Describe your image
Describe your image
“We’ve preserved the tradition of a renewable product, exposed the beauty that was always there, and transformed it into the most beautiful wood flooring available. Throughout my years in this business I have learned not to see things as they are, but as they can be.”
-Norman Kaswell
For generations, wood blocks served the needs of city streets in Europe and in the United States, many of which still exist today. Edgar Allan Poe wrote an article in 1845 about street paving in Baltimore: "It is generally admitted, we believe, that as long as they last, the wood block pavements have an advantage over all others. They occasion little noise, they save a great deal of horsepower, pleasant to the hoof, and thus save the health of the horse as well as some twenty or thirty per cent in the wear and tear of vehicles and as much more, in time, to all travelers through the increased rapidity of passage to and fro".
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There remained two wood block paved streets in Chicago. Constructed in 1909, the original and famous "Wood Paver Alley" between State and Astor Streets is one. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In 2012 after 103 years of service the city engineers determined it was time to replace the original blocks. They chose Kaswell Black Locust Blocks for this historic and special landmark.
The new Wood Paver Alley is now a beautiful architectural tribute to the integral role wooden paver blocks played in the development of the street system in Chicago and around the country, facilitating the transportation of people and goods essential to the entire nations growth and connectivity.
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David O. Whitten, historian at Auburn University wrote an article tilted "Wood Blocks as Paving Material in the United States and Abroad 1840-1940". In his article he states that wood blocks for street paving were not intended as an all purpose paving material, but as a special substance for selected streets. City Engineers considered wood blocks appealing for streets near hospitals, schools, churches, and other public buildings where street noise was especially bothersome, and in congested streets with heavy traffic. We believe end grain wood blocks remain a special substance, combining comfort and durability with natural beauty. In addition to our black locust we also offer redwood, mesquite, and pine for exterior patios, walkways courtyards, and street application. "End grain imaged brick" pavers are available as well.