Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-09-13
IT'S OUR STONE AGE.
Very Few of the New Buildings in
Pittsburg Are of Brick.
THE BEAVER VALLEY QUARRIES
And Those Of Ohio Furnish Most Of the
Material Now Used.
WHAT ARCHITECTS AND CUTTERS SAY

| building construction in Pittsburg and Al
| legheny TO stone has been SO gradual as to
have generally escaped notice outside Of
those professionally engaged in the art, and
yet within few years the fashion in struct-
ures, for both commercial and residential
purposes, has undergone complete change.
Excepting for smaller houses and suburban
villas of the cottage type brick has given
way to stone so thoroughly as to justify the
comment lately made that Pittsburg had
reached the "stone age" in her history.
And this is doubly true, for when other
cities are employing steel in the construc-
tion of buildings designed for Office structure
and trade purposes, Pittsburg, the home
of the steel trade, is every year using stone
to greater extent. Five years ago there
was but one residence on Fifth avenue,
that of Reuben Miller, built of stone; to-
day the brick dwellings are conspicuous by
their rarity. In the heart of the city
granite and sandstone have taken the place
of the more old-fashioned material, and the
use of brick is confined to general construc-
tion. OF course specific reference is here
intended to the exposed parts of the build
! ings; brick for general construction will
always be used to greater or less extent.
| The tendency, though, seems to be to discard
brick as much as possible in favor of stone.
WEALTH OF NATIVE STONE.
A reason for this may be found in the
| proximity to Pittsburg of such excellent
| building stone as is found in the Beaver
Valley and in the Cleveland district. The
| product of these quarries runs very close
race for first place with the granite quarries
! of Maine, the sandstone pits of Massaehu-
setts coming next. The Iron Mountain gran
0f oIo -
sandstone are also used in local construc-
tion, but not to a large extent. The race is
| between the Ohio stone and the blue and
| buff sandstone of Beaver county. As to
the relative merits of the two stones archi-
| tects are not of the same mind, but stone
| cutters prefer the Ohio sandstone to the
other. 1t is asserted that the Beaver
stone is not of uniform color, nor
uniform in quality, and that it is
harder to work than the Cleveland stone.
1t is admitted, however, by some architects
| to be more durable than the Cleveland
stone. Again, the Beaver Valley material
is preferred by others because it looks more
| like granite and presents the appearance Of
being richer work. The Cleveland stone is
admitted to be susceptible of finer work
manship, giving more regular lines and
| sharper angles than its rival, and a finer
| finish. The main objection to the Beaver
stone is the lack of uniformity in color 1t
is said that but few of the quarries yield a
| stone which when built into a structure
wilIpresent as unvarying color as its Ohio
relation.
CRUDE METHODS OF QUARRYING.
1t is also charged against the Beaver
! product that the methods of quarrying it
! are not as perfect as those used in Ohio, and
| that the very best results are not obtained
in the valley relative to the trade which |
should exist for the material. In illustra-
tion of this it is said that only one firm ships
stone to outside points, the general yield Of
| these quarries being forwarded to this
section. Whatever the relative merits of
the Ohio and Beaver material the use Of
sandstone in domestic construction in the
| two cities has increased to such a degree
as to make the Beaver Valley industry q
| very prominent one.
| Pittsburg architects are certainly en-
| couraging the use of Pennsylvania stone as
much as possible The large majority of
| the residences and churches in the East
End are faced With this material. Promi-
nent among them may be named the Hos
letter dwelling, Shadyside Church, James
| H. Parks, Lawrence Dilworth's and W. S.
| McKelvey's residences. Among the build
| ings in the city properin which Beaver Val
| ley stone is used, are the Marine National
Bank, the Arbuthnot building, the new
Times building in one front, the old post
| Office building, many of the old fronts along
| Wood street, and the Smithield street
bridge The T. H. Nevin Lead Works, w.
E. Woodwell's residence, Allegheny, and
the addition to Wilmerding Library are
built of this material Where very fine
workmanship is called for Cleveland stone
is preferred, as in the porch of the new
wilcox house in Allegheny, which is
being built of buff sandstone. Blue stone,
= Lo ,1a1. 6,oA 10.
ment and trimmings of the new Wilkins
burg Church, the foundation stone of which
was laid Thursday, and Mrs. Gusky's and
the Bindley residence are built Of this
material.
THE STONE FROM DISTANCE.
The consensus of opinion among archi-
tects and contractors seems to be that the
Beaver Valley stone, if carefully selected,
will make as durable and handsome work as
any of the stone which is brought from a
distance to take its place. For example, it
is argued that the Duquesne Clubhouse,
the Masonic Hall building, and the trim
mings of the new Ferguson block, on which
sandstone from Long Meadow, near Boston,
was employed, would look as well, if not
better, and be Just as durable if constructed
of the brown stone. The same remark Is
applicable to the red granite from the Iron
Mountain used in the Vandergrift building,
and to the Lake Superior stone used else
where in the city. Where granite Is hauled
all the way from Maine for use in local
structures, it is in obedience to arbitrary de-
mands, as in the case of the Government
building.
Excellent sandstone for building purposes
is also found in Lawrence county and at
Walkers Mills, IL miles out on the Pan
handle; but beyond this there is no other
building stone found in this end of the
State.
SOME GOOD LOOKING FIGURES.
The value of the sandstone industry In
the State has increased nearly 81 900, 900 in
ten years; in Ohio the increase was about
81, $780, 900. Proportionately to the value OF
the industry the increase in this State mas
been remarkable; the value of the output
ten years ago being, Ohio, S1,6ll ,Szl;
Pennsylvania, S627, ,923. The value at
present is. Ohio, S3,046,O56, Pennsyi-
yania, 81 ,6O9, ,159, showing that the I'M
perfectly worked quarries OF tnls state
have more than held their own with the oet-
ter equipped workings of Ohio: Inc num-
Der of quarries in Ohio is 1872, In tins state
159. The uuarries in the Beaver valley
furnish large quota of the output, how
much cannot he aseertained. There is evil
dence sufficient, however, to show that the
use of them in this section Is on the In
crease. and that large industry Is capable
of being built up in the neighboring county.
The amount Of sandstone produced In the
limited States in 1889 was over 7l,OOO,OO0
cnbic feet. valued at SO, sic, ,057; the value
in 1850 was only "a, 730, ,391. The total cap
ital invested in the business is s17, 176, ,467,