Trusted by Schools and Universities Across Generations
Schools and universities are built to last generations, and the masonry that holds them together has to be maintained with that same long view in mind. Bi-State Masonry has worked with educational institutions across our region for more than 26 years, from neighborhood elementary schools to the University of Iowa, where our restoration of the Chemistry Building earned 2nd place in the Large Projects category at the MCAA TEAM Awards — the masonry industry's top national recognition program. We've built lasting relationships with the University of Iowa and Iowa State University, and our project history spans well over a dozen schools and campus buildings throughout Iowa and Illinois. We understand what it takes to do masonry work on a campus that never really stops operating, whether that's a K-12 school with students in the halls nine months of the year or a major university running programs and housing students through the summer.
K-12 School Masonry Services
Many of the school buildings in our region have been serving their communities for decades, and their masonry shows it — deteriorated mortar joints, spalling brick, and aging additions that don't quite match the original construction. Left unaddressed, water infiltration through failed mortar joints works its way into classroom walls, causing damage that goes well beyond the masonry itself. We provide tuckpointing, brick and block repair, and new masonry construction for K-12 schools, working within the tight, unforgiving window most districts have to work with: summer break. A K-12 summer construction schedule is shorter than people expect, often just ten to twelve weeks between the last day of school and the first day back, and many buildings stay partially active even then with summer school, camps, and maintenance staff on-site. We plan our projects to fit that reality, not around an idealized empty campus that doesn't actually exist, and we build in the buffer needed so unexpected findings during the work don't push completion past the start of the school year.
Common K-12 Masonry Services
- Tuckpointing and repointing for school facades and additions
- Brick and CMU construction for new buildings and additions
- Restoration and preservation for older and historic school buildings
- Concrete restoration for entryways, walkways, and exterior flatwork
University & College Masonry Services
College and university campuses carry their own version of this challenge, often at a larger scale and with a longer history behind the buildings involved. Many campus buildings are decades or a century old, built with a level of architectural detail and craftsmanship — carved stone, ornamental brickwork, decorative cornices — that calls for a genuine preservation approach rather than a generic repair. We bring that approach to our work with universities and colleges, matching original materials and techniques wherever possible and following recognized preservation standards on projects where that matters, so a repair strengthens a building's masonry without erasing the character that makes a historic campus building worth preserving in the first place. University campuses also tend to operate on a more continuous calendar than K-12 schools — dorms, research buildings, and administrative offices don't always empty out over the summer — so scheduling and coordination with facilities staff matter just as much here as they do on a K-12 campus, if not more.
Common University & College Masonry Services
- Historic building restoration for landmark campus buildings
- Tuckpointing and repointing for academic and residential buildings
- Structural masonry repair for aging campus infrastructure
- New masonry construction for campus additions and expansions
Featured Education Projects
Here's a look at some of the school and university work Bi-State Masonry has completed across Iowa and Illinois.
Davenport Central High School — Davenport, IA. A comprehensive historic masonry restoration at one of Davenport's landmark school buildings, including entrance masonry construction, historic brickwork and facade repairs, and complete exterior brick restoration. The scope covered the building from entrance to roofline, matching original brick and mortar composition throughout so the restored sections read as part of the original construction rather than a visible patch. This project reflects the kind of full-building restoration we bring to historic K-12 facilities, matching original materials and craftsmanship at every step.
Franklin Middle School — Cedar Rapids, IA. Large-scale brick masonry restoration on this multi-story school building, including tuckpointing and brick cleaning completed using swing stages and boom lifts to safely reach the building's full height, with limestone accent restoration at the building's main entrance. The scale of the project required careful staging and access planning to keep the work moving efficiently across a large facade.
Our K-12 project history also includes work at Cody Elementary (Le Claire, IA), Horace Mann Elementary (Iowa City, IA), King Elementary (Des Moines, IA), Longfellow Elementary (Iowa City, IA), McKinley School (Des Moines, IA), the Milikin Elementary School Addition (Geneseo, IL), and Taylor School (Davenport, IA), among other school restoration and construction projects throughout our service area.
