Drum home designed by famous architect

When John Drum was preparing to retire, his wife found a lot for sale on Lake Windsor. Once they owned the lot, the couple found an architect to design the perfect retirement home.

Drum didn't realize he was hiring an architect who would become the well-known designer of landmarks including Thorncrown Chapel and Cooper Chapel.

Drum, who has lived in the home for 35 years, believes it's the only home in Bella Vista designed by E. Fay Jones, but he said, "It's just a house."

The Bella Vista Historical Museum currently has an exhibit dedicated to the house. From the street, the home at 77 Mayfair Drive looks typical for the neighborhood. Drum said he wanted a house with a small yard. He likes "close neighbors." From the street, the house has a modernistic touch, but that does not really offer a hint about the inside, or the lake side. From the lake, the house -- with its wrap-around deck and elaborate woodwork -- is identifiable as a Jones creation.

Jones, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright, designed many other homes, including one for Sam Walton, but he is best known for Thorncrown Chapel in Eureka Springs and Cooper Chapel here in Bella Vista.

The Drum home wasn't built for resale or for property values. Drum just wanted to live there with his wife. He insisