Guastavino Tile --Beautiful & Functional

Guastavino structural tile vaults: the technique was patented in 1885 by Spanish architect & builder Rafael Guastavino, who then worked with his son after the turn of last century. Examples are found in several hundred buildings in NYC; there are a thousand installations in the United States. On the left is Wolfgang's Steakhouse at 4 Park Avenue, Manhattan.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guastavino_tile