A. L. A. Himmelwright
Himmelwright authored many books and articles, including a harrowing tale of a hunting trip in the Bitterroot Mountains of Idaho and a first-hand account of the famous Johnstown flood in Pennsylvania, published in Harper's Magazine.
The catastrophic scale of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake spurned an era of innovation and adoption of new building technology, including reinforced concrete developed by inventors like Ernest L. Ransome.
Two years prior to the publication of The San Francisco Earthquake and Fire, Himmelwright set out to personally prove the merits of fireproof construction, adding to his thinking a philosophy of environmental engineering, sustainable building and permaculture.
He purchased 47 acres (190,000 m2) of land about 45 miles (72 km) from New York City in Stockholm, New Jersey, and in 1907 completed the construction of what he called, a "Model Fireproof Farm House".
The setting for what is now known as "the Stone House" is on a hill or knoll and is in use today as a residence and overnight rental facility at the nonprofit Rock Lodge Club, a nudist resort.
The wasteful, shortsighted and ephemeral methods of the past have become intolerable, and on account of our depleted timber supply, will soon be impossible.The conservation of the world's natural resources is attracting universal attention, and will undoubtedly receive a large portion of the best thought and consideration of the present generation.
The large per capita consumption in the United States is attributable partly to our great fire losses, but principally to the ephemeral and flimsy character of our buildings.
This can be averted, (1) by substituting incombustible and more durable materials for wood, and (2) by employing proper safeguards and appliances, thus preventing a large part of the annual fire loss.
After this comparatively short term, they become unsafe for human habitation and can be utilized only for a few years more for storage, after which, if not demolished, they decay, become dangerous, and finally fall to pieces.
Himmelwright concluded the introduction, adding these comments linking family values to engineering and sustainable building practices: "A home built of durable and incombustible materials...conserves the resources and energies of the original owner and all his descendants.
True, there may be periodical divisions and distributions of some of the contents, but this involves no sacrifice of actual value, and articles removed in this way often find their way back to such a home after the lapse of time.
"An enduring and fire-proof home, therefore, conserves the energy and resources of the successive owners, assures permanent safety, comfort and satisfaction, and unlike a frame building, it retains indefinitely its full value as an asset and inheritance."
