The Guastavino Fireproof Company founded by the Spanish architect Rafael Guastavino Moreno, imported to the United States the vernacular Spanish technique of Timbrel Vaulting. He patented the system adapting the ancient technique to the demanding technical challenges of the time. Within a few decades, the family firm helped design and construct many of America's most famous monuments. This paper goes through the history of how a vernacular technique from the old continent was transformed into art and innovative engineering.@en