Honoring the skill and craftsmanship of mason contractors across the United States, Masonry Construction magazine recently announced its annual Project of the Year awards including 2010 Historic Restoration Project of the Year winner: MPS.
MPS received the award for the restoration of the 200-foot-tall Italian Renaissance masonry tower, a once-active smokestack, at the U.S. Penitentiary at Lewisburg, which opened in 1932. Large-scale masonry repairs were required, including detailed reconstruction at corbels, gothic arches, battlements, and balconies.
“The project required custom-shaped brick and other materials which had to match existing elements in size, color, and texture,” says MPS CEO Jeff Erdly. “Because of our intimate knowledge of early construction techniques and craftsmanship, we were able to reassemble the tower to its original form with the best combination of traditional and modern materials and methods to ensure it stands for an additional 75 years.”
Winning projects will be featured in the November/December issue of Masonry Construction. An awards ceremony will be held at World of Concrete/World of Masonry in Las Vegas on January 19, 2011.