Stone Houses

Essential Colonial Revival–style stone houses in bucolic settings—on hillsides, beside streams—and their inviting interiors, by the architect who popularized the beloved form. Stone Houses showcases a beloved kind of home that many of us aspire to own and live in—a place of warmth and security, of charm and romance. The stone house speaks to a very basic dream of stability and comfort, and the houses featured here represent the epitome of this dream. Built in traditional styles with artful construction and considered design between 1904 and 1943, these gems display the hallmarks we associate with the stone house, here polished and beautifully presented: deep fireplaces, thick beamed ceilings, wide plank floors, and country kitchens. Focusing on the work of the eminent architect R. Brognard Okie, who is credited with having greatly contributed to a popular appreciation and understanding of early American domestic architecture and who has had a lasting impact on American residential design, this book will both enchant the reader and serve as an unprecedented resource.

Stone Houses is a unique presentation of a beloved building tradition in one of the most charming and historically significant regions in the nation.

Stone speaks a rich visual language of texture, colour and patter that no other material can convey. It has inspired American builders for more than three centuries, and architects continue to refer to the traditional construction methods and regional styles that connect stone structures to their natural surroundings.

Jefferson County, New York, has one of the richest concentrations of stone houses in America. As many as 500 stone houses, churches, and commercial buildings were built there before 1860. Some of the buildings are beautiful mansions built by early entrepreneurs; others are small vernacular farmhouses. Some are clustered together; others dot the countryside near stone outcroppings. Embedded in the fabric of each building are the stories of its location, its maker, and its inhabitants over time. Lavishly illustrated with almost 300 photographs, this volume highlights eighty-five stone houses in the region. The editors explore both the beauty and permanence of the stonework and the courage and ambition of the early dwellers. They detail the ways in which skilled masons utilized local limestone and sandstone, crafting double-faced stone walls to protect against fire and harsh winters. The book includes discussions of the geology of the region, the stone buildings that have been lost, and the preservation and care of existing structures. Stone Houses of Jefferson County provides a fascinating look at the intrinsic beauty of these buildings and the historical links they provide to our early settlement.

Professor Karen Holloway travels to Virginia to search for the grave of Ismene, the mysterious author of a battered 19th-century manuscript. But eerie, inexplicable coincidences make Karen wonder if Ismene is desperately trying to warn her from the grave.

Revised and updated, this is the definitive guide to all facets of restoring and rehabilitating old stone and brick houses?. (1997)

Natural Stone Houses show current and modern architectural examples for the use of natural stone, earth, and concrete.