Property of Mr. and Mrs. James Stutesman Thurston, Indianapolis, Indiana | Architect: Evans Woollen III

11/27/2025 09:21:00 AM

Like a Christmas package under the tree, this small Indiana house looks delightful and holds the promise of a happy surprise when you look inside. Its type of classic, rectilinear design is often used for houses of more imposing proportions and cost. Yet the architect, working within the very modest budget at the right, incorporated such uncommon features as 10' ceilings, covered decks on two sides of the house, a hall skylight, custom cabinets, recessed lighting fixtures and large expanses of glass. Modular construction and the careful choice of materials went far to keep the house within its budget. Interestingly, both the architect and the owners ascribe much of its success to "good rapport," which the architect found essential while making his "arduous subtractions." Say the owners: "We worked entirely together from the first plan to the present day."

The living-dining room, a single 27' long sweep, has high ceilings and wood trim that carry out spirit of the neatly paneled exterior walls. Like the lines of the house, the plan is admirably straightforward and efficient. The single hallway serves several purposes: it separates the bedrooms from the living area; it connects the guest bedrooms and bath; and it is wide enough to act as an attractive entrance foyer. While the front of the house, save for the entrance, is windowless, both north and south sides are all glass, relating every principal room to the woodland setting. Doors in each room open to one of the two 4' galleries extending the full length on either side. Framing of glass walls is uniform.