Stonemasons and Their Time Tested Occupation

I’ve always had a strange longing to work as a stonemason. There’s just something intriguing about working a profession that’s been around and remained largely unchanged for thousands of years. Stonemasons have one of those select few jobs that have withstood the test of time. Having fashioned the ancient pyramids of Egypt or the Colosseum in Rome, stonemasons have one of those jobs that fills the mind with wonder.

It has always been an aspiration of mine to one day build my own home. Being somewhat enthralled with old-fashioned things, I’ve fostered the idea of hiring a stonemason to teach me how to build structures out of stone. I was surprised to find that very few buildings are built with stones as the supporting element in our modern day and age. Most stone structures don’t meet with code for earthquake safety and other things, and so are only used as decorations on buildings. It’s odd to walk up to a beautiful building, such as a courthouse, its marble shimmering in the early morning, and know that the outer stonework is only a thin layer covering a network of concrete and metal beams. But the modern age of skyscrapers has completely reinvented the ancient methods of stone-masonry.

In the modern age, a stonemason’s job is concentrated mostly around outdoor landscaping. Forming walls and walkways, stonemasons rarely are called to fashion actual buildings anymore. Many buildings are formed with less expensive materials, with drywall and wooden beams. The days of stone buildings are almost over. Though stonemasons often work with some of the sturdiest materials, much of what they do is mere facade, adding outer finishing stones to the inner foundation of whatever is being built. In prior days, stone or even bare earth was generally used for the foundations of structures. In this day and age, in order to keep that good old-fashioned look, cheaper materials are used for supports, and stones are used at the end for a finishing covering. It’s odd how things have changed in that way.

Brickmasons, however, still have an active role in the construction of buildings, and can often be seen inlaying intricate designs into the sides of giant structures. Brick buildings are some of the most beautiful modern structures being erected. One would have expected that brick buildings would go the same path of stone-masonry. But in fact, many bricks are still a very viable supporting element for brand new buildings. The cost difference in the materials must play a key role.

Though my newfound research on stonemasons has brought to light the troubling fact that I will probably never get to build an old fashioned stone house, I’ve gained a greater respect for their work, which has changed and adapted to the modern era, facilitating the large demands of an ever evolving market.