Mid-century facade, a slip cover

2017/7/6 – In the little town of St. Marys, Kansas you’ll find this amazing folded metal facade.

From the 1950s to 1970s it was common to cover existing masonry facades with metal “slip covers” in American down towns to give a “modern” appearance to their buildings.  Most slip covers were made from aluminum or sheet metal interlocking panels and attached to furring strips.

As time passed, the slip covers fell out of fashion and often building owners have removed them and restored the original masonry facade.  Sometimes the slip covers have provided excellent protection of the masonry below and sometimes the original masonry details were removed prior to installing the slip cover.

As more time has passed, the slip covers have become historic in their own right-we think this St. Marys example is.