Stonemason Named One of Washington’s “Best and Brightest”

Washingtonian Magazine selected Local 1 Maryland/ Virginia/District of Columbia stonemason Joe Alonso as one of its “Best and Brightest” in 2001. The magazine, which showcased some of the most talented individuals in the Nation’s Capital, selected Alonso because of his work as head mason at Washington’s National Cathedral. The 40 year old BAC stonemason’s pride in his craft came through in his detailed explanation to the Washingtonian about the work he performed on the Cathedral. During the last 16 years, Alonso has restored elements of the gothic structure’s inner and outer casings, arches, towers, and buttresses.

Alsonso also described the moving moments when he and his crew placed the final stone on the Cathedral’s two front towers in September 1990. “When you think of all the stonemasons and all of the work they put into building the Cathedral over the years, to think I lowered the last stone to complete it — it’s something else,” said Alonso.