Why a Bluestone Sidewalk Increases Your Curb Appeal -- and Property Value

Sponsored By Monterey Masonry

New Copley Sidewalks replicate the beautiful antique sidewalks so much in demand and so difficult to source. Any size, any quantity, any thickness. Your specs.

Created By Brownstoner

In New York City there are more than 12,000 miles of sidewalk (that’ll get you to Australia), and those idyllic slabs of antique bluestone are among the more memorable.

“People go around New York and see the old sidewalks, and it has an emotional impact,” says Mark Mendel, owner of Monterey Masonry. “Nobody goes around saying ‘look at this beautiful concrete.’ Stone has an emotional impact on people because it’s a natural material.”

Mendel says curb appeal is an important consideration when you’re fixing up your home to sell. “The kind of people who are going to buy your place are the kind of people who value the ways things look,” he says.

But there’s a problem with antique bluestone — it’s reclaimed stone, and the salvage market is unpredictable.

“It’s a scavenger hunt. The problem is you can’t order it. It just comes off the salvage market when it does. And when it comes it can be beat up, corners are broken off, there’s tar on it. Taking tar off can take half a day.”

Mendel says architects hate to deal with salvaged stone. “They have a schedule, they want a certain quantity, and certain sizes. And those sizes may not be available when they need them. It’s kind of a wild-west thing.”

That’s where New Copley comes in, designed to replicate the antique sidewalks that are so difficult to source. Working with a quarry, Mendel developed a trademarked process to produce stones with a reclaimed vintage look.

The tops are weathered and look like they’ve been rained on for 100 years; edges are hand cut.

“We wanted something that architects and designers can work with,” says Mendel, who adds that the New Copley is also good for multiple uses, like patios, pool coping and wall coping.

In the stone mason business for many years, Mendel says he’s on a one-man crusade to replace all the concrete sidewalks in New York. You can see New Copley on the corner of 82nd and Amsterdam, at the 2Beans coffee shop. “That’s our showroom in New York,” he jokes, “and it’s open 24/7, year round.”

Monterey Masonry also offers consultations. For more information, visit their website.