Sometime in the late 60’s, Roland Street II (Stubby) watched the sun shining on Porfrey Peak - an outcrop of rock above Triumph, Idaho - as he had for more than ten years. “First light, last rock,” said Stubby Street. “That’s what I’ll call it.”
Stubby looked out his kitchen window toward the peak behind the house. He once made a living as a gourmet chef, but had decided to change his career and become a mason. As a chef, Stubby regarded the rocks lying around the peak as a good location to end a vigorous hike and watch the sunset, or the fireworks in Sun Valley. As a mason, he dreamed of using the quarry stone for a building resource for his business, Street Masonry. “First light, because it gets the first sunlight everyday, and last rock, because it’s the last quarry in the county,” he explained. Thus began a legacy of masonry projects strewn across the United States from Kauai and Maui to New Orleans, like monuments to professional masonry design and construction.
Stubby has completed masonry projects for individuals and organizations since 1971. After studying with a local Wood River Valley masonry contractor for three years, he ventured out on his own. He learned the codes and fundamentals of structural masonry, but enjoyed the freedom that stone veneer gives a mason, who is an artist after all. One of his favorite sayings always was, “Baking is a science, cooking is an art.” As a chef, Stubby managed his kitchen with perfection and artistry, committed to the complete comfort and satisfaction of the guest. He brought that commitment to stonework, which reflects an eye for design, perfectionism and attention to detail in concept, design and construction.
In time, Stubby’s son, Roland III, became a mason. The two have a real advantage on a block wall project. The father is right-handed, but the son is left-handed. They build from each side, meet in the middle, and never get in each other’s way. Together, they have grown the company, with a training program for masons and apprentices, where they teach their standards for high quality. Roland III is the president now, and maintains exemplary quality control.
Over the years, the Street masons have maintained these high standards of quality for function and aesthetics through a diverse range of projects and designs. From concrete masonry unit (CMU) buildings, large homes covered with stone, stone weeping walls, and uniquely superior, one-of-a-kind water features, to pools, hot tubs, and more, the Street masons are capable and committed to efficiency and satisfactory production.
In all projects, ranging from multi-story commercial block buildings to fireplaces, with all the uniqueness a client can imagine, the Street masons have remained true to their goal of pleasing the client. The end product reflects this ability. Witness the bathroom shower veneer they built for one client: the stones are all pink river rocks with little black speckles. The subtle image of the face and headdress of an Indian Chief appears among these rocks.
Street Masons exhibit a professional manner and excel in their field with a product that is superior by design and function; and built with expertise extracted from a 35-year legacy. Street masons share an overall objective that their work will still be standing hundreds of years from now. They approach every masonry project, everyday, with that objective in mind.