 92.00 | NW Corner of N. Bois D Arc & W. Cedar St.303 S. Oakland Ave | 15 X 54 | 810 | 90.00 | South of E. Mulberry St.

    On BR-7 The lift

56. 2023

    Announcing the 2023 Brick Streets Project, paid for from the Street Commitment Fund, Streets Manager Sara McCracken said it was 'an essential step towards restoring the City's historical neighborhoods brick by brick' and that the bricks are laid and leveled by hand.

    • KLTV, 2023-07-26: Tyler City Council approves $870K historic brick street face-lift"This project is an essential step towards restoring the City's historical neighborhoods brick by brick," said Streets Manager Sara McCracken.A layer of sand is then placed on top, and the bricks are laid and leveled out by hand.

    On BR-7 The lift

57. 2023

    When the 2023 repairs were announced, KETK found residents divided: some said the brick streets preserve Tyler's history, others that the bricks should be picked up and packed away.

    • KETK, 2023-07-26: Tyler's historic brick streets to get $870,000 in improvements this yearSome residents said the brick streets preserve Tyler's historic features and others believe the bricks should be picked up and packed away.

    On BR-7 The lift

58. 2025

    In September 2025, crews took up every brick on College Avenue between Ferguson and Erwin streets for the Downtown Improvement Project, palletized and stored them.

    • Tyler Morning Telegraph, 2025-09-17: Crews Remove Historic Bricks on College Avenue to Make Way for Infrastructure Work in Downtown Tyler

    On BR-1 Tyler's brick streets, BR-4 Timeline, BR-7 The lift

59. 2025

    On October 22, 2025, the council approved a $1,473,686 contract with Crown Civil Construction to remove bricks and lay temporary asphalt along a downtown sewer project that crosses Elm, College and Woldert; the city said the cleaned bricks would be reinstalled, except those from Elm Street between Fannin and College, which had been overlaid with asphalt and would be stockpiled while that stretch got permanent asphalt.

    • KLTV, 2025-10-22: City preserving bricks during Tyler sewer projectbricks removed from Elm Street between Fannin Avenue and College Avenue, where the road had previously been overlaid with asphalt, will be stockpiled for future repairsthe Tyler City Council approved a $1,473,686 contract with Crown Civil Construction on Wednesday, Oct. 22.

    On BR-4 Timeline, BR-7 The lift

60. 2025

    On Saturday, September 20, 2025, bricks lifted for the downtown project were given away free at Broadway and Ferguson starting at 7 a.m., and all were taken within about an hour; KLTV reported the bricks were made in Missouri. KLTV does not say how it knows where the bricks were made, or which street they came from. The National Register documents name the Thurber Brick Co., the Mineral Wells Brick Co. and the Tyler Brick Co. as Tyler’s suppliers, so “Missouri” is treated here as unverified.

    • KLTV, 2025-09-19: 'Part of this History': Brick giveaway planned Saturday as downtown Tyler improvements continueUpdate: A project manager said all the bricks available were taken within about an hour of the giveaway start.The bricks were made in Missouri.

    On BR-4 Timeline, BR-7 The lift

61. 2025

    Tyler's streets mix several kinds of old brick: the streets manager counted three types, none still made, in 2015, and the city's Main Street director said in 2025 that four types were in the downtown project area alone.

    • Tyler Morning Telegraph (Faith Harper), 2015-08-17: Tyler's 13.8 miles of brick streets give East Texas town historic charmThe city's streets are made of three different types of bricks, none of which are in production anymore.
    • Tyler Morning Telegraph (Santana Wood), 2025-09-17: Crews remove historic bricks on College AvenueThere are four different types of bricks currently in the project area and they will be separated as such.

    On BR-5 Where the bricks came from, BR-7 The lift

62. 2025

    The Downtown Improvement Project began in September 2025, converts the streets around the square to two-way traffic, rebuilds the square with green space (due by May 2027) and restrooms, and later adds roundabouts on South Broadway starting November 2027.

    • Tyler Morning Telegraph, 2026-04-29: Tyler Mayor Don Warren Discusses Downtown Project Timeline Funding and Businesses on the Square
    • Tyler Morning Telegraph, 2026-09-07: Tyler's Downtown Improvement Project Work Shifts to Broadway Avenue
    • KLTV, 2026-03-02: Downtown Tyler Improvements Continue Bricks Returned College Avenue

    On BR-7 The lift

63. 2025

    When crews began lifting College Avenue's bricks one by one in September 2025, Main Street director Amber Varona said the street would get a level base and concrete headers to mark lanes and keep the bricks from moving.

