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WAUSAU – From 1936 to 2004, thousands of students passed the artistic tiles built into the walls of the old Wausau East High School on Fulton Street.

The tiles were painted with quirky animal pictures, which brought the school to life. Even after the school closed in 2004, the tiles remain part of the architecture of what is now East His High Apartments.

Tiles have been a part of everyday life for so many people.

But they are special and worthy of recognition, say the Milwaukee art teacher, tile artist and historian. His 33-year-old Ben He Tjeski, who teaches at Garland Elementary School in Milwaukee, became obsessed with tiles and wrote a book about them.

It’s called “East High’s Animal Tiles of Wausau, Wisconsin” and features “brick tiles” manufactured by Stark Brick Company of Canton, Ohio. It helped create “one of the hallway interiors,” Tyjeski writes on the back cover of the book.

It is fitting that Tyjeski signs copies of the book during the Wausau Festival Arts. His book appreciates public art, which has long been a part of everyday life. He will be showcasing his books at the Janke Book Store at 505 N. Third St. Saturday from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

The books are priced at $15 each. Tyjeski published his 50 copies through his business, his Tyjeski Tile Co.

No one is more qualified to write about tiles than Tyjeski. A native of Rapids, Wisconsin, he developed his familiarity with tiles and ceramics as an art student at university. He quickly fell in love with architectural ceramics and now produces his own works.

At the same time, he became absorbed in building tiles and ceramics. Milwaukee, he said, is a great place to live because of its abundance of architectural ceramic works. While he and his partner were researching tile and pottery works found throughout the state, he learned about the tiles installed at the old Wausau East High School.

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The school was built during the Great Depression in the 1930s, and ceramics and tiles were common in public buildings.

“They wanted to create something special and important,” Tyjeski said. “They are not just walls, they are these walls.”

Tyjeski says tilework is common in Great Depression-era buildings in the 1930s, but the kind made by Stark Brick Co. is rare. The manufacturer, which he operated until 2007, created his image of tiles as an integral part of the bricks used to build walls and other structures. Most of the tile work is added to the walls, Tyjeski said.

Stark Brick created tiles that were “much thicker” than most tile works, and “they were part of the wall,” says Tyjeski. “It’s not just a decoration”

It’s also uncommon, at least in Wisconsin, he said. “I don’t know how rare it is nationally,” Tyjeski said. “But as far as I know,[the Wausau East tile]is state-specific.”

Contact Keith Uhlig at 715-845-0651 or kuhlig@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook @UhligK.