stoneflower: the road to thorncrown

E. Fay Jones with "Stoneflower" residence rendering
Photo by Al Drap, Fay Jones Papers, Special Collections,
University of Arkansas Libraries, Fayetteville

if people have heard of the architect e. fay jones, one of frank lloyd wright's more famous contemporaries, chances are they have also heard of the chapel which is considered his masterpiece opus: thorncrown. nestled in a small corner of an ozark woodland, near the town of eureka springs, arkansas--thorncrown's inspiration came from a retired teacher who would always delight in allowing guests to take in the view of the surrounding hills after an invigorating hike. it is essentially a spiritual rest stop for the soul.

the structure doesn't even seem like a building at all, as the light and foliage seem to penetrate and shatter every enclosure suggested by the chapel. one might say that the greatest success of the chapel wasn't the architecture itself, but instead achieving a place to where the the exterior of the landscape and the interior of soul may interact, unimpeded.

"stoneflower" at eden isle, arkansas
photo by timothy hursley

but rarely even mentioned is the project before the masterpiece. why not? isn't each single sketch of michelangelo's figure studies just as important as the sistine ceiling itself? without the study, there would be no result. therefore, we offer a view of a modest home which fay jones used as experimental grounds before the legendary chapel: stoneflower.

designed and built with limited means, the house was a result of an exchange of land for services-a pair of landscape architects traded design work on the surrounding resort community for the particular piece of property. upon hiring fay jones, the budget sat at a meager $25,000 while also contributing physical labor in constructing the house's stone foundations.

lower level floor plan
courtesy of fay jones & maurice jennings

the house contains very unexpected spatial qua lites--an exercise in duality of sorts with the lower level hidden behind stone walls, and shaped in a primitive, cavernous-like way and the more rational upper level possessing qualities such as light, air, tectonic expression. the lower level is certainly more intuitive, but no less refined containing a fireplace, soaking pool, skylights above, and a waterfall emerging from the rock ledge shelves. carl jung might find refuge here...

waterfall and skylight at lower level
photo by balthazar korab

the upper level is almost immediately recognizable with it's volume, proportion and use of glass. although the chapel boasts an amazing number of 425 windows, the residence focuses the daylight and views on the long axis. the high glass openings lead out to an elevated deck having the same exact footprint of the interior space and a view towards greer's ferry lake. the proportions of the house are exactly half of thorncrown, measuring 12'x30' and 24' tall. the height of the vertical wall requires additional lateral stability, resulting in a familiar pattern of bracing near the roof. the lumber at the column framing has been doubled, and set apart to reveal shadows of tectonic mystery of lightness in such a tall room.

view through the living room towards the lake
photo by balthazar korab

main level floor plan
drawing by fay jones & maurice jennings, architects

the separation of the two levels addresses some intriguing ideas about how to build in harmony with the land. it is as if the lower level, made of stone, was always there-- a ruin of some obsolete structure given a new life. the light timber framed upper level seems to hover above the land as the only discernible man-made intervention on the landscape.

long section
drawing by fay jones & maurice jennings, architects

while the limitations of budget may have kept this house from becoming widely celebrated and published, the lessons it taught its creator are widely seen in the halls of thorncrown.

all images are shown from the book "FAY JONES" by robert adams ivy, jr.

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