LANSING | For half a century Lansing Cut Stone has been transforming Indiana limestone into works of art.

The family owned company cuts limestone mined in Bloomington, Ind., and cuts it into architectural pieces for both new construction and rehabilitation projects.  It also provides veneered stone used on the exteriors of homes and on fireplaces.

Lansing Cut Stone began in the summer of 1960 when mason contractor William DeYoung decided that instead of buying crafted limestone pieces from various companies, he would start cutting the stone himself.

DeYoung started his company with an 8-inch saw inside a two-car garage. That summer he moved out of the garage to a facility at 18417 Wentworth Ave., Lansing.

DeYoung's son, John Boersma, joined the company on a part-time basis in 1968. After graduating from Purdue University with a degree in engineering, Boersma purchased the business from his retiring father.

In 1994 Boersma moved the company from its home for 34 years to a new, larger location at 3125 Lansing Road.

"We do a lot of fascia for buildings," Boersma said. "Like when you go downtown in Chicago and you see those old buildings with the limestone fascia, we do a lot of the renovations for them. We do a lot of work for those old buildings downtown. We make custom pieces to replace the old ones that are crumbling away."

Many of the buildings along Chicago's Gold Coast feature limestone cut by Lansing Cut Stone, Boersma said.

The company has grown quite a bit since DeYoung began cutting limestone pieces in his garage.

"My dad started off with a little saw in his garage at first," said Boersma. "Now we have four saws. We have a 48-inch saw, a 36-inch saw and two 24-inch saws. We also have two planners and we have a wire saw, which is like a band saw but with a diamond tipped wire for cutting curves and more intricate things like that."

Along with the increased equipment, the company has increased its manpower over the years. From being a one-man operation when it started, the company now has seven employees, down from 14 prior to the recent economic downturn.

"There is still a need for this," Boersma said about his business. "A lot of homes being built still have stone on them and there is a lot of rehabilitation on old buildings in Chicago that we take care of. We are still needed."