The Belden Brick Company

The Belden Brick Company, a long-standing pillar in the brick industry, is the largest family-owned brick manufacturer in the United States. Built on the principles of integrity, community, quality, and service, our company upholds the traditions set forth by our early leaders, Henry S. Belden and Paul Belden, Sr. Although we have expanded a lot since 1885, growth has been organic, and we’re still an independent company with a small, passionate team. The core of our vision and success are our craftsmen in Sugarcreek, Ohio, home to a highly-skilled brickmaking community upholding tradition since the 19th century. In 1914, the company expanded from Canton into Tuscarawas County when the Belden Face Brick Company, a personal venture of Henry S. Belden and later owned by The Belden Brick Company, was started. In 1946, Sugarcreek's first venture occurred when the Finzer Brothers Clay Company agreed to sell its operations to The Belden Brick Company. Today, The Belden Brick Company owns and operates five brickmaking plants and one thin brick sawing facility, employs approximately 500 people, and has over 200 million standard brick equivalents annually. Also expanding our family brand are our brick distributorships, Belden Tri-State Building Materials based in New York and Philadelphia, Belden Brick Sales in Michigan, and Premier Brick Sales, LLC, our joint venture in Indianapolis, Indiana area.

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P.O. Box 20910 , Canton, OH, 44701

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Centennial Plaza

Location:Canton, OH, USA

Architect:MKSK Studios

Centennial Plaza offers a bold vision for the City of Canton, Ohio, and its residents. Inspired by the city’s rich history, the design establishes an iconic presence downtown, utilizing a variety of social spaces and architecture that will inspire residents for years to come. The project establishes a central green space for the community and a regional destination for visitors. It is an essential building block in creating a vibrant downtown with the ability to generate day-to-day activities and host major events, serve as the “city square” for the entire community, and provide a memorable landmark for all visitors. THE WORKING PLAN The overall goal was to establish a new “public square” for the City of Canton. A cohesive and continuous space is designed to unite community members through music, art, and food. In order to achieve this, the design called for a unifying paving strategy with accessible routes that spanned the public realm (streets) to the private domain (plaza) and from building face to building face along 3rd Street, 4th Street, and Court Avenue. The city also expressed a desire for a more modern appearance to the plaza, one that would present a forward-thinking approach that aligned with their long-term goals of reinventing the downtown core. MIRRORING THE CITY Architectural and landscape architectural elements were designed to reflect Canton's principles, qualities, and characteristics. To build on the already strong sense of community and identity, the design team at MKSK utilized materials commonly found in Canton, including locally sourced brick, stone, and metal. Belden Clay Pavers were selected for the hardscape design due to The Belden Brick Company's strong commitment to the city and its ability to manufacture a premium clay paver that would reinforce the plaza's design aesthetic and vision. The use of clay pavers was critical in achieving the goals outlined above. The long-term durability, color selections, and varied shapes of Belden Clay Pavers allowed MKSK’s design team great flexibility in reaching the final plan. They chose Carbon Black, Ivory Bay, and Landmark City Line Series Pavers to modernize the design and create visual continuity of existing hardscapes. THE DETAILS MKSK also worked with The Belden Brick Company to develop custom details for crosswalk and bikeway markings for an integrated paving pattern that continues across the roadways, providing for an experience of one ample space. Rolled curbs provide easy pedestrian navigation during events, and custom paver details provide an elegant, robust, and sustainable paving solution. Our Architectural Shapes Department designed custom brick shapes for designated directional and bicyclist pavement markings. Our craftsmen carefully produced, then numerically organized, and packaged the installation's unique sizes and patterns to facilitate the installation as working functional pavers.