VicArt Masonry recently crafted a custom walkway and front porch landing for a Columbus attorney at his Worthington home. The front porch included a unique stone in the shape of the state of Ohio.

The original porch and walkway were laid on a concrete slab that was deteriorating because of water drainage that was damaging it. VicArt workers rerouted the downspout to prevent future damage, then relaid the walkway and porch.

The homeowner wanted to reuse the existing brick, but not all of the brick was in good enough condition to reuse, according to VicArt owner Jim Cox.

“We substituted New York Bluestone as an accent, to make it unnecessary to substitute matching brick,” he said.

The stone, a type of slate, was taken from salvaged stone rescued from Upper Arlington, which would otherwise have been bound for the landfill. Instead it became part of the latest example of custom walkways and porches by Vic Art Masonry.

One of the pieces of stone was in the shape of the state of Ohio, and this piece became the showpiece of the front porch project. Craftsmen cut small pieces from the surrounding bricks to accommodate the unusual shape of the Ohio stone.

“We know our clients at VicArt, and knowing that the client is quite the historian, we were able to be creative and include this element,” Cox said.

“We could have gone much faster with straight brick. It takes a long time to cut all those pieces. But it was worth it knowing that it was customized for this client.”