Product Reports
Stone and Masonry
Masonry and bricks, monuments to permanence, bring style and gravitas to the most memorable residences, cultural institutions, and commercial structures.
Here are some of the companies that, block by block, are working in the traditional fold.
Graciano Corp.
A leader in masonry restoration, preservation of historic landmarks, restoration, beautification and repair, award-winning Graciano Corp. has worked on a long list of iconic structures in New York City ranging from Central Park’s Belvedere Castle and Rockefeller Center to Shea Stadium and the Queensboro Bridge.
“Our work is so satisfying because we are giving a future to the past,” says President Glenn Foglio. “It is not just our trademark statement; it is what we are doing every day.”
The company, which is based in Pittsburgh and has an office in New York City, was established in 1916.
“We take pride in our expertise and experience,” Foglio says. “Our skilled tradespeople–some fourth-generation masons and craftworkers– have years of experience in the field. Their skills and attention to detail, along with our standardized Quality Assurance program for field and management procedures, bring peace of mind to building owners and managers. We adhere to exacting standards, and on historic landmarks, we follow Department of Interior Standards for Historic Preservation.”
Foglio, who has been with Graciano for 40 years, loves “that we can see the turnkey results of our projects from beginning to end, and often times, within a year.”
Rugo Stone
Founded by Brett S. Rugo, grandson of an Italian stone carver, Rugo Stone is dedicated to the design, fabrication, and installation of natural stone, mosaic and other architecturally significant stonework products.
The company, established in 1996 in Virginia, has a senior staff that has over 400 years of collective stone-trade experience and works for some of the most acclaimed architects, churches, developers, construction managers, and homeowners throughout the United States.
“From workshop to showroom, we’ve invested in the best so we can deliver uncompromising quality, safety, and sustainability,” says President/Owner Brett S. Rugo.
Growing up among the granite quarries of Barre, Vermont, Rugo began his stone-carving career at 15, working in a marble shop, then a quarry and later on urban construction job sites helping in the installation of stonework. After college, he began working in the greater Boston area before founding the company that bears his name.
Rugo Stone, one of the few companies that still trains and supports master stoneworkers, “is committed to preserving the lasting beauty of master-crafted natural stone for future generations,” Rugo says. “We believe that historic preservation is important to communicate to the future generations the designs, the capabilities, the art, and passion of our predecessors in creating successful, long-lasting projects that have withstood the test of time.”
The Belden Brick Co.
It started in 1885, when one Henry Belden used the clay and shale from his family farm to make bricks to pave the streets of Canton, Ohio. Today, the fifth-generation family-owned company manufacturers face brick, structural brick, thin brick, clay pavers, and chemical-resistant brick.
“We offer more colors, sizes, and textures than any other manufacturer in the brick industry,” says Brian S. Belden, vice president of sales and marketing. “With the more than 500 color combinations, over 13 sizes and thousands of special-shaped bricks we manufacture, our product line is more versatile and offers more possibilities for quality clay-fired brick than any other manufacturer.”
The company, which has over 500 employees, has worked on prestigious projects across the United States and Canada.
“We value our distributor network that works with architects, home builders, and mason contractors to make these projects come to life,” Belden says. “It’s the quality products we make and the relationships we build in the industry that position us as ‘The Standard of Comparison Since 1885.’”
Weathercap Inc.
The only authorized seller of its patented joint-protection Lead-T Caps, the family-owned Weathercap, based in Louisiana, has sold to customers working on projects around the country.
The Lead-T Caps, originally patented in 1933 and improved and patented again in 2001, provide a protective system for horizontal and vertical joints in masonry. They are flexible, cover the sealant, resist corrosion, can be painted, and resist molds.
“We have styles for 90-degree joints and Y-joints,” says Vice President of Sales Stacie Negueloua-Marton, whose parents bought the Louisiana-based company in 1997. “We also accommodate a wide range of joint widths from 1/8 of an inch all the way up to 3 inches.”
Noting that she enjoys learning something new from every project, Negueloua-Marton says that “Weathercap is on newly constructed buildings and on buildings that are hundreds of years old. We sell direct to the consumer, and I find the interaction with a diverse customer base from across North America intriguing.” TB
