Phenix Marble Co is back in business: in 2016, more than 100 years after the quarry was opened, and around 75 years after its heyday as a marble producer, Phenix Marble Company in Springfield, MO, is once again quarrying new material and processing it into slab.
[caption id="attachment_79608" align="alignright" width="300"]
Phenix Marble Company is quarrying again to supply limestone cut to order and polished marble slabs[/caption]
"We are able to supply limestone cut to order and polished marble slabs. Given notice, we are also happy to give tours of the quarry and the remains of the company town to interested individuals and groups," the conoany says on its website.
"And after decades of silence, limestone and marble are being mined from the bowels of the quarry again. The historic company was one of the nation’s largest producers of marble and was the lifeblood of Phenix, Missouri, which transformed into a ghost town when the company shut down.
In its heyday, Phenix Marble Co was known nationwide for its Napoleon Gray marble.
[caption id="attachment_79609" align="alignleft" width="300"]
In its heyday, Phenix Marble Co was known nationwide for its Napoleon Gray marble[/caption]
The marble was used in state capitol buildings in Missouri, Oregon and Nebraska; the New York Stock Exchange; and The Legion of Honor: the Fine Arts Museum in San Francisco, to name a few.
In June 2016, Conco Companies bought the quarry, which is located 20 miles northwest of Springfield between Ash Grove and Walnut Grove. The business is being revived and produces limestone cut to order and polished marble slabs.
David Karr, executive vice president and chief financial officer for Conco Co., said the company started reforming Phenix Marble Co. in spring 2015.
The business spent the first year sourcing equipment, training people and on new buildings in Willard.
“We have been low profile about it because we didn’t want to get ahead of production capability because we want to deliver on every project. We have been under the radar, and now we have people hired and trained and we are doing projects all over the country,” Karr said.
Most notably, the marble was selected as the stone to replace the south steps and terrace pavers at the Missouri Capitol building, said Mary Neely, director of marketing.
Conco Companies, which supplies ready-mix concrete, has several subsidiaries, including Conco Quarries Inc.
