Originally working with wood frame buildings, around 1908 he brought more modern and fire-resistive designs to the Seattle area.

During the recession of the mid to late 90s, Stephen returned to cabinetmaking and found work with the Moran Shipyards in Seattle and Alaska.

His early designs used economical and flexible wood frames that easily allowed for phased development and expansion.

[1] Around the time his eldest son Frederick graduated as an architect from the University of Pennsylvania, Stephen traveled to the mid-west and New York to study newer trends in school construction.

They used concrete, brick, and terra cotta and included modern features such as state-of-the-art lavatories, intercoms, and clock systems.

Schools produced after his son joined the practice can be found in Edmonds, Wenatchee, Cashmere, Richmond Beach, Vancouver, Ellensburg, Kirkland, Cle Elum, Chehalis, Fall City, and Port Townsend.

[2] He became a full member of the American Institute of Architects in 1902 and was president of the Washington chapter in 1907-08 as well as a delegate to the national convention in Chicago in 1907.

[8] In addition to their work on public schools they would be responsible for hundreds of commercial buildings built throughout out Puget Sound during this time, including many of Seattle's suburban Masonic lodges and multiple churches and private homes.

[2] Frederick was the only son to become an architect; Chester was an electrician while James was an orchardist in Leavenworth, Washington,[2] Stephen retired from the practice in 1923[2] or 1928[1] and died in Seattle on September 27, 1938 [1] after a ten-year illness.