STEPPING STONES

Trade is a family tradition

tonework goes back to the beginning of civilization.

Since rock is naturally available, it made an obvious choice for construction. Brick and mortar soon followed. Techniques evolved and civilizations like the Egyptians, Greeks and Mayans crafted structures still with us today.

Originally, masons would have apprentices and through experience they would move through the ranks. Often, one

Swould be born into this life. Masonry has historically been a family trade, many modern outfits reflect this tradition, such as Rundquist Masonry, a local four generation company. Another family impacting local stonework is the Stahls. Brian Stahl, the family patriarch, originally gained his education through the Stone Foundation in Taos, New Mexico. Brian brought these skills to Colorado in

By Garett Dickinson

the 1980s to start his new business, In Stone. His son Josh was introduced to the trade watching his father work and began apprenticing for him as a teen cleaning rocks and mixing mortar. By 19, Josh made the decision to be a mason full time.

“School wasn’t really for me and I work well with my hands,” Josh said. “I’m trying to create long-lasting stone art… I hope my son’s grandson can say my great grandfather built that.”

Working together for many years in the Roaring Fork Valley, Brian recalled their relationship during that time. “It was gratifying,” he said. “It was also the kind of thing where it was a guy that I could depend on.”

Josh, now the owner of Elite Stone and Tile, has been working in the Durango area since 2004. The combination of creativity and building something that lasts has kept Brian’s son in the trade for nearly 30 years.

Both father and son have worked on many local projects throughout the years, including luxury homes in the Glacier Club and properties such as the Wild Wings Ranch.

A property Josh has been involved in for years, Elk Park Ranch, is a recurring project for him through multiple owners. Originally done by Harrmann Masonry, Stahl took on a remodel when the original owners sold. Since that time, he has completed columns, floors, walls, interior and exterior fireplaces, an outdoor pizza oven and much more.

This job was fairly unique for modern masonry as nearly all the rock was gathered from the base of cliffs on the property. Josh described reducing rocks that weighed a few hundred pounds into manageable sizes that could be transported to the worksite. There, the stones would be worked into the exact dimensions needed, all done by hand with hammer and chisel.

Many masons primarily still use these tools, and power tools such as diamond blade equipped saws are frowned upon unless necessary. Brian was trained this way by the Stone Foundation, and passed this on to his son.

Once a team, the Stahl’s primarily work separately now, although they occasionally collaborate. Still, they use the same tools of the trade. Brian listed tools and techniques that ancient predecessors would know well, like the pulley, inclined plane, and lever. Some things never go out of style.

Traditions of old are visible in our community as numerous buildings rely on the fundamental masonry techniques of the past. Many buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places on Main Street and East Third Avenue are beautiful works of stone and brick craftsmanship, including examples such as the Strater Hotel and St. Mark’s Espicopal Church.

Josh said one of his favorite examples locally is Sacred Heart Catholic Church. It is another structure that is just as much a work of art as anything else. He explained the detail the builders created by contrasting the blonde sandstone common in Durango with a red variety in both the arches and windows as well as the quoins, the stones used in the corners of buildings.

Other buildings, such as St. Mark’s, showcase gothic style arches, pointed rather than rounded, framing stained glass windows. St Mark’s also has a walled garden with a matching arched entryway that blends style with structure.

An appreciation for historical buildings with artistic masonry isn’t the only passion that runs in the family. Josh is also the owner of Colorado Carved, where he sculpts stone sinks, even matching the sinks with the stone and tile he installs in homes. The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree, nor stone from the cliff, as his father is also a stone sculptor.

In his self-directed art education, Brian attended the MARBLE/Marble Stone Carving Symposium, a multiday stone carving workshop held in Marble, Colorado. He now lives above his studio where he operates both his masonry and sculpting businesses and he’s able to sculpt whenever creativity stirs.

Family craftsmen like the Stahls create utilitarian but also highly aesthetic structures, and they’re helping to keep the art of stone work alive and lasting well into the future. n