Today we’d like to introduce you to Conor Burke.
Conor, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I have always enjoyed old buildings, brick and stone tucked away in the city since my childhood. I found my mentor, a second generation mason from the east coast through being on the same job site for different trades. When I had to leave another trade, I racked my brain for the name of the company on the truck and cold emailed him. There was a storm the night before and a tree had fallen down on the job site. He arrived, cut the tree with a chain saw, turned on Oasis, laid a brick wall and left. I thought “I want to do that too! I’ll send the email” He gave me the address that winter for a job site demoing and repointing an entire stone basement in Saint Paul. From there he showed me to work with stone, build chimneys, build steps with stone, pour concrete and many other skills in masonry. When he bought land and decided to retire, I formed my own business, Midnight Masonry, an alliteration like Mickey Mouse or Willy Wonka with only a phone number inspired by earlier generation masons. As my business has grown it has taken me to really special spaces in the Twin Cities, a fire department turned home, old pool house converted to living space in St. Paul, cisterns in the floor, 1800s newspapers hiding in the floor joists, and many other exciting discoveries.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
There is no definitive guide book for restoration in masonry. Having to match mortars mixed 100 years ago, brick that don’t exist anymore and an ever evolving fast paced masonry has made finding a lot of information difficult. Fortunately, I’ve been able to be in contact with other masons in the Twin Cities and throughout the country who are willing to share information.
Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know?
Midnight Masonry is a south Minneapolis based masonry company that specializes in brick and stone. We typically work in restoration, rebuilding chimneys, steps, brick veneer, buttresses and stone foundations. We specialize in limestone foundations where we demo the concrete parge from the face of all of the stones in the basement, demo all of the mortar joints and repoint with a new mortar. My goal is to offer clients with the best service possible to have the history and function of their homes shine.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
My childhood interests are very similar to the ones I have now. I grew up in a 1920’s home in Kansas City, Missouri. The city has a large use of limestone in their homes and has a similar tune to the home building history of the Twin Cities. I spent my time exploring the city and finding interesting spaces. I’ve had family in the city since 1890s and learning the history of their homes and experiences got me even more excited. Once I found masonry I had a language for these spaces and how they were built.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Www.midnightmasonry.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/midnight_masonry
