Northshore Home magazine highlights the best in architectural design, new construction and renovations, interiors, and landscape design.
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108 Follow a footpath to the back of the property and dis- cover a gaping quarry reservoir out of which came a tre- mendous amount of granite, taken by train to port. Stone left Cape Ann via its many coves—Lane's Cove, Granite Pier, and Rockport among them. During the industry's heyday, there were, in addition to the large commercial quarries, smaller, privately owned quarries. Many of those smaller quarries are located within a stone's throw of the Araneo home. "The whole interior here is littered with these little pools," says Dave. "It's quite a unique environment. Some of these little quarries are just beau- Araneo Landworks, 978-265-4340, araneolandworks.com QUARRYMEN F or the business, Araneo Landworks, Dave and Matt sometimes source cut stone from still-somewhat-active Ver- non's Pit in Lanesville, though the majority of what they work with is natural stone from all around their property or from dug-out founda- tions and blasting work. "Cape Ann is full of stone— that is our great natural resource," notes Dave. "There's quarried stone, there are grout piles, and the glacier dropped all these beau- tiful round stones everywhere." Matt chimes in with a smirk: "We've got rocks." They work with old hand tools because it brings out the grain and character of the stone. "It's the pre- ferred way to do it," notes Dave. "A lot of times, the accidental part, if you are aware and can see it, is the nicest." They keep two stone yards— one onsite at the Rockport residence and one in Gloucester, where Matt now lives. They have, on hand, stones good for making benches, tables, retaining walls, stepping paths, stairs, and artful additions, which often come in the form of monolithic stones. "A lot of times we will incorporate the natural with the finished, which is really nice," says Dave. "We are always evolving," he adds. "In fact, the whole conscious- ness around landscape design is evolving." When he started in the business, there was hardly any stonemasonry on residential properties. Today, homeowners' ever-growing appreciation for it is the very foundation on which Araneo Landworks is built. tiful. To me it's like a natural water garden." He points to a white pine sapling that has taken root between two plates of stone and smiles: "Bonsai." Also onsite are Nan's yoga studio, a solar-heated green- house for growing greens all winter long, and a cloistered teahouse, where, it is said, Louis Polack sipped his last cup of tea before dying peacefully among songbirds. The Great Depression may have ushered in the col- lapse of Cape Ann's once-thriving granite industry, but the two acres belonging to the Araneo family are a testa- ment to the times and the gifts they left behind. Much of the stone found on the Araneo property came from this quarrry- turned-reservoir. See page 176 for resources