Masonry Magazine May 1979 Page. 10
IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST
Mason Contractors Find Their Niche
Amid Oregon's Lumber Industry
Eugene is an unpretentious city. Situated in the midst of Oregon's lumber industry, Eugene's residents take advantage of easy access to the region's natural resources and relatively mild climate, and they build with wood. Although the central city teems with commercial structures of brick and block, the homes, with few exceptions, are wood frame. When you speak of masonry around Eugene, you speak of fireplaces a few brick walls, some masonry patios certainly, planters and barbecues, but mainly of fireplaces.
Residential masons, it appears to the outsider, are ranked in good part by their fireplaces. Among the many fine residential mason contractors the area provides its citizenry are two who, for several reasons, stand out. Between them, they have 62 years of experience, half a century of that as contractors. They have built not only thousands of the area's fireplaces, walls and planters, but also reputations as craftsmen who take pains to build a good product. Both have remained soft-spoken artisans overseeing relatively small operations.
For Joe Nama, pride in his work and a sense of independence form the hallmark of his success in residential masonry construction. Contemplating and finally rejecting the offer of a scholarship to business college early in life because he didn't want to be "beholden to anybody," Nama opened the door for a career in masonry.
Of his status and reputation, Nama says simply, "The people I do work for are picky. They like to go outside and look at their fireplace shell and see the joints lined up perfectly. They know I'll do that for them."
Not surprisingly, one of the practices that bothers him most is the emphasis of speed over accuracy, structural integrity and appearance.
"A lot of people today," Nama begins, and a note of contempt creeps into his voice, "actually brag about the fact that they can 'knock out' a fireplace in five-and-a-half hours. I know what goes into a fireplace, and I know that to build one properly it takes a lot longer than that."
In the two-dozen years he's resided in the area, Nama-built fireplaces are too numerous to count, spread as they are all over the county.
Joe Nama poses for a picture in front of the single-level house, "the best in the valley," that he built for a local developer.
His career began 32 years ago when he was working as a laborer in Nebraska. A brother who was a construction contractor in Lansing, Mich., phoned one afternoon with a better offer. "I just packed up and a couple of days later I started working for him. Carried hod for a couple of weeks, then one day he said, 'I need bricklayers,' so I picked up a trowel for the first time in my life and veneered a house."
Nama credits his current skill to the seven years he spent in Lansing working around experienced craftsmen. "That," he adds, "and the fact that I bought some books and I studied them quite hard."
But the trade unions back there didn't recognize
Main portico of the developer's home with its majestic arched windows. Entrance area and walkways feature basket weave bond.
A rear view: downspouts near every corner of the building are enclosed in brick to give a pilastered effect.
10 MASONRY/MAY, 1979