Page 22 - Demo

22|September 2019
Phenix Rising Over Jefferson City
Slippery rock Gazette
Founded in 1821 by the son of a frontiersman named Daniel Morgan Boone, and named after our second President Thomas Jefferson, Jefferson City, Missouri encouraged the growth of local industries based on its abundant wheat crop, such as flour mills and distilleries. It eventually became the state capitol, and over time raised three structures to house the state government. In 1917 construction was started on a new dome-topped building, by the New York architectural firm of Tracy and Swartwout. A majes- tic native-stone building was ded- icated as the new Missouri State Capitol building in 1924.
This impressive building stands five stories high and is 437 feet long, and elegantly rests right be- side a loop of the Missouri River. The Missouri State Capital is a symmetrical building designed in Roman Classical style. Its distinc- tive dome and two wings resem- ble the U.S. Capitol Building and it is one of the last state houses constructed in this formal style.
As you can imagine, after 100
Codiak San Herrell
Photos Courtesy
Phenix Marble and
Gary Galassi Stone & Steel
years of wear and tear the exterior and substructure of the Missouri State Capitol Building has started to deteriorate. A major restoration project is slated to be completed in late 2020, and the main objective of construction is to make sure the building is properly preserved for many generations to come. The Carthage Marble exterior stone is from a historic quarry in Carthage, Missouri that is no longer being mined, and is being replaced by stone from Phenix Marble. All of the stonework on the interior of the capital is still up to standards after being completed in 1917 by Phenix Stone and Lime Company. Does the name sound familiar?
Phenix Marble, who supplied the original marble in the Missouri State Capitol back in 1917 under the name Phenix Stone and Lime Company, is still an active quarry and located only a few hours from the State Capital. So luckily, the
Above: Construction on the Missouri State Capitol dome, c. 1918, and a replacement capital from the front portico. Below: inspecting and selecting slabs at the Phenix Marble quarry.
Top & Below: Phenix Fleuri and Napoleon vein cut slabs
restoration stone supplied by Phenix Marble has the consis- tency of stone color and pattern to match the pre-existing stone on the capital building.
Phenix Marble is located in Green County, close to the town of Walnut Grove, a town that thrived early in the 20th century thanks to its local, ambitious mar- ble company, which at once em- ployed hundreds of people – at its peak, about 500 local workers, and the company put its stamp on everything visible with its mar- ble, including marble cladding on several businesses in town. The Walnut Grove cemetery is full of Phenix marble headstones, and if you look down while walking on a side walk in Walnut Grove, you will more than likely be walking on Phenix marble.
Although Phenix was inactive for some time in the mid-1930s due to the Great Depression, in
the mid-1990s Phenix Marble was a small operation run by Freddie Flores, who was working old stone blocks left over from oper- ations decades ago. To take op- erations to the next level, Phenix teamed up with Conco Companies in 2014, who dominates the pro- duction of construction aggregates and ready-mix concrete in the Ozarks region.
Right: Walking on Phenix – Napoleon Fleuri tiles
Photo by Brandon Roberts
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