By Kevin Taylor
Special to Ozark Living Magazine
A whimsical, distinctive stone house,
located at 18 S. Spruce Street in Paris, stands
out in Logan County for its architectural
uniqueness, including a winding staircase,
gargoyles and a hand-chiseled eagle.
Tolbert E. Gill, a stonemason by trade, began
construction on the house in 1920. e house
was a gi for his daughter, Evelyn. Handcraed
with local river rock, Gill completed the two-
story masonry house in 1948.
Every year on Evelyn's birthday, a piano was
hoisted to the second-floor balcony where she
would play a recital for the neighborhood.
e rock house put a gleam on Jim
Czaplicki's face the first time he laid eyes on it
in the spring of 1983. A psychologist, he had
been commuting between Conway and Paris
when he was given a tour of the house. A half-
hour later, he was ready to move in.
His wife, Karen, wasn't so sure at the time.
"He told me to bring the checkbook quick,"
she said. "It was a compromise for me. He
wanted to live in the country and I wanted to
live in the city, and it's right across from the
Catholic church, so we made it work."
And just like that, the Czaplickis moved
from Conway to the three-bedroom, two-bath,
stone masonry house.
"We moved in on July 29, 1983 … our
younger son's second birthday," Karen said.
"e yard had nice grass but was totally bare
except for two tree stumps in the front yard
next to two ancient cedar trees."
FeaTure hOMe
with history & Imagination
in Paris, ar
Rendezvous
Photos by Premier Photography
22 • November 2022 • oZArK LIvING
