Construction

Prior to the mid 19th century, without large machinery and ample labor forces, the use of marble for building construction in the United States wasn't deemed profitable. As technology advanced related to quarrying blocks of stone and railroads made transporting large swaths of stone more feasible in the mid 19th century, however, marble began to be used as a building material.

A Federal Demand for Building Stone

With the beginnings of a federal construction boom, between 1850 and 1857, Congress approved $18 million for federal construction. As of December 1853, the government owned and occupied twenty-three buildings, with appropriations for fifteen more authorized, though the architectural profession of the United States was arguably in its infancy at that time.

Without a clear definition of what American architecture would look like especially in the midst of a still-new national identity, discussions rose surrounding what the most appropriate stone was for use in the construction of government buildings.

Second Bank of the United States in Philadelphia, PA made of Pennsylvania marble in 1818 and one of the first marble structures in the United States

Ultimately, these projects grew in favor of marble as their building material. Compared to granite, it was fairly priced, more easily carved, and more readily available. It served as an effective replacement for several poor-quality sandstone buildings that had been erected in the early 1800s After all, some of the most recognizable marble constructions of ancient times included those of the ancient Greeks; seemingly a fitting model for the ideas behind American democracy.

Learn more about the relationship between the United States' government and its architecture.

Vermont Marble in Washington DC

Map of some of the use of Vermont marble in Washington DC's main buildings according to Building Stones of Our Nation's Capitol published by the USGS

Carnegie Library at Mt. Vernon Square in DC made of Vermont marble and dedicated in 1903 now housing an Apple Store

Following the economic depression the country faced after the Civil War, the nation went on a building spree, building at a faster rate than before and constructing much larger buildings. By the end of the 19th century, marble had surpassed both granite and limestone as a building material.

In 1880, - the same year the Vermont Marble Co. was incorporated by Redfield Proctor - the Rutland Daily Herald remarked:

"When our architecture was ready for marble, then marble was uncovered, quarried, and supplied. As architecture approached elegance, and as increased prosperity enabled the popular taste to respond to the allurements of luxury, marble as a material for buildings and ornamentation, attained to a pronounced demand."

In From Craft To Profession: The Practice of Architecture in Nineteenth Century America, Mary N. Woods details the shift in architecture as a profession with work lending itself more towards what an architect deemed most appropriate than what a design brief required of them. This shift of the building industry as increasingly privatized and specialized with an emphasis on attempting to accomplish imaginative architectural feats contributed to a greater emphasis on specific material use in construction.

With its use in recognizable government buildings as well as the rise of the "City Beautiful Movement" and its aesthetic emphasis on impressive materials, the Vermont Marble Co. expanded rapidly until the 1930’s when demand declined due to the Great Depression. Its efforts shifted to wartime machine production with World War II, and monumental marble production was increased in the years following the war despite a worldwide economic crash and a hiatus on large building construction.

Supreme Court building completed in 1935 and the exterior of which is made of Vermont marble

Marble Popularized Again

In the mid 20th century, the United States saw a "renaissance of marble" with both new construction and renovation using marble cladding and thin-stone paneling systems. Several notable architects are listed repeatedly as procuring marble from the Vermont Marble Co. for their work, including but not limited to Paul Philippe Cret, McKim, Mead and White, and Minoru Yamasaki.

Marble's popularity grew in both government and private building projects for its reasonable price, aesthetic value, variety of colors and patterns, and durability.

Marble Goes Modern

Published by the Vermont Marble Co. in 1940, Marble Goes Modern illustrates notable uses of Vermont marble in public buildings, commercial buildings, memorials, homes, and other products.

Thin-Stone Veneer Paneling Systems

Following WWII, the demand for modern, standardized and modular materials drove the Vermont Marble Company to experiment with thin panels to keep pace with Modern architecture. By the late 1940s, new installation hardware, joint sealants, and more advanced cutting technology made room for innovative uses of marble slabs.

This proliferation of new technology was spurred by rapidly changing demand and was not always adequately tested for durability over time. Modern architecture prized the machine aesthetic and innovative designs which encouraged technological advancement with little time for regulation, ultimately resulting in systemic problems with the long-term performance of paneling systems over time.

To see examples of everyday buildings made of marble around the Rutland region, see A Lasting Impact.

References

Pluskota, Kaitlin. To Build on the Past: A Foundational Database of the Vermont Marble Company Archives. (Masters Thesis). University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 2015.

Highsmith, Carol M. U.S. Supreme Court Building, Washington, D.C. 1980. Library of Congress, Washington D.C., https://www.loc.gov/resource/highsm.17863/?r=-0.122,-0.036,1.697,0.879,0.

Marble Goes Modern. Proctor, VT: Vermont Marble Co., 1940. https://archive.org/details/marblegoesmodern00verm/page/n17/mode/2up.

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