Arlington-Based Butler Masonry Grows Portfolio with The Beacon Recreation Center Project
By Susan Schrock, Office of Communication
Posted on May 27, 2021, May 27, 2021

Brick by brick, Butler Masonry played an important role in making The Beacon Recreation Center in southeast Arlington a reality.

The Arlington company, led by brothers Kevin Butler and Merrick Butler, worked as a sub-contractor for Sundt Construction on the voter-approved recreation center. The Beacon, which opened last year at Webb Community Park, offers a variety of indoor and outdoor amenities and programs for visitors of all ages. Butler Masonry’s work can be seen throughout the two-story, 36,000-square-foot facility, from the locker rooms, to the brick and stone exterior, to the nearby skate park.

Butler Masonry has a growing portfolio of projects they’ve worked on throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth region through the past 15 years, including education, medical, cultural, and municipal buildings. But being involved in the construction of the first recreation center for southeast Arlington is extra special, said Kevin Butler.

“It gives me warm and fuzzies to know we were part of that. To do work in Arlington is awesome for us,” Kevin Butler said. “We appreciate the City of Arlington and Sundt Construction for trusting us to be part of this project.”

The Butler brothers are second-generation business owners, having taken over their father’s masonry business in 2006. Merlin “Earl” Butler, one of the top masons in the state of Mississippi, instilled in his sons the skills of the trade and the willingness to stay dedicated, determined and disciplined in challenging economic conditions.
“He is a testament to who we are today,” Kevin Butler said about his late father, who died in 2018. “He was proud of us. It made him smile to see his sons take on something he started. He was very instrumental in our growth and our development.”

Among the many important lessons learned was how to build relationships and trust with prime contractors to land new projects and also to continue growing Butler Masonry’s reputation as a company that prides itself in quality craftsmanship and finishing projects on time.

“Sometimes, being a minority contractor, we have to prove ourselves, prove that we can provide quality work at high levels. There are hurdles sometimes that we have to go through to develop relationships and build trust,” Kevin Butler said.

"Through opportunities like what the City of Arlington has provided and its MWBE goals on projects, that has helped us have prime contractors reach out to us and other qualified subcontractors.”

Butler Masonry also takes pride in knowing The Beacon was recently awarded first place in one of TEXO’s Distinguished Building Awards. Winners were selected on criteria that included difficulty in construction, unusual construction techniques involved, final appearance and quality of the finished produce, timeliness of completion, and safety.

“We always stand behind our work and what we do. Arlington has been a great city for us to do that in,” Kevin Butler said. “We are proud to be part of this growing community and its great citizens.”

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