Masonry Magazine August 2002 Page. 34
Pentagon SERIES
Bybee Stone
MATERIAL COMMAND CENTER
BY TOM INGLESBY
When the government's architects designed the Pentagon, they chose limestone for the exterior cladding along the perimeter walls. One of the richest sources for that stone was Indiana. It still is.
With the quarries shut down for winter, The Phoenix Project was lucky to find suitable stone already harvested.
FIFTY MILES SOUTH OF INDIANAPOLIS AND 637 miles from Washington, the small town of Ellettsville (pop. 5,068) stands in one of the most cultivated limestone areas in the country. Founded in 1837, the town has long been a source for the carving, cutting and shaping of this indigenous building material.
Indiana limestone is recognized as one of the better grades available for façade work and is used in many, perhaps a majority of government buildings at all levels-federal, state, county and community-plus a wide range of monuments, cathedrals and other buildings. Capitalizing on this resource, Ellettsville proudly proclaims its motto, "The Builders of American History."
Situated in Ellettsville is Bybee Stone, a company that can trace its history back to the earliest days of the town. In fact, the original company was Matthews Brothers, started about 1846 with a small quarry that grew into one of the region's better-known suppliers. Besides quarrying the limestone, Matthews Brothers fabricated it into the usable building material that was growing in demand across the country. The Bybee family bought the company in 1978, and today William Bybee runs the family business as CEO.
As Bybee notes, "We're fabricators of Indiana limestone quarried in the area. We work on new buildings, restorations of old buildings, and additions to existing buildings. We did the last 10 years of work on the Washington Cathedral, a job that was started in 1906 and didn't finish until 1989."
In 2001, Bybee added The Phoenix Project, the rebuilding of the Pentagon, to its portfolio.
Because the Pentagon had been designated as a National Historical Landmark on October 5, 1992, and this designation automatically placed it in the National Register of Historic Places, any work done on the building is governed by some of the strictest requirements for authenticity possible. When the original building plans were found and reviewed, it was noted that the cladding on "E" Ring, the visible exterior of the building, was made up of Indiana limestone.
The masonry contractor, Masonry Arts, knew Bybee's experience with government building renovation. Once the demolition of the impacted area was done the two came together quickly on the particulars. "We had a lot of dealings with the folks who were already on the site when the attacks happened," Bybee says. "The government decided to use the people on site so there wouldn't have to be any mobilization. Because this is an area we specialize in, we were able to get up and running on the project quickly."
To maintain the integrity of the building's historic nature, the stone that would be used to replace damaged and unusable original material had to be cut in much the same way it had been in 1941-43. The Capitol Architect and historian wanted the cladding on the rebuilt area to closely resemble that on the other four sides.