Lorton Stone, LLC and Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates Receive 2024 Grande Pinnacle Award Sixteen projects honored with Pinnacle Awards of Excellence
Contact:
Natural Stone Institute
(440) 250-9222
networking@naturalstoneinstitute.org
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Oberlin, OH, February 28, 2025 — The winners of the 2024 Pinnacle Awards were celebrated January 28th during the Natural Stone Institute Awards Ceremony at StonExpo in Las Vegas. Sixteen projects were honored with Pinnacle Awards of Excellence. The 2024 Grande Pinnacle Award was presented to Lorton Stone, LLC and Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates for their work on the Washington National Cathedral South Transept Grand Pinnacles in Washington, DC.
On August 23, 2011, a rare 5.8-magnitude earthquake struck the mid-Atlantic and caused significant damage to the Cathedral. In the years since, repair crews have been working their way around the building in phases to replace damaged stone, shore up wobbly pinnacles and reinforce the Cathedral to protect against future damage.
In summer 2023, crews finished a portion of the work to rebuild a massive pinnacle about 20 stories off the ground on the southwest corner of the south transept. During the quake the pinnacle twisted clockwise, rotating its columns and pillars out of place. Currently crews are dismantling and rebuilding the southeast corner of the south transept.
The pinnacle did not collapse, but it was so off kilter and dangerously close to falling that crews were forced to dismantle it in 2017 and lowered all 93 pieces of stone to the ground. The pinnacles were an unusually complicated jigsaw puzzle because each is supported by a row of slender columns around a hollow center. Crews had to create an entirely new system of stainless-steel support rods to accommodate the unusual construction design.
A large crane was required to dismantle and rebuild the pinnacle. During the dismantlement, special care had to be taken to ensure pinnacle stones did not fall on scaffolding. Some stones were held in place by the weight of the pieces above and nylon strapping. Along with the rebuild, the following stone repairs were performed: Dutchman, 100% repoint of stone joints, pinning, crack repairs, grout injections, and patching. One especially difficult aspect of this project was the deep core drilling that had to be done dry. Some core drill depths were over 35'. On many occasions, the core drill team hit steel at deep depths and had to relocate the hole.
Project Team Members include:
- Client: Washington National Cathedral
Stone Installer: Lorton Stone, LLC - Architect/Engineer: Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates
- Stone Supplier/Fabricator: Polycor (Indiana Limestone Company)
- Stone: Indiana limestone
Grande Pinnacle Award
Washington National Cathedral South Transept Grand Pinnacles
Washington, DC
Lorton Stone LLC
Springfield, Virginia
Wiss, Janney, Elstner Associates
Northbrook, Illinois
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Architectural Carving/Lettering/Sculpture
Boston Children's Hospital Wishingstone Garden
Boston, Massachusetts
Coldspring
Cold Spring, Minnesota
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Saint Louis University High School Chapel of the Beloved Disciple
St. Louis, Missouri
Rugo Stone
Lorton, Virginia
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Commercial Exterior
Burley Temple
Burley, Idaho
KEPCO+
Salt Lake City, Utah
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Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum
Washington, DC
Coldspring
Cold Spring, Minnesota
Eclad USA
Bridgeview, Illinois
PICCO Engineering
Concord, ON Canada
Rugo Stone
Lorton, Virginia
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National Library of Israel
Jerusalem, Israel
A. Grebelsky & Son
Jerusalem, Israel
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Rolex Boutique
Toronto, ON Canada
PICCO Engineering
Concord, ON Canada
Traditional Cut Stone
Mississauga, ON Canada
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Saint Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church and National Shrine
New York, New York
AVRO Consult Engineering
New York, New York
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Commercial Interior
Travis County Civil and Family Courts Facility
Austin, Texas
Camarata Masonry Systems
Houston, Texas
View Video
Kitchen/Bath
No Bad Days
Weems, Virginia
ROSANNAROBIN atelier
North Bergen, New Jersey
View Video
Guntersville Kitchen Remodel
Guntersville, Alabama
Ceramic Harmony
Huntsville, Alabama
View Video
Public Landscapes/Parks/Memorials
Crawford Memorial Park – "Comunidad" Public Art Project
Dallas, Texas
Dee Brown Inc.
Richardson, Texas
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Reston Town Center Fountain Plaza Renovation
Reston, Virginia
Lorton Stone LLC
Springfield, Virginia
View Video
Renovation/Restoration
Saint Agnes Catholic Church
Arlington, Virginia
Rugo Stone
Lorton, Virginia
View Video
Saint Jude Catholic Church
Peoria, Illinois
Rugo Stone
Lorton, Virginia
View Video
Residential-Single Family
Private Residence-Bachelor Gulch
Bachelor Gulch, Colorado
The Gallegos Corporation
Wolcott, Colorado
Project Submissions for 2025 Pinnacle Awards are being accepted until June 20. To learn more, visit naturalstoneinstitute.org/awards
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About the Natural Stone Institute
The Natural Stone Institute is a trade association representing every aspect of the natural stone industry. The current membership exceeds 2,000 members in over 50 nations. The association offers a wide array of technical and training resources, professional development opportunities, regulatory advocacy, and networking events. Two prominent publications—the Dimension Stone Design Manual and Building Stone Magazine—raise awareness within the natural stone industry and in the design community for best practices and uses of natural stone. Learn more at www.naturalstoneinstitute.org.
