Staff writer
Driving by the restoration of the former Elgin Hotel, people may have noticed a new stone sign on the building.
Dillis Owen of Wilsey, owner and operator of Carved in Stone, was the one responsible for the monumental task of carving the sign.
Owen has 10 years experience carving stone. When he saw a news story about the restoration of the Elgin, he called Jim Cloutier, owner of the building, and got involved in the project.
“I like doing any kind of stonework,” Owen said, especially restoring historical buildings.
The sign is made of four pieces of limestone from the U.S. Stone quarry at Cottonwood Falls, and it weighs about 6,000 pounds. It is 23 feet 6 inches long and 6 feet 6 inches high at its peak.
“It’s one of my bigger projects,” Owen said.
It took five weeks to carve the background three-fourths of an inch back from the letters. He used an air grinder, air chisel, and hand chisel in the carving process.
Sand blasting was not an option, because it would have left a smooth background that would not contrast with the letters, he said.
Carving stone is a more delicate process than many people would expect, Owen said.
“The difference between cutting it in half and carving it is pretty small.”
With the sign finished, Owen is restoring the small building behind the Elgin.