Local Masons Receive National Award12:00AM / Sunday, October 01, 2006
 | | Williams College 62 Center of Theatre and Dance |
Champlain Masonry, Inc., a skilled Masonry craftsmen company of Pittsfield, MA since 1984, is pleased to announce that it has received The Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Craft Award for the Best Dimensional Stone Project of 2005, announced Jeffrey Cantarella, President of the company. The project chosen was The Williams College 62 Center for Theatre and Dance in Williamstown, MA. The award will be presented at the national conference of the BAC in Las Vegas this Thursday, October 5th to the three Cantarella brothers currently running this third generation business: Jeffrey, James and Joseph.
Projects from across the United States and Canada have been considered for various awards from the BAC annually since 1986, but only in the case of a truly outstanding project is the Best Dimensional Stone award given out.
“What was unique and rewarding about this project was that we were able to send a team to Germany to inspect the quarry and manufacturing facilities. This allowed Champlain to be involved in the final decision making process on what stone would be taken and used in the design” explained Jeff Cantarella. “What makes this award so special was the challenge to construct such a uniquely designed stone façade. The building contained multiple radiuses and serpentine walls. It took a team effort of Berkshire county craftsmen to successfully complete the project.
Each stone was then numbered and dimensioned. The pieces were cut, shaped and shipped to Boston in large sea containers. The open seas were not always kind, and stones did come on site damaged and broken. To combat this problem, Champlain Masonry invested in a special stone rail saw and sent James and Joseph Cantarella out to Madison, Wisconsin to receive specialized training.
In addition to this project, other local projects Champlain have completed or are currently working on include the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority building, North Adams Regional Hospital, the Colonial Theatre, the Barrington Stage Company Theatre, the Williams College Student Center and the Lee Wastewater Treatment Plant. Work has also recently been done at Westover Air Force Base, the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and Amherst College.
For more information on Champlain Masonry visit their website, www.champlainmasonry.com . |
