Henry Chapman Mercer

In my hometown in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, a man called Henry Chapman Mercer left his mark. He built his home, Fonthill, a museum (the Mercer Museum) and the Moravian Pottery and Tile Works factory where he once produced handmade tiles.

Today, the three structures are popular places to visit as they display Mercer's works and collections. The tile works factory still even makes beautiful tiles the same way Mercer did. This past year, when my Ceramics class visited for a field-trip to learn about tile making, I was struck by Henry Mercer's style of design. He was not afraid to build in his own unique style and express his dreams, resulting in his house with 44 rooms, 18 fireplaces, 32 stairwells and more than 200 windows. Looking at his creations inspired me to try to not be afraid to express my own ideas and thoughts in my designs and to turn my dreams into reality.

Here's a link if you want to read more about Henry Mercer and his 3 structures: http://www.tiles.org/pages/mptw/mercer.htm#fonthill