Local 4 Makes Rose Hills a Showplace

Local 4 California

JOURNAL: ISSUE 3 - 2013

Commanding stone work is part of the historic tradition of Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier, CA, the largest cemetery in North America.

Take one look at the stonework in Rose Hills Memorial Park in Whittier and it becomes evident that artistry and skill are paramount. This 1,400-acre cemetery dates from 1914 and is the largest cemetery in North America. It features a grand hill and many slopes, with exquisite masonry. Rose Hills is world renowned for its edifices and walls, many from high-desert rock.

As such, Rose Hills is the perfect opportunity for a bricklayer with a flair for elegantly curved, serpentine walls to showcase his talent and experience. And when skill and attention to detail are prized above all else, that means building union, by the skilled artisans of BAC Local 4 California. 

Signatory contractor Christian Regenfuss Masonry (La Habra Heights, CA) has won commission after commission at Rose Hills. Chris Regenfuss runs the company with his father, who founded it in 1963. Like his father before him, who apprenticed in Germany, the younger Regenfuss is a proud member of Bricklayers Local 4. "I joined the union in 1981 when I was 17," he said. "I actually had to have my parents sign that it was OK for me to join as a minor. And I've been union ever since."

From left, Local 4 CA Field Representative Danny Garcia, unidentified member of LIUNA, Chris Regenfuss, President of signatory Christian Regenfuss Masonry and a member of Local 4 CA, and Local 4 bricklayers Joe Aiello and Jeff Shiflet.

Showing Artistry
The company's current project is 400 feet of 5-foot-high wall featuring high-desert ashlar stone. The rock they use and the garden terraces they build can be tricky and require a keen eye for results. The job has to be done right from the start. 

"As a company hiring union, the advantage is the members' knowledge of their craft," Regenfuss said. "When you get into a cheaper workforce, the craftsmanship goes away, because those workers haven't really learned the trade. That's the biggest difference I've seen between union and non-union—the craftsmanship." 

Primo Solis, a 33-year veteran with Bricklayers Local 4, says the union worksite moves like a well-oiled machine, where all the union brothers and sisters are carefully trained and knowledgeable.

"I've been with the union 33 years, and they've been good years. The union's been my life. I've raised four kids, and they're all getting through school, so it's been good for me. I got into the union with an apprentice program they ran through the city of Carson. And I went down there and started my way. I love going to work."

Indeed, a cemetery turns out to be a surprisingly good place for the Bricklayers.  They respect the seriousness of the site, and at the same time, they are able to showcase their artistry. 

"The work here is intricate, which is what I like to do," Solis said. "I love the challenge, the look of it, and the beauty. I'm glad to have an opportunity to do some nice stonework here. A lot of people have gotten away from this kind of project, maybe because of the cost. But this is primo work right here," he added with a wink.

Manuel Leiva builds a support wall, to be veneered with stone..	Primo Solis, a 34-year member of Local 4 CA, lays a block for the wall. Manuel Leiva builds a support wall, to be veneered with stone. Photo

A Giant Puzzle
"Your skills will be very well appreciated on a job like this," said Local 4 journeyman Joe Aiello. The walls are irregular and the stones are one-of-a-kind. "When you really get to use your skills and do some custom, fancy work – those are the jobs that give me the most satisfaction."

"I've enjoyed my time with the union absolutely," Aiello added. "Union jobs are organized very well, which makes a big difference. You go home at the end of the day without worrying about hurting yourself. There's always work out there for a good, quality mason."

Regenfuss agrees. "To me, it's fun," Regenfuss said. "It's artistic, especially the random-pattern stone. Everybody asks, 'How do you do that?' I say, 'Well, it's a giant puzzle—but you get to make the pieces.'" 

Regenfuss says that such work requires unusual skill. "It's more artistic out here than on more typically 'modular' or 'mechanical' projects. As you can see, everything's got a sweep or a slope. I joke that I don't know how to lay a straight wall, because everything I've done has a curve to it, where it's serpentine and they want it to meander." 

And cemeteries are built to last, which means the Brickmasons who work here need not fear their work will be demolished any time soon. "I feel good walking away knowing my stuff will be here forever, because cemeteries are one thing they don't tear down," Regenfuss said. "In a cemetery, we can stick a little union label out there and hopefully in 1,000 years somebody will say, 'Hey, those guys did great work!'"

Editor's Note: This article by Robert Buscemi from the July 2013 "Building Trades News", published by the Los Angeles/Orange Counties Building and Construction Trades Council, is reprinted here with the Council's permission.

Respecting the Craft

"The work at Rose Hills is a testament to the craftsmanship of the Bricklayers," said Local 4 CA President Dick Whitney. "There's an art to cutting stone. This is a great job." He praised Regenfuss Masonry for consistently winning the work at Rose Hills, despite some past attempts to hire non-union companies. "Chris has been able to keep competitive and continue to carry this part of our trade forward."