12 January 2006

Armstrong Residence II -- floor plans


The floor plans indicate the rectangular outline of the original structure that was renovated and the office, entry, and garage that was added to it toward the southeast.

At the second floor, four bedrooms fit into each of the four corners of the rectangle with bathroom back to back at the head of the stairs. At the time the house was constructed, there were five family members in residence. Harris and Louise shared one bedroom. Their two daughters, Joan and Jeffrey, each had their own bedrooms, and their youngest child, John, had his own bedroom. Armstrong felt it was important that each child have their own private room and that each bedroom have windows on two adjacent walls.

The architect's office was set up in the front of the house with south-facing windows and a small fireplace. To the west of the office was the garage. To the east of the office, a coat room, powder room, and entry to the residence. Upon entry, the passage into the Living Room is rather gracious with three angled steps leading into the large room which included a central fireplace with mirror, built-in planter at the corner windows, and large north facing windows toward the rear. The rear wall of the Living Room aligns with the Dining Room offering the opportunity for a sense of openness, space, and light not typically found in a residence of this size. While the Kitchen is the central hub of the various surrounding rooms, it remains isolated and cut-off from these spaces.

At the Basement Level, rooms for two maids are provided, along with a Play Room for the children, storage, mechanical equipment, and Laundry Room.


Drawings courtesy of the Harris Armstrong Archives, Special Collections, Washington University in Saint Louis.

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