Cleveland Stone Companies

By Patricia Nugent

If you’ve ever admired Cleveland’s beautiful historic buildings, architecture and sculptures, the “Guardians of Traffic” sculpture on the Carnegie Bridge standing guard over the city, the “Justice” statue in the Old Court House, Wade Memorial at Lake View Cemetery, or, here in town, the City of Avon’s Municipal Building, you must be a de facto fan of Berea Sandstone. All these iconic buildings and art, as well as notable landmarks across the country, were created with sandstone from Cleveland Stone Companies in Vermilion.

Since 1868, the company has followed the time-honored tradition of quarrying and fabricating sandstone from one of the oldest and largest deposits in existence.

Open to the Public
The retail stone yard is open for the public for projects of any size.

“We’ve refocused our attention to selling to the local community and local contractors,” says President Zachary Carpenter. “This includes revamping the stone yard to make more products available for immediate sale and building displays of stone to give customers inspiration. We will be putting more and more products into the yard as the year progresses. Our hope is people realize they can make us their one-stop source for all things stone. We have custom-cut stone of any size for treads, wall caps, walkways, pool coping and paving. And we can fabricate and sandblast custom signs from natural stone as well as offer a wide selection of palletized boulders, garden walls, and structures to suit many other landscaping and building needs.”

For larger landscaping projects, Cleveland Stone Companies also carries bulk outcropping stone that can be delivered by the semi load.

“Not only is Berea Sandstone beautiful to look at, with a homogenous pale gray to buff color with moderate veining, but it’s also resistant to chemicals and will not deteriorate over time due to exposure to the elements,” Zach says.

Deals in the Bone Yard
For those people looking for remarkable deals, Zach reports they also have a two-acre “bone yard” where customers can come out and select stone pieces at a heavily discounted rate.

“These are pieces left over from our cut shop and come in a variety of sizes and shapes,” he says. “We can cut the stones displayed in the yard into any custom look. Hopefully the space will help inspire homeowners, architects and contractors to select from the best and save.”

When it comes to design, these skilled fabricators provide a “sky’s the limit” range of finished products. Zach says that their in house partner, Fairplay Stone Carvers, just finished a full size limestone lion.

The products they offer include architectural accents like decorative balustrades, fireplace hearths and surrounds, pavers, slabs, split garden stone walls, steps, patios and more.

Home Décor Shopping Galore
If planning your shopping trip, allow a few extra minutes to shop and explore The Shop at Cleveland Stone Co., which is housed within the main building. This curated home goods shop is perfect for those with discriminating taste and distinctive homes. Fronted by floor-to-ceiling windows, it overlooks the Vermilion River and is near the quaint historic district of downtown Vermilion.

Shop from gorgeous rugs, chairs, side tables, coffee tables, bars, desks, wall art, lighting fixtures, candles, pillows, tableware, glassware, plush throw blankets, bookends, geodes, jewelry, greeting cards and darling décor pieces.

Cleveland Stone Companies is less than a half-hour from anywhere in Lorain County. It’s just a mile-and-a-half off Route 2, located at 850 W. River Road in Vermilion. Call 440-963-4008 or visit ClevelandQuarries.com for more information.