    • Tyler Morning Telegraph (Santana Wood), 2025-09-17: Crews remove historic bricks on College Avenueconcrete headers will be installed to provide lane markings and reduce the amount of movement of the bricks.

    On BR-7 The lift

64. 2025

    Jesse Wilson of contractor Precision Civil called the downtown brick removal 'a very bittersweet project' and said he kept a brick himself as a memento.

    • KLTV, 2025-09-19: 'Part of this History': Brick giveaway planned Saturday"We know it's a very bittersweet project. Some people are upset about it. Some people are really happy.

    On BR-7 The lift

65. 2025

    In November 2025 crews on the downtown sewer project were taking up the bricks on West Elm Street between College and Broadway and laying temporary asphalt, with Bois D'Arc Avenue next.

    • KETK, 2025-11-14: Road closures expand during downtown Tyler construction projectsCrews have completed work on the east side of Elm Street and are now removing bricks and placing temporary asphalt on the west side.

    On BR-7 The lift

66. 2026

    On March 2, 2026, bricks saved from the streets went back down on College Avenue in front of Plaza Tower.

    • KLTV, 2026-03-02: Downtown Tyler Improvements Continue Bricks Returned College Avenue
    • KLTV, 2026-03-18: City Tyler Holds Open House Downtown Improvement Project
    • Tyler Morning Telegraph, 2026-03-18: City of Tyler Hosts Open Houses for Updates on the Downtown Improvement Project

    On BR-1 Tyler's brick streets, BR-4 Timeline, BR-7 The lift

67. 2026

    Rebuilt College Avenue and Erwin Street reopened to two-way traffic on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, after a ribbon cutting the Friday before. The day is worked out from the article’s June 4, 2026 publication and its “Wednesday.”

    • Tyler Morning Telegraph, 2026-06-04: Two-way streets open in downtown TylerThe streets were originally scheduled to reopen Monday but grading and final touches delayed the opening to Wednesday.

    On BR-4 Timeline, BR-7 The lift

68. 2026

    In mid-July 2026 crews began setting the old bricks back on West Ferguson Street after laying new water and sewer lines and a concrete base.

    • KLTV, 2026-07-16: Downtown Tyler Progress: Bricks placed back down on portion of West Ferguson Streetcrews completed installing a water line and a sanitary sewer line, allowing crews to lay concrete and place the old bricks back down.

    On BR-4 Timeline, BR-7 The lift

69. 2026

    Downtown Tyler is in the middle of a $25.6 million city-county rebuild of its streets, utilities and square, which includes $10.7 million in ARPA funds and is now expected to finish by April 2028. Status as of September 2026. Completion dates have moved before.

    • Tyler Morning Telegraph, 2026-06-10: Downtown Tyler's New Look Starts to Take Shape with Project Completion Expected in 2028
    • Tyler Morning Telegraph, 2026-09-07: Tyler's Downtown Improvement Project Work Shifts to Broadway Avenue
    • Tyler Morning Telegraph, 2026-04-29: Tyler Mayor Don Warren Discusses Downtown Project Timeline Funding and Businesses on the Square
    • KLTV, 2026-03-02: Downtown Tyler Improvements Continue Bricks Returned College Avenue

    On BR-7 The lift

70. 2026

    By mid-March 2026 the brickwork on the rebuilt block of College Avenue was mostly done, according to downtown specialist Lindsey Froneberger.

    • Tyler Morning Telegraph (Leeza Meyer), 2026-03-18: City of Tyler hosts open houses for updates on the Downtown Improvement ProjectFroneberger said College Avenue is nearing completion with brickwork mostly done and the final steps include striping, landscaping and finishing details.

    On BR-7 The lift

71. 2026

    Defending downtown construction delays in April 2026, Mayor Don Warren blamed what lay under the old bricks: 'When you dig down under bricks that have been there 100 years, you're going to come across stuff you're not expecting.'

    • KLTV, 2026-04-28: Tyler mayor defends downtown project amid delays, criticism from candidate"When you dig down under bricks that have been there 100 years, you're going to come across stuff you're not expecting," said Tyler Mayor Don Warren.
    • Tyler Morning Telegraph, 2026-04-29: Tyler mayor Don Warren discusses downtown project timeline, funding and businesses on the squareWhen we started digging up the bricks that have been here for 100 years, underneath it there's infrastructure that's also 100 years old

    On BR-7 The lift

72. Undated

    Tyler's paving brick came from the Thurber Brick Co. and the Mineral Wells Brick Co., with some from the local Tyler Brick Co., which paving contracts saved from bankruptcy. The sources name the companies only: none we have verified describes maker’s marks on Tyler’s bricks, or how the streets were laid.

