Old Canaan Building Materials

The brownstone rowhouses of New York and Boston are built from Connecticut stone. The quarries at Portland, on the Connecticut River, produced the material that defined urban American architecture for fifty years. The stone itself — a fine-grained red-brown Triassic sandstone — is as specific to this valley as any material in New England. It weathers in ways that no other stone does.

Deep red-brown to warm chocolate, with a fine, even grain. Freshly cut, it has a matte surface and a color that reads almost warm-orange in direct sun. Aged, it darkens and softens to a deeper, quieter brown. It does not sparkle. It does not glint. It is dense and even and quiet. Against brick it harmonizes. Against granite it contrasts crisply. It is a warm stone in a landscape of cool grey stones.

Portland Brownstone is a Triassic-age arkosic sandstone, quarried principally at the Brainerd Quarry in Portland, Connecticut. The quarry was the largest brownstone quarry in the United States through the 19th century, shipping stone by barge down the Connecticut River and along the coast to New York, Boston, and beyond. The stone is fine to medium grained, with iron oxide giving it its characteristic color. It is softer than granite — approximately 3-4 on the Mohs scale — and can be carved and worked with relative ease.

Brownstone weathers. It is softer than granite or bluestone and is susceptible to spalling in freeze-thaw cycles if water infiltrates the face. Historic brownstone buildings show characteristic face spalling where the stone has been set with the grain running perpendicular to the face — a known installation error. Correctly set, with the grain running parallel to the face, brownstone holds well. It stains from iron leaching in certain conditions.

For restoration work on historic Connecticut River Valley buildings, Portland Brownstone is not optional. It is the material. For new work in a traditional vernacular on properties in the Connecticut River corridor, it remains appropriate for sills, steps, lintels, and carved details. Its warmth corrects the coldness that all-granite details can produce.

The Portland Brownstone Quarry has been intermittently active and is the source of authentic material for restoration. Salvage brownstone from demolished buildings is available through architectural salvage dealers in the Northeast and is often preferable for matching existing work. Specify Portland Brownstone by name. Imitation brownstone — concrete cast to resemble it — is not acceptable for traditional work.