Old World-style masonry
 

The exterior stonework for The Allison Inn & Spa was installed by Guinett Masonry, Inc. A crew averaging about 60 employees was on site for a little over a year to complete the project.

“As a third generation family-owned business since 1910, all of our masons are trained in the Old World style — using stone hammers and chisels to complete the stone fabrication without the use of saws,” explained Gregg Paull, President of Guinett Masonry, Inc. “Each stone was personally hand selected by the artisan/mason and hand cut for placement into the area of veneer production.”

In total, more than 46,900 square feet of Montana Mossy Rock was installed on the exterior of the resort. Additionally, over 17,000 square feet of stone paving was also installed.

 

“Because our masons work specifically with a personally assigned stone hammer, over the years we have developed a specialty heat-treated stone hammer unlike anything we have found on the open market,” said Paull. “These hammers are fabricated, numbered and assigned to each mason, and they are for Guinett’s use solely.”

According to Paull, the work on the jobsite ran relatively smoothly. “Overall, any challenges we experienced were resolved quickly due to the exceptional team effort we experienced with Lease Crutcher Lewis, the General Contractor,” he said. “Their field management team was well experienced in all facets of building construction.”
 

Carrying the stonework inside
 

A variety of natural stone was also chosen for the interior design of The Allison Inn & Spa. “We wanted the building to be as transparent as possible,” said Schaefer. “Materials used outside were also used inside. There are also large expanses of glass. We always had connections to and reminders of the outside.”

Throughout the main lobby and repeated in the entry to the hotel’s restaurant and conference center, the field of the floor consists of 24- x 24-inch Brazilian slate tiles with a thickness of ½ inch, which were supplied by Oregon Tile & Marble of Portland, OR. “The slate was chosen for its overall coloration,” said Schaefer. “It feels rooted in soil. It has Mossy Green and Rust colors as well as some lighter Apple Green areas that are reminiscent of lichen.”