E. Fay Jones' Glenn Parsons House

Paul Ringstrom · Post by **Paul Ringstrom** » Tue Nov 10, 2015 4:51 pm

https://goo.gl/maps/RCM9vjMgSR62

1966 N Scott Hollow Rd
Springdale, AR 72764

This house/estate is even bigger and better than his Orville Faubus House. The original owner is still living there at age 85. Wonderful guy.

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Tue Nov 10, 2015 6:30 pm

Is this property for sale ? I don't find a listing online.

Would this be relevant ? Neighboring property ? http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhom ... 2965-23121

SDR

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Tue Nov 10, 2015 10:43 pm

Well -- how about pictures ? Anybody ?

Here's Paul's linked view. I could only keep the house centered and visible as I zoomed in, by "Tilting" the Google view. (Seriously, am I the only one who can no longer toggle NSEW in Google Maps ? Is there an inside joke I'm missing ?)

Paul Ringstrom · Post by **Paul Ringstrom** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 10:24 am

SDR wrote:Would this be relevant ? Neighboring property ? http://www.realtor.com/realestateandhom ... 2965-23121

SDR

These neighboring parcels may be part of Parson's 115 acre estate. If you look south you will see a lot of long narrow buildings where he used to grow 400,000 turkeys at a time.

I think the house is for sale, to the right buyer, but not listed.

Roderick Grant · Post by **Roderick Grant** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 11:16 am

This house was published in Progressive Architecture (May, 1967). It is by far Jones' best effort. Faubus is a grand house, but its plan isn't nearly as good as Parsons. The Parsons entrance is a grand stair down to a landing with a spectacular Jones-designed chandelier. The "cathedral ceiling" of this house makes those McMansions look pathetic by comparison. Truly a beautiful house.

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 11:26 am

http://www.abebooks.com/PROGRESSIVE-ARC ... 3319319/bd

Wrighter · Post by **Wrighter** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 2:37 pm

And of course Craig Stevens' Fay Jones Guide Book has images as well.

The only thing I don't love about the house is the length of the gallery. But that was done so that each bedroom would have a view off the cliff to the waters below. But it includes one of my favorite spaces in any house by any architect--a depressed seating section, just off the main living room. A lowered ceiling and cozy seating area, looking out towards that chandelier that Roderick mentions. Talk about compression and release. Just magical.

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 7:16 pm

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchR ... -ats-_-all

SDR · Post by **SDR** » Wed Nov 11, 2015 7:23 pm

All right, art lovers -- here's something: Eleven B+W images. Slow loading.

http://rosettaapp.getty.edu:1801/delive ... id=IE72903

Is it only Fay Jones who gets away with slender stone columns ?

SDR

Wrighter · Post by **Wrighter** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 8:45 am

4199-9 is looking towards that sunken seating area I was describing.

DavidC · Post by **DavidC** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 9:52 am

The sunken seating area truly is wonderful. One special aspect of it is that the fireplace masonary is open on both sides - living room and sunken den - in a narrow, verticle opening - giving a 'through-space' between the two areas where both light from the living room and fire from the fireplace can be seen.

David

Roderick Grant · Post by **Roderick Grant** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 10:18 am

4199-7: There are two heavy beams at ceiling height, and a beam crossing about 2' below. Where they pass, there are two posts connecting the upper and lower beams. Obviously not a structural issue, what do you suppose the design function of them is?

FLW did something similar in the Sturges House. There the posts seem to be related to structure, but they are not; they pop out quite easily. So they are some sort of design element that I don't quite get.

DRN · Post by **DRN** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 10:51 am

Roderick.
The verticals appear to me to be suspenders and a means of concealing electrical wiring for the horizontal element below, which I believe is a space defining element that may contain some indirect lighting. The horizontal is likely not a beam but hollow and constructed of many pieces.

Wrighter · Post by **Wrighter** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 12:58 pm

Parsons and the Fisher house are from roughly the same era in Jones' career. While I'm not sure about the Parsons house, at Fisher all the beams are constructed of many pieces. The largest beams, for instance, are three 2 X 12s, trimmed out in 1/4 inch plywood (and the decorative trim on the bottom of the beam).

If you get up on a ladder, you can see the 2 X 12's next to each other; they are not trimmed out on the top--since you never see that part.
(Unless you are trying to change one of the impossible to reach light bulbs!) Electrical wiring runs along the tops of the beams, and then will dart down to the fixture, with the trim concealing the writing.

I've got some pictures somewhere that I'll try to post.

Roderick Grant · Post by **Roderick Grant** » Thu Nov 12, 2015 1:32 pm

No, DRN, that's not the case. As a structural element in tension, wood is not good. Enlarge the photo, and you will see that there is no lighting going on in that beam; there is indirect lighting just above the banquet, but not from that beam. This is design, not structure or wiring.