New railings and terra-cotta balusters from the original maker help a San Francisco landmark shine again.

One of the most timeless of roofing materials – terra cotta tile – is as sustainable as it is traditional.

Terra cotta roof tiles have been considered a traditional building material across the United States for centuries.

Given terra cotta’s long history as a highly mailable material, it’s only a short step to replicating the look of other roofing types.

While modern technology allows many manufacturers to basically make any tile profile they produced in the past, the project can get trickier when it comes to the critical component of color.