Roger Coté/Berks Products

Best Residential Stone Project
Local 5 Pennsylvania
Private Residence
Orwigsburg, PA

Signatory Contractor:
Eshbach Brothers, L.P.
Architect/Designer:
Randall Stofft Architects

On a five acre parcel located in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, skilled stonemasons from Local 5 Pennsylvania spent 13 months building this spectacular 12,980 square-foot residence.

Bringing beauty, function, and scale to a spacious interior with soaring ceilings isn’t easy, but superior craftsmanship and extensive use of masonry materials helped solve this design challenge. The home’s custom granite countertops, beautifully finished bathrooms with imported Italian marble and travertine, and a custom-molded cast stone fireplace added to the first floor living area,  demonstrated the versatility of masonry and adaptability of the craftworkers.

The unique architectural appeal of the residence lies in the materials utilized to construct its exterior façade, such as oversized Belgian brick and stucco. Embellishing the back and side of the home are a series of dramatic decorative railings, balusters, pavers, and wall caps. These elements, when coupled with the striking stone columns framing the main entrance, evoke a classic style for this modern-day masterpiece.

Photo by Jeff Cantarella – Champlain Masonry, Inc.

Best Dimensional Stone Project
Local 1 Massachusetts/Vermont
’62 Center for Theatre and Dance
Williams College
Williamstown, MA

Signatory Contractor:
Champlain Masonry, Inc.
Architect/Designer:
William Rawn Associates, Architects, Inc.

Williams College’s new $42 million ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance, which houses four impressive performance areas and administrative and practice space for its theatre and dance departments, presented a series of challenges for the skilled craftworkers of Local 1 Massachusetts/Vermont.

A new material and a design that included numerous radius walls and a long serpentine wall to be installed using straight, segmented stones were among the challenges facing the members. The German limestone selected for the project, although a perfect aesthetic choice, turned out to be as hard and dense as marble and susceptible to chipping. The distance between the building site and the German quarry presented yet another challenge.

The crucial decision to purchase an elaborate stone rail saw for cutting special shapes and configurations, and a special training session for members in polishing, cutting, shaping and epoxy bonding of the stone, resolved the problem of delays in receiving the pieces from abroad. These steps, coupled with the ability of Local 1 members to learn and adapt to new materials and procedures quickly, resulted in the completion of the Center two months ahead of schedule and with superb results.

Roger Coté/Berks Products

Best Rubble Stone Project
Local 5 Pennsylvania
Kutztown University Alumni Plaza
Kutztown, PA

Signatory Contractor:
Eshbach Brothers, L.P.
Architect/Designer:
Wells Appel Land Strategies

The skilled members of Local 5 Pennsylvania can be credited with transforming Kutztown University’s Alumni Plaza into a public art space and a gathering site for students and faculty. A 138-foot long serpentine rubble stone wall that winds through the plaza with a large, sweeping radius beckons pedestrians toward its focal point – an impressive tiered fountain area with a 74-foot long radius cascading wall.

The stone used for the fountain wall’s veneer, a blend of Decatur Sandstone and Stonemont Ledgerock, was beautifully shaped into an Ashlar pattern with ghosted and raked joints. The wall’s elevation defines the western edge of the plaza and remains constant throughout while its height gradually fluctuates between three and twelve feet.

The main fountain area flows over the top section through a channel that was cast into its concrete structure, then cascades down the face and into a pool. As the water hits the face of the wall it is agitated due to a slight batter in the stone veneer, creating movement and sound, and a serene, meditative atmosphere. It ends in a series of steps made from the same stone blend, providing a smooth transition between the fountain and the surrounding landscape.