2019 Missouri Preservation Honor Award

Twelker Farm | Steeple View Manor, LLC | New Haven, Franklin County

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When Patricia McKelvey bought the historic Twelker Farm in 2016, the house was barely inhabitable. The lovely original two story stone house had been nearly swallowed by modern additions and finishes, inside and out. Large one-story additions covered the front and back walls of the house, and almost all rooms in the original house had dark hardboard paneling and other dingy finishes. The house still had an impressive amount of historic fabric, including the well-crafted stone exterior, an original staircase, and early four panel doors. Removal of the modern finishes inside the house revealed early millwork and wood flooring throughout. Removal of the front and rear additions brought the house back to its original I-house form. The stonework was in good shape, but many walls were covered with white paint, which was carefully removed. Using a historic photo as a guide, project architects from Lauren Strutman Architects designed a new front porch to match the long-missing original porch, and the house and an adjacent summer kitchen were fully rehabilitated, inside and out. A large barn nearby was also repaired. Today, the farmstead serves as an event center, and it looks much as it did when the Twelker family completed construction of their new stone house in 1871. The property is listed in the National Register of Historic places and historic preservation tax credits assisted in the transformation of the property.