^^^ Correct. The front facade was often a better grade of brick, and could be an entirely different color.
You can cheat, and paint the sides a concrete color as if the brick were stuccoed over. Or you can get a snippet of brick paper glue it to the wall and paint all around it, as if the stucco broke loose in 1 spot (or more).
Another alternative is to deck the side of the building with signage.
Plastruct makes .020" thick brick sheet, that would give you the texture, without any thickness. Just square it up and glue it on.
