WHAT MEMORIES ARE MADE OF: AMRIZE’S ROLE IN AMERICA’S ICONIC DESTINATIONS
The summer travel season has a way of bringing America to life. Roads fill up. Ferries leave the dock. Families gather at landmarks they’ve dreamed about seeing for years.
Behind every one of those bucket-list moments is something most visitors never pause to consider: the work it takes to preserve these destinations for the millions of people who experience them each year.
From a storied island hotel on the shores of Lake Huron to one of America’s most iconic engineering marvels, Amrize Building Envelope brands support this preservation. Here’s how we help make memories — even if most visitors never know it.
Mackinac’s Island House Hotel: Installing a new roof that looks like it’s always been there
The Island House Hotel began life as a humble beach shack in 1852. It has since undergone a dramatic transformation.
Set among lush gardens overlooking Lake Huron, the historic Island House Hotel in Michigan feels delightfully frozen in time. It’s car-free, located on a historic site within Mackinac Island State Park, and has proudly welcomed visitors to Mackinac Island since 1852.
Guests arrive by ferry. Horse-drawn carriages line the streets. For summer visitors, it offers a slower pace far removed from the rush of modern-day life.
Preserving a 175-year-old landmark on an island where even basic logistics are a challenge is no small feat. But Green Horizons was up to the task. Known for high-end and historic roofing projects throughout the Great Lakes region, the company took on the project during the island’s harsh winter off-season.
The goal was straightforward: help ensure the Island House Hotel could welcome travelers for decades to come. But the job itself was anything but a breeze.
The maintenance project succeeded in preserving the historic aesthetic while providing the necessary strength and durability to protect this property.
Beneath the aging roof, crews found extensive leaks, widespread rot, and deteriorated decking — 35,000 square feet of which would end up being resheeted. At the height of the project, nearly 30 workers raced against the clock. Once winter ice set in, ferry service to the island would cease completely.
Even before this isolation, getting materials to the jobsite was unorthodox. Supplies arrived first by freighter boat. Then by horse-drawn transport. Every delivery had to be timed and coordinated days in advance.
Despite the logistical hurdles, Green Horizons completed the restoration in just five weeks. They used Storm Grey Legacy™ architectural shingles from Malarkey, an Amrize Building Envelope brand known for durability and all-weather resilience.
The shingles were uniquely suited for the historic structure, flexing with the settling and irregular rooflines of the Victorian building while preserving its vintage appearance.
The flexibility of Malarkey’s shingles allowed them to adjust to the substantial settling of the 19th-century wood-frame construction.
With Malarkey’s NEX® Polymer Modified Asphalt technology, the roof also helps deliver long-term performance against harsh Great Lakes weather conditions — improving its longevity for the next generation of guests.
The project later earned a Bronze Award in the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturers Association’s Excellence in Asphalt Roofing Awards Program, recognizing outstanding roofing projects across North America.
Beyond performance, the project also reflected a growing focus on sustainability in restoration work. The Malarkey Legacy™ shingles used on the roof helped upcycle recycled materials equivalent to 66 tires and more than 44,000 plastic bags, while also reducing smog through granule technology designed to help clean the air.
Behind the lake breezes and porch views enjoyed by this summer’s visitors lies a restoration project they’ll probably never know happened. For the Malarkey and Green Horizons team, that is a sign of a job well done.
The Hoover Dam: A room with an unsurpassed view
The wall of the Hoover Dam is over 720 feet tall, towering across Black Canyon
Rising above the Colorado River between Nevada and Arizona, the dam boasts towering concrete walls and desert canyon views that contrast with the deep blue waters of Lake Mead. No wonder it's drawn millions of visitors since its completion in 1936 — serving as one of the country’s most unforgettable landmarks.
As tourism grew over the decades, the Department of the Interior built a visitor center to handle the crowds safely. At its heart is the observation deck, designed to provide panoramic views of the dam, the lake, and the surrounding desert landscape.
The Hoover Dam Visitor Center provides a panoramic view of Lake Mead, the Colorado River, and the highest solid concrete dam in the Western Hemisphere.
Building a surface tough enough to handle that volume of foot traffic in this kind of climate required a focus on performance as well as safety.
Working alongside the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation and the Department of the Interior, contractor D&D Roofing installed a specialized pedestrian decking system using GacoFlex™ coatings from Gaco — an Amrize Building Envelope brand engineered to withstand intense desert heat, relentless foot traffic, and years of sun exposure.
The result is more than durable. It’s an experience.
Every year, millions of visitors step onto the deck to take in one of America’s greatest engineering achievements. Families stop for photos. Travelers lean against the railings. Vacationers experience firsthand the scale and history of a landmark that continues to inspire awe nearly a century after it was built.
The Hoover Dam is one of the most iconic symbols of America, standing for over 80 years.
The deck’s skid-resistant surface, enhanced with walnut shell-based GacoShell Granules, keeps footing safe as crowds move through the observation area under the desert sun. Together, the GacoFlex and GacoShell systems built more than a walking surface. They created the platform for an experience now shared by more than 15 million visitors and counting.
For most of these visitors, the deck is just part of the view. But behind every step is the craftsmanship that keeps one of America’s most iconic summer destinations ready for the next generation of guests.
Built for the Journey
The 19th-century roof was in desperate need of refurbishment due to its age, the historic nature of construction, and the impact of extreme weather through the years.
Summer travel is about more than reaching a destination. It’s about the places that become part of our memories — the historic hotels, scenic overlooks, and landmarks that define the American experience.
From Mackinac Island to the Hoover Dam, these projects represent the unseen work that helps preserve those moments for millions of travelers every year.
Because long after the vacation ends, the places we remember most are the ones built to last.