Stephen B. Chambers Architects, Inc.

09/25/2025

The owner of an historic ranch on the Brazos River in Somervell County wanted a main ranch home that resembles an historic barn with a gambrel roof, which is typical of Dutch barns and reminiscent of the owner's childhood roots. A vintage 18-ft diameter steel water tank serves as one of the family's rooms. More photos and a video by Chambers Architects in the link below.
https://chambersarchitects.com/custom-ranch-home-design/historic-somervell-county-ranch-on-brazos-river/

12/16/2021

This circa 1900 Queen Anne Victorian (see photos in link to blog) is currently under consideration for the National Register of Historic Places. The home was built with the unusual construction technique of cast-in-place concrete. Located near Sonora Texas in Sutton County, where the eastern edge of the Chihuahuan Desert touches the western edge of the Hill Country, it is under restoration by Chambers Architects.

Its unique environs of limestone outcroppings and rolling terrain dotted with areas of live oaks and juniper, form a savanna, that alternates with grasses, shrubs, and cacti, and gave rise to a great part of Texas ranching history.

[vc_row 0=””][vc_column][mk_image src=”https://chambersarchitects.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/sonora-1915.jpg” image_width=”1200″ image_height=”600″ lightbox=”true” desc=”East Main Street, Sonora, Texas, Circa 1915. Image courtesy of the Sutton County Historical Society.” ...

10/28/2021

New ranch project for Chambers Architects, near Elkhart TX. This second home in a Texas Regional Modern vernacular is located deep in East Texas, land of iron ore soil. The multi-purpose family retreat includes a main living area, as well as guest casitas.

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08/30/2021

In the process of renovating and writing about an 1850s West Texas ranch near Albany Texas, Chambers Architects discovered its stonemasons were Irish/Scottish. We created a new blog about the Croft Houses of Scotland, and the similarities in their design to our ranch preservation.

Croft Houses are very similar in design to two historic Texas stone houses, originally built by European stone masons. They are currently under restoration by Chambers Architects

02/20/2021

The nicest thing in the whole world is when happy clients write to us about their homes—
THE SMITH FARM IN THE POLAR VORTEX
“Steve, I drove to our Smith Farm at Mt Sylvan yesterday, fearing the worst, such as frozen pipes and leaking water in our stone farmhouse and in our historic log house —- because Susan and I had been unable to wiinterize them.
But: no problem!
You designed two well insulated, and thus nicely warm, houses! Together with our terrific barn/garage, our three-structure compound in the East Texas woods looks fantastic in the deep snow and is performing at a very high level!
Thank you....”
Josiah M. Daniel III and Susan Smith Daniel
A video of their 19th Century Log Home Restoration—their other two structures are on the website as well: https://chambersarchitects.com/historic-home-preservation/historic-dogtrot/

12/17/2020

2020 has been a tough year for many families in North Texas. One organization that steps into the gap to help out is the North Texas Food Bank and its mobile pantry. This year, Chambers Architects directed its end-of-the-year corporate giving to them and to First Book, a Washington DC-based 501c3 that gives books to 5 million children to supplement the education of those with no books at home. $1 buys two books for a child.

This year, sponsors of both organizations will triple-match every dollar given. I'd like to thank Trisha Clark Cunningham, CEO of NTFB, for facilitating the coordination of the First Books we donated to their child program school partners in Dallas. @first

10/19/2020

Like so many immigrants to the United States, the Norwegians left their homeland with a few possessions and their trades in search of a better life.

Between 1854 and the turn of the century, thousands of settlers from Norway located in the Clifton Texas area and established the largest Norwegian colony in the US west of the Mississippi River. They settled primarily in a triangular area northwest of Clifton extending 18 miles to the town of Cranfills Gap. This area today is known as the Norse Historic District, created by the Department of the Interior in 1983.

Link to more photos and video of Norway Mills, Norse Historic District, Bosque County, Texas:

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10/08/2020

Thrilled to have this new opportunity to work with the owners on an important preservation of Norway Mills Ranch circa 1870 in the Norse Historic District of Bosque County, Texas, the oldest US Norwegian settlement west of the Mississippi River. Norway Mills is on the National Register of Historic Places. More photos and a video to come, after our upcoming visit to the site.

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09/16/2020

“Good morning from D Home!

I wanted to congratulate you on your D Home Best Architects award! Out of the many Dallas architects, you are one of the select licensed architects nominated by your peers to make the final D Home Best list for 2020. You should have already heard from our editorial team congratulating you on your win...”
(Drone photo from the backyard of one our projects by Daniel J. Hale)