Prescott Elementary in Dubuque, Iowa, required 160,000 brick, 80,000 concrete block, and 15,000 decorative, ground-face block. New process improvement methods were implemented on the brick veneer operation and precast exterior panels. These improvements increased masonry production while maintaining quality.

An unique aspect of the project involved carefully removing very large, stone pieces from a pair of 12-foot columns and archway from the old school’s main entry. The masons implemented the pieces as a stunning focal point in the creation of the grand staircase, leading to the school’s media center. The challenge existed in the timely extraction of these large pieces of stone around routine school operations.

Another notable feature of the project is the extensive use of ground-face block with a brick wainscot at the bottom in the erection of the cafeteria and grand staircase walls.

Frigid December temperatures made working conditions a challenge, due to no windows and no heat in the south end of the building, but certainly, nothing the crew couldn’t and hasn’t handled in the past.

The $8.8 million contract employed approximately 80 percent of its workforce from local masons from the Dubuque area.