University of Iowa Chemistry Building — Iowa City, IA. An extensive historic masonry restoration and preservation project at this University of Iowa academic building, recognized with 2nd place in the Large Projects category at the 2011 MCAA TEAM Awards — the masonry industry's top national recognition program. The project involved detailed brick facade restoration, masonry preservation, and exterior rehabilitation across the full building, executed to the standard a nationally recognized award demands: precise material matching, careful sequencing around an active academic building, and craftsmanship that holds up to industry-wide scrutiny.
Our work with the University of Iowa also includes the campus Skywalk, Rienow Hall tuckpointing, and the Westlawn Building. (Kinnick Stadium, another University of Iowa project, is featured on our Sports Facility & Stadium Masonry page.)
Palmer College — Davenport, IA. Restoration and new construction on the college's iconic campus archway, including pebble-dash stucco finish work, detailed aggregate stucco texturing, a new cut-stone masonry arch, and a completed stone veneer archway with ornamental ironwork — a landmark feature on the campus of the world's first chiropractic college, founded in 1897. The finished archway serves as a signature entrance feature for a campus with more than a century of history behind it, and the project called for the same attention to detail as any historic landmark restoration.
Restoration That Works Around the School Year
For K-12 schools, summer break is the primary construction window, and it's shorter and more constrained than most people assume. With roughly ten to twelve weeks between the last bell and the first day back, and many buildings still hosting summer school or staff during that time, there's little room for delay or surprises. Long-lead materials, permitting, and phasing decisions need to be worked out well before the last day of school, not once summer has already started, so the actual construction window isn't eaten up by planning that should have happened months earlier. We plan our scope, materials, and staging around that compressed timeline so schools are ready when students return, not scrambling to finish once they're back in the building.
University and college campuses give us a bit more flexibility, but the underlying principle is the same: work has to be planned around an institution's real calendar, not an idealized empty campus. On any active school or university site, we follow standard occupied-site safety practices — fencing and barriers around active work areas, clear signage, and designated pedestrian routes that keep foot traffic separated from equipment and materials — and we coordinate closely with facilities staff so our work stays predictable and doesn't create surprises for the people who use the building every day.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you have experience working on active K-12 school campuses?
Yes. We've completed masonry restoration and construction at numerous K-12 schools throughout Iowa and Illinois, and we're experienced working within the summer construction window and around active campus operations.
Can work be completed during summer break?
Yes. Summer break is the primary window for most K-12 masonry projects, and we plan our scope and scheduling to fit within that compressed ten-to-twelve-week timeframe so schools are ready for the new year.
Do you work with universities and colleges on historic campus buildings?
Yes. We have extensive experience restoring historic university and college buildings, including our award-winning restoration of the University of Iowa Chemistry Building, matching original materials and following preservation standards where required.
What school and university projects has Bi-State completed?
Our education project history includes Davenport Central High School, Franklin Middle School, the University of Iowa Chemistry Building, Skywalk, Rienow Hall, and Westlawn Building, Palmer College, and numerous other K-12 schools throughout our service area.
Do you have an established relationship with the University of Iowa or other institutions?
Yes. We hold ongoing relationships with the University of Iowa and Iowa State University, and our restoration of the University of Iowa Chemistry Building was recognized with a national MCAA TEAM Award.
How do you handle safety on occupied school campuses?
We follow standard occupied-site safety practices, including fencing and barriers around active work areas, clear signage, and designated pedestrian routes, and we coordinate closely with facilities staff throughout the project.
Request a Free Estimate for Your School or Campus
Whether you're planning summer restoration for a K-12 school or a historic preservation project for a university building, Bi-State Masonry has the experience to deliver quality work on a schedule that respects your institution's calendar. We serve schools, colleges, and universities across Iowa and Illinois, from Des Moines to the greater Chicago suburbs.
Contact us today for a free estimate.