QuarryHouse Services: Hardscapes

Letterman Digital Arts Center

In addition to working on stone masonry for private estates and public buildings, QuarryHouse is fluent in creating exquisite hardscapes. Before Ed and Missy Westbrook co-founded QuarryHouse in 1993, Ed owned a landscaping company. He developed an affinity for stonework when he started fabricating fountains, patios, and pathways for his landscaping clients. Early on, QuarryHouse forged an essential business partnership with renowned landscape architect Lawrence Halprin. Halprin and the stonemasons collaborated on the Letterman Digital Arts Center,  the Agave Trail at Alcatraz Island, a permanent Stern Grove theater, and private gardens and residences. 

Agave Trail at Alcatraz Island

For the Letterman Digital Arts Center in San Francisco's Presidio, QuarryHouse installed stone pillars to greet visitors at the two entrances. A 500-foot meandering stream transverses the 17-acre property. QuarryHouse constructed it from the repurposed remnants of a Northern California stream bed. They installed two stone belvederes with seating to enjoy the views. The park includes a lagoon encircled by stone boulders. QuarryHouse artisans fitted additional stone pieces together as a water sculpture. On Alcatraz  Island, the stonemasons rebuilt the pedestrian path, stairs, and low walls with stones that blend with the original rocks along the Agave Trail. 

Dancers at Stern Grove

San Francisco is fortunate to have Stern Grove, a natural wooded amphitheater where visitors have enjoyed free summertime musical performances since 1938. After nearly seven decades of concerts, the park needed restoration. QuarryHouse rebuilt the theater to seat 10,000 and endure for another 1,000 years. Ed sourced stones in the Shandong Province of China. Local villagers selected 150 boulders and hand-split over 3500 tons of granite. QuarryHouse's crew hand-carved stones to fit into the hillside structure like an intricate puzzle. Whether it's an outdoor theater, a cultural park, or a prison pathway, QuarryHouse is up for the challenge.