California Quarries: Cutting New History

  
   COLUSA, Calif. — What was lost – as far as a unique variety of American stone – is now found. After a dormancy of 70 years, quarry operations resumed seven years ago at the historic Colusa, Calif., site that produced San Francisco Brownstone. With some hard work and dedication from a number of individuals, the quarry was re-opened, setting the stage to quarry and fabricate this historic sandstone.
  
HISTORY
   At the turn of the 20th century, dozens of dimensional stone quarries dotted the landscape of California. Two of the most-prolific quarries of the time were the Colusa Sandstone Co. and the McGilvery Stone Co., both quarrying from the same sandstone formation 100 miles north of San Francisco.
   Quarrying first began at this location in 1897, and within a few years the quarry became the stone source for numerous architectural projects in the next four decades. The state of California now classifies this site as one of the original dimensional-stone quarries in the Pacific region.
   The quarry is set along the inland side of the coastal range. Aubury E. Lewis, state mineralogist for the California State Mining Bureau stated in 1906 that in Colusa County lies “a great belt of sandstone and shale (that) extends from the Northern boundary of the county… in this belt occur massive ledges of the building stone.”
   A dense stone, with a rich earth tone color range, the material blended perfectly with the landscape and architecture of the San Francisco Bay area. The quarry yields two colors of sandstone: Sage, which has a deep maritime hue that, with a sawn or thermal finish, closely resembles the bluestone of the eastern United States; and Brown, accounting for approximately 20 percent of the quarry, that is a complementary blend with green colors or a stand-alone stone. (The majority of historic applications used only the Sage stone.)
  
THE ROOTS
   From the 1890s until the depression, the McGilvery and Colusa quarries (both with headquarters in downtown San Francisco) supplied dimensional stone to the building community throughout California.  The stone’s most-notable use came with the building of some of San Francisco’s most prominent landmarks.
   For example, such buildings as the St. Francis Hotel (now the Westin St. Francis), the Ferry Building and the James Flood Building were originally clad in this indigenous stone. Most of these structures have survived San Francisco’s “shaky” history, making these buildings some of the oldest standing structures in the West. The stone was utilized extensively throughout the Pacific region, including the Hawaiian Islands.
   When the Great Depression hit, many aspects affected the California quarry community. At first, new development ground to a halt. In the postwar era, less-expensive building materials, such as concrete, stucco and brick replaced stone in many instances.  Many of the once active quarries were put to rest – and forgotten.
  
THE RE-BIRTH
   Today the San Francisco Brownstone quarry is bustling with activity, and remains the only dimensional sandstone “block” quarry in California.
   Over the past few years, several changes have occurred. A year-and-a-half ago, WW Rock Inc. (the parent company of California Quarries) leased the facility from the owner and former operator, Brownstone Inc. Sean Weaver and Brad Wiseman, the principals in California Quarries,  purchased the fabrication equipment and began the tasks of quarrying, fabricating and marketing the sandstone.
   Weaver and Wiseman are both natives of Redding, Calif., and entered the stone industry at the same time. Weaver holds a degree in textiles and business management, and is a true entrepreneur, having started several companies since graduating college. He became involved in the stone industry three years back, running a natural-stone distribution company with Wiseman just north of Berkeley. Before getting his hands dirty in the stone business (Weaver is often found “in the trenches” at the quarry), he worked with product development for Titleist® golf products. (It’s perhaps no coincidence that a round of golf is his favored venue to entertain clients.) Weaver handles the day-to-day business operations of the company, including marketing, distribution and sales.
   Wiseman worked for a large building and excavation contractor for several years prior to entering the stone trade. Working for the company on large tunnel, excavation and demolition projects throughout the western United States, Wiseman was drilling, blasting and otherwise manipulating rock before he moved into the dimensional-stone industry.
  
THE SITE
   The quarry is tucked away in the Mendocino National Forest on the edge of the Sacramento Valley, just off the main Interstate 5 that runs the length of the California. Set in a small valley, spotted with live oaks, the quarry – at first look – is almost hidden.
   The spectacular formation includes beds of stone, laid back at a consistent 45° angle; bed thickness ranges from 4’-13’, with an average of 5’. The stone is highly consistent in color and in grade; the weathered portions are brown, and stone layered below shows of the Sage-Green color range.
   When Weaver and Wiseman first entered the quarry in 2001, they knew they had a major project. A portion of the top layer had been damaged from a short-lived attempt to quarry riprap in the early ‘50s. A thin layer of shale between each shelf creates a natural top and bottom, easing the amount of drilling needed to extract blocks.
   But, they also understood the potential of this historic quarry. After creating an efficient method of extracting stone – they designed and constructed their own drill rig – operations have been in full swing. The factory (located alongside the quarry) operates a Pellegrini DF top wire saw, a Park Industries Jaguar, three stone splitters, chop saws and a variety of support equipment.
   Currently, 10 craftsmen and journeymen produce a variety of products daily. The stone is quarried in 6’ X 5’ X 8’ blocks (along with larger custom sizes), allowing for the stone to be fabricated into almost any dimension and texture.
   “Our stone has been compared to a preferred sculpting stone from Italy, Monte Serena” Weaver says.
   In the past year, the quarry supplied stone for a number of projects from Seattle to Las Vegas and throughout California for custom residential and commercial work, with clients such as Meteor Vineyard and the Venetian resort/casino. They expect to add additional equipment to the factory to keep up with production.
    “With our stone being utilized more and more, we find that the large projects we are accepting make the expansion of our factory a necessity,” Weaver says. 
   Re-opening a bit of history has its own intrigue for clients.
   “The architects have especially shown a great deal of excitement when they find out about the quarry,” Wiseman says. “The history of the stone really turns up some eyebrows”.
   California Quarries offers its brownstone in a variety of veneer, paving and specialty stone products. They also custom-cut several projects using other regional stones.
   One of their most-popular products is an “antiqued” street cobble. Because of its density and deep color it has proven to be a ideal driveway and motor-court paving.
  
THE FUTURE
   With an emphasis on developing and expanding operations at the Brownstone Quarry, Weaver and Wiseman see a bright future for the reborn quarry.
   “We have several high-profile jobs in production and several others in the cooker,” Wiseman says, “and if all goes as planned this trend will continue.”
   Also, the two are looking at the potentials that abound in the stone community of the West Coast. Aside from the San Francisco Brownstone they quarry and fabricate, the company will be including several other stones to their product line in the near future.
   “Alliances and new partnerships have been made.” Weaver says. “We find these aspects pivotal in establishing our presence in the industry, not just along the West Coast, but looking east as well.”
   James P. Abner operates Iron Mountain Architectural.

This article first appeared in the October 2003 print edition of Stone Business. ©2003 Western Business Media Inc.