Forging history

From sweeping the shop’s floors as a 9-year-old boy to receiving commendations from the San Mateo City Council, Manzon said following his father’s footsteps in the business has been nothing short of rewarding.

“It’s very satisfying because the lifetime of our stuff is longer than humans and it outlasts many generations. Even homeowner after homeowner, most of them keep the same iron works,” Manzon said. “It’s very gratifying to drive around town and say ‘oh yeah, I made that’ or ‘I remember making that as a kid with my dad in 1975.’”

Despite being drafted into the Army and spending a few years as a farmer, the elder Manzon eventually gained a share in the business started by Tony Soletti and John Wessa in the early 1930s. The younger Manzon started off working weekends as a kid before training under an apprenticeship program and in 1998 becoming full owner.

The business’ offerings span from structural elements to artistic designs, but it’s getting to use an array of techniques within a singular project Manzon finds most rewarding. 

“My favorite kind of projects are starting basically with the structural steel that holds up the entire house, then transferring to the architectural end which is often a nice beautiful interior stairway, then transforming it to the outside of the home with decorative elements around the garden,” Manzon said. “It gives you a nice variety of work to do and has multiple skill requirements.”

There’s no shortage of diverse projects being crafted at the Iron Works shop near downtown San Mateo. One artistic example is a decorative pole with metal grapes and vines wrapping around a post that will be installed inside a private winery. Another notable project is taking Manzon and his crew out into the San Francisco Bay.

Iron Works was awarded a contract to refurbish giant sets of window bars that used to keep prisoners inside Alcatraz. It’s part of the U.S. National Park Service’s renovation of the westward facing wall on the historic penitentiary that attracts millions of visitors from across the globe. 

Manzon said they’ve restored nine sets of bars, each about 102 inches tall, 58 inches wide and weighing an astonishing 530 to 650 pounds. The preservation includes keeping as much authenticity as possible, which for Manzon meant dissembling the bars built long before he was born, cleaning them, replacing a few rusty parts, then putting them back together. The final touch was to galvanize the grills to help stave off future deterioration as the bars are exposed the Bay’s harsh climate, he said.

Their work began in September and Iron Works crews will begin reinstalling the bars in the coming weeks. Manzon, who eagerly immersed himself in the history of Alcatraz, noted he always appreciates a “behind-the-scenes” experience.

“They’re historical jail bars, window jail bars so the prisoners can’t escape out of the windows,” Manzon explained, before recalling a recent visit to the site. “It’s a weird feeling to be looking out one of those windows at freedom when you’re inside. I can tell you that much, I can understand their frustration behind those bars. You’re not going anywhere.”

Aside from having a knack for history and an appreciation for how the craft of metalsmithing has evolved over the years, Manzon thrills over where his job has taken him — from a historic prison cell to large mansions throughout the Bay Area.

“I’m very blessed in that I get to meet so many influential people that I never would have met before, been in many private homes and places that the general public is not able to see. We’re able to go behind the scenes, and work in these places that are very impressive,” Manzon said, adding he’s learned something from everyone for whom he’s created custom works.

But while he admits building materials and architectural design have undoubtedly changed over the years with some people having less of an appreciation for unique albeit high-priced iron works, Manzon emphasized they’re creating works of art that will stand the test of time.

“It’s just gratifying, the longevity of iron, the life span of iron and how iron is able to be shaped and molded to your imagination,” he said. 

San Mateo Artistic Iron Works is located at 317 Sixth Ave., San Mateo. 

samantha@smdailyjournal.com

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Twitter: @samantha_weigel