Glazed terra cotta bricks in shades ranging from emerald to hunter green on a downtown Crystal Lake building glimmer on a sunny day. Those bricks were made locally over 100 years ago, and preservation commissioners aim to preserve them by landmarking the building.

The Historic Preservation Commission unanimously voted Monday to recommend the landmark designation for 77 E. Woodstock St. Known as Bauer’s Garage, it is currently home to Aroma Coffee & Wine and Blush Salon & Spa.

The City Council is expected to take the final vote on the 112-year-old building on May 19.

The iconic green bricks are made of TECO pottery, famously made at the American Terra Cotta & Ceramic Company factory in Crystal Lake. The company, started by William Day Gates, created architectural terra cotta for buildings nationwide and ornamental pottery pieces. The green color was exclusive to the Crystal Lake-based factory, created through a distinct and complicated chemical and firing process, according to city documents.

“It is not simply clad in glazed terra cotta – it is a complete expression of a manufacturing ecosystem, where chemistry, kiln engineering and architectural design converge into a unified, durable surface," historic preservation commissioners wrote in an architectural summary.

The glazing was also done with a specific technique to diffuse light in a soft way when it hits the bricks.

“It reflected not like a mirror, but like a jewel,” Commissioner Robert Kosin said.

Described as a “handsome modern structure” in a Crystal Lake Herald item published in 1914, the building cost approximately $12,000 at the time. It was home to H.J. Bauer’s Garage, where cars, especially the high-end Auburn model, were sold, rented and repaired.

The building also features winged automobile wheels made out of carved stone. Builders made the building as fireproof as possible with brick, iron, steel window frames and cement.

Bauer’s Garage, just feet away from the Crystal Lake Metra train station, stood literally and figuratively at the intersection of the railroad and automobile industries of the early 1900s. Many wealthy Chicagoans, including William Wrigley Jr., would travel by train to Crystal Lake, and then drive to resorts in Lake Geneva, Kosin said.

Aroma business and building owners Dawn and Kevin Kincaid took over the long-vacant building about 10 years ago, when it was still in its raw form as a garage. They carefully redid the roof, heating, plumbing and electric systems while preserving the history.

“It is truly a profound honor for us,” Kevin Kincaid said. “It’s a privilege to ensure that this landmark remains a vibrant part of our downtown for generations to come.”

This is the second business property in Crystal Lake recommended to be landmarked, with City Council approval pending. The other business is the Raue Center for the Arts at 26 N. Williams St.

One of Crystal Lake’s many landmarked houses is the Arwin Bauer House at 86 Dole Ave. Arwin was the son of H.J. Bauer, according to city documents.

Last year, the latest landmarking attempt failed after the Crystal Lake City Council denied approval for the Academy Building, which sat on private property. The building, which was the childhood home of William Day Gates, was torn down in January.