    • National Register of Historic Places nomination, Brick Streets Neighborhood Historic District (Texas Historical Commission Atlas)
    • Living New Deal: Street Paving, Tyler, TX

    On BR-1 Tyler's brick streets, BR-5 Where the bricks came from

73. Undated

    Accounts of Tyler's brick streets disagree on the start: one puts the first brick streets at around 1912, while the National Register nomination dates brick paving to 1906. The two dates are not reconciled in the sources, so neither is given here as the start.

    • Tyler Morning Telegraph, 2015-08-17: Tyler's 13.8 Miles of Brick Streets Give East Texas Town Historic Charm
    • Historic Tyler: Brick Streets Neighborhood Historic District
    • National Register of Historic Places nomination, Brick Streets Neighborhood Historic District (Texas Historical Commission Atlas)

    On BR-1 Tyler's brick streets, BR-4 Timeline

74. Undated

    Edna Pollard, newly arrived and living on South Broadway, remembered: 'Broadway was a wide, dirt street and a mountain of churned up dust rolled over us every time a car passed.' The survey does not date her memory; it sets it in the early 1920s, just before the city manager’s 1923 article.

    • National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form, Historic and Architectural Resources of Tyler, Texas (Diane E. Williams, July 2000), Section E, p. 29, quoting Edna M. Pollard, The Man From Edom (1972), p. 46"Broadway was a wide, dirt street and a mountain of churned up dust rolled over us every time a car passed"

    On BR-4 Timeline

75. Undated

    The Azalea nomination (2002), citing Tyler Today (Fall 1994), says Rudolph Bergfeld (1855-1930) is credited with 'paving Chilton and College with brick ... using his own staff labor and funds.' The nomination gives no year and no blocks.

    • National Register nomination, Azalea Residential Historic District (Diane E. Williams, July 31, 2002), Section 8, p. 68 (citing Tyler Today, Fall 1994)with paving Chilton and College with brick (Tyler Public Library e) using his own staff labor and funds

    On BR-4 Timeline

76. Undated

    The 1994 state marker at the Thurber brick plant site says Thurber brick paved roads throughout Texas, including the old Bankhead Highway (U.S. 80), Austin's Congress Avenue, Fort Worth's Camp Bowie Boulevard and the Galveston Seawall.

    • Texas Historical Commission marker 4901: Site of Thurber Brick Plant (1994)Brick manufactured here was used to pave roads throughout Texas, including old Bankhead Highway (US 80), Austin's Congress Avenue, Fort Worth's Camp Bowie Boulevard, and the Galveston Seawall.

    On BR-5 Where the bricks came from

77. Undated

    Thurber's ads in the Texas Almanac said its paving brick was used in Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston, Galveston, Beaumont 'and other cities of the South.' The list does not name Tyler; Tyler’s use of Thurber brick comes from the National Register documents.

    • Tarleton State University, W. K. Gordon Center: Thurber HistoryAdvertisements in the Texas Almanac reported the use of Thurber paving brick "in Fort Worth, Dallas, Houston, Galveston, Beaumont, and other cities of the South."

    On BR-5 Where the bricks came from

78. Undated

    The 2000 survey includes an undated Smith County Historical Society photo of a road crew on Dobbs Street between Augusta and Kennedy, used to illustrate the New Deal-era paving of dozens of streets.

    • National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form, Historic and Architectural Resources of Tyler, Texas (Diane E. Williams, July 2000), Section E, p. 130, Figure 46Figure 46: Road Crew on Dobbs between Augusta and Kennedy. Source: Smith County Historical Society

    On BR-6 Who laid them

79. Undated

    The construction film is posted on the City of Tyler's YouTube channel as 'Tyler's famous Brick Streets,' and the Tyler Morning Telegraph posted a cut titled 'Found Footage Construction Of Tyler's Brick Streets.' No source we have found gives the film’s year, maker or streets.

    • YouTube oEmbed record for video 5YjO-dw4Y50"title":"Tyler's famous Brick Streets","author_name":"City of Tyler"
    • YouTube oEmbed record for video Y3zlkBtd8D8"title":"Found Footage Construction Of Tyler's Brick Streets","author_name":"Tyler Morning Telegraph"
    • KNUE (Michael Gibson), 2025-12-19: Watch Fascinating Video of Downtown Tyler's Brick Streets Being LaidThe City of Tyler YouTube channel has raw video of the construction of the brick streets of downtown Tyler.

    On BR-6 Who laid them