What is the Significance of the Brick?

In Charles D'Ambrosio's Brick Wall I believe that the brick signifies the people of Chicago's desire to recapture their past. Brick was the material used to rebuild the city after the Chicago fire of 1871 and "transformed the city, ushering in an era of industrial greatness...-extending a process that began with a mysterious extinction, a vast unimaginable loss." (68). The theme of rebuilding the past continued with his talk of the consistent sale of the faux antiques that “replaced the real past with an emblematic one.” (69). This was also applied to the gambling which D’Ambrosio hypothesized was another way for men to “salvage the past,” and “amend history.” (72). Every facet of the story, especially the bricks, was a way to convey how the people of Chicago “wanted the past completely restored and made livable.” (72).