Stonebrook

Preserving the Modern House in Stonebook Forest

In 2013, the Louisiana Purchase Chapter, NSDAR, won first place at the National level in the Historic Preservation Committee Contest for its project, “Stonebrook: Preserving the Modern House in Stonebrook Forest.”

“Located near the village of Antonia in unincorporated Jefferson County, Missouri, Stonebrook is a 42′ by 42′ split-level frame house completed in 1959 in the Modern Movement style…. Stonebrook sits on a 15.86 acre tract of Stonebrook Forest which is a documented pre-glacial Missouri wildflower preserve.”  (Allen, Michael R., “The Modern House in Stonebrook Forest,” preservationresearch.com, December 7, 2011)

“… over 200 species of wildflower and medicinal plants (have been documented) at Stonebrook Forest. These include almost every known wildflower species that grow in Missouri….”         (National Register of Historic Places, Registration Form, p 5)

“Stonebrook … is locally significant under National Register Criterion C for Architecture as an excellent, unique work by St. Louis architect Harris Armstrong (1899-1973)…. (Kemps and Eva) Kirkpatrick had purchased the land to protect Stonebrook Forest and needed to live on the property for financial reasons. Their limited budget of $20,000 was first rebuffed by the great architect but quickly seized as a challenge. Stonebrook is a rare example of Armstrong’s work using such a modest budget and scale, but shows the same deliberate attention to design and sensitivity to site as his larger residential designs.” The house was constructed in 1958-1959.                                                                                            (National Register of Historic Places, Registration Form, p 10)