Yeah, so I went off on a couple tile companies yesterday who were too slow for my taste in answering my inquiry about the Batchelder tiles I’d found. Felt good getting that off my chest. But did I give up the search for knowledge? Hell no! I also traveled down one additional avenue yesterday and sent the same question to the Tile Heritage Foundation.
That very same evening was a response from foundation boardmember Joseph Taylor:
Will,
Batchelder stamped his tiles “Pasadena” from 1912 to 1919 (his factory moved to LA in 1920) so the dates are right. Send us a digital picture of the front and back of both tiles. The numbering of the tiles themselves have never been formally deciphered, but it is intriguing nonetheless. Batchelder was known to number every tile so that the installer would know its exact placement; every installation came with either blue or white prints to make it as easy as possible for the installer.
Now we’re talking!
Published by
Will
Will Campbell arrived in town via the maternity ward at Good Sam Hospital way back in OneNineSixFour and has never stopped calling Los Angeles home. Presently he lives in Silver Lake with his wife Susan, their cat Rocky, dogs Terra and Hazel, and a red-eared slider turtle named Mater. Blogging since 2001, Will's web endeavors extend back to 1995 with laonstage.com, a comprehensive theater site that was well received but ever-short on capital (or a business model). The pinnacle of his online success (which speaks volumes) arrived in 1997, when much to his surprise, a hobby site he'd built called VisuaL.A. was named "best website" in Los Angeles magazine's annual "Best of L.A." issue. He enjoys experiencing (and writing about) pretty much anything creative, explorational and/or adventurous, loves his ebike, is a better tennis player than he is horr golfer, and a lover of all creatures great and small -- emphasis on "all."
View all posts by Will