Seattle's Chance at a New Waterfront

Stay tuned...for a review of the public presentation on September 15.

Director Park Granite Installation

We recently visited the brand-new Director Park in downtown Portland, Oregon during opening ceremonies on October 27. This piazza built by Brant Construction used nearly one thousand tons of our granite to cover an entire city block and adjacent streets and sidewalks. It offers playful fountains and all-weather space under a soaring canopy. Click on images below to expand in a new browser window.

The honey-colored stone is a peppery tan-brown granite we call Gobi, a subset of our Pepper Gold series. The basket-weave pattern chosen by the landscape architects Laurie Olin and Tiffany Beamer of Olin Associates for the main field is striking and practical; the interlocked 18" x 3" x 2.5" thick stones firmly resist shifting on the sand base. Other portions of the project used 4" street pavers and massive 18" x 18" x 12" thick stop bar stones. Monolith landings, stairs and curbs will provide interest for ages to come. Special finish textures included bush-hammered and groove-sawn surfaces for the paving, as well as hand-chiseled stair block faces.

A contrasting stone, Dark Olive basalt, is used in the chessboard, for the sphere base, and for the thousands of ADA tactile paving stones which delineate the curbless streets. The dedication stones designed by John Laursen of Press-22 were a challenge due to the fine text requiring flawless stone. A three-foot sphere focuses attention on Teachers Fountain which honors educators. Seven blocks of granite were cut open before a suitable one was chosen for the massive rectangular naming stone. The park stone was ordered over last winter; the streetscape and sidewalk paving was ordered in June for summer/fall installation by the expert crew of Schonert Associates, masonry subcontractors for the general contractor. This handsome new feature of Portland's civic center will hold visitors' interest in any season, weather or light.