About

Orthodox Masonry is a design/build firm specializing in structural masonry and timber frame construction. Creating buildings that are both structurally and aesthetically resilient, we offer an alternative to disposable construction.

As a building philosophy, orthodoxy is the commitment to long held truths. It is the realization that we are a part of an ongoing conversation and we ought to turn an attentive ear to those who came before us. In listening to those past builders, we come to trust the concepts that receive continual affirmation. For thousands of years, builders have been raising structures out of solid masses of brick and stone, making walls that are plumb, level, and square, and creating designs that achieve harmonious geometrical proportions. Following their example, we seek to build structures that endure generation after generation. Creating such structures requires three elements: hardy and durable materials, skillful construction methods, and artful design and detail. We commit ourselves to these essential truths.

Solid materials, productive craftsmanship, robust art.       

Roughly speaking, those serve as our starting points when considering how to build well. Structural masonry and timber framing address the two needs of using durable materials and creating beautiful buildings worth preserving. Regarding design and building styles, we view architecture as a continual dialogue. While it is easy to look back into the past and copy previous successful styles, it amounts to little more than the reiteration of a previous speaker. Far wiser to attentively listen to those who came before, listening to their account, and then step forward and add to the discourse. Our designs and details are informed historically, but breathe new life into the conversation of architecture. 

Both past and future inform how we approach a given project. From the past, we recognize what materials and methodologies endure. For the future, we recognize that any new materials and methods we employ must endure as well. We take the long view.

Let us rightly consider those long held truths, and let us begin building upon them