Beij, Williams & Zito, Inc.

08/11/2026

We are proud of our Westerly Granite inventory - rarest granite in the world.

www.FineArtStone.com

07/03/2026

New website updates should make mobile browsing much better!

Visit the post for more.

05/30/2026

Ancient New England burying grounds are increasingly succeptible to the wintry freeze/thaw process. Soft stones like marble, brownstone, schist, slate and others were used exclusively from the early 1600s to the industrial revolution of the 1880s when quarrying and fabrication of much more resilient granite memorials became possible. Because of their water absorption characteristics, soft stone materials develop longevity issues after only a short number of decades in an outdoor environment. Once water is absorbed into soft stone and is allowed to freeze, the expansion that happens upon thawing is strong enough to crack & delaminate large sections of stone. Granite and bronze, however, do not exhibit these water absorption concerns so the freeze/thaw process does not impact them in any way.
Unfortunately, once lost, surface details of ancient colonial tablets, period architectural design elements and other such soft stone artifacts are impossible to bring back. That's why it's imperative to try to restore or at least conserve existing examples of this niche of outdoor sculpture.
Thankfully there are technological advances that do allow for delicate cleaning while not harming the stone as well as specific chemical applications that can harden and consolidate what is left to halt or at least slow the deterioration process from weather, pollution and other environmental forces.
The restoration page of our company website shows some examples of what is possible in this practice.
These before and after photographs demonstrate the restoration results of a Vermont Marble tablet that was destroyed by the utilization of iron pins in its original construction. The pins rusted and not only did they stain the marble but their expansion over the decades broke large sections of the stone. The original pins were removed and replaced with brass pins and the missing marble was rebuilt with Jahn Marble Restoration mortar.
Now, the once very susceptible memorial is cleaned & chemically hardened - it's ability to resist deterioration is enhanced for many decadws into the future.

https://fineartstone.com/restoration-portfolio

02/11/2026

Have you lost a loved one? Memorialization can be complex but we are here to help.
From the smallest lettering inscription or cemetery grave marker to the largest towering family memorial, Beij, Williams & Zito, Inc. is interested and available to discuss your needs. The oldest continually operating memorial studio in Connecticut, we handle your job from design to installation with the utmost quality and four generations of experience.
Work with us to design the perfect dignified and fitting memorial – a lasting and enduring tribute to their memory.
We service all faiths and cultures.

Call John at (860)983-1036

02/03/2026

Now booking Spring cleanings at a discount!
We carefully clean your cemetery memorial using only high pressure water; no toxins, no chemicals or detergents of any kind.
The results are usually dramatic!

www.FineArtStone.com

01/09/2026

www.FineArtStone.com

Karl Beij was the second precursor to Beij, Williams & Zito. In 1900 he operated from a prestigious location adjacent to the north side of Bushnell Park. This is his first business listing in the 1901 Geer’s Hartford City Directory.

“KARL J. BEIJ, Manufacturer and Dealer in
Marble and Granite Statues, Tablets, Curbings, Posts and Markers.
Office and Works, 1 FORD ST., HARTFORD, CONN.”

12/30/2025

In 1870, The Stephen Maslen Company, the predecessor to Beij, Williams & Zito, Inc., was founded at 47 High Street. In 1890 they moved to 350-352 Asylum Street and in 1903 moved to 40 High Street in Hartford, Connecticut.
Karl Beij Monuments, a competitor founded in 1901, was located at One Ford Street in Hartford. Mr. Beij purchased The Stephen Maslen Company in 1911. In 1913, Beij sold the business to his foreman, William Williams and the operation, then called Beij & Williams, moved to 201 New Britain Avenue in Hartford.
In 1915, John Zito Monuments, Inc. was founded by John Zito at 197 Blue Hills Avenue in Bloomfield, 3.5 miles to the north of the Beij & Williams location. John T. Zito, his nephew, worked in the business until 1943 when he purchased the then well established memorial firm in Hartford, Beij & Williams, Incorporated.
Both the Bloomfield and Hartford locations were run by the Zito family until 1976 when John Zito Incorporated was dissolved and the Bloomfield office was closed. Now named Beij, Williams & Zito, Inc., the company was operated at the New Britain Avenue address by John T. Zito, his son John T. Zito, Jr. and eventually his grandson, John T. Zito III, a fourth generation stone carver, who runs the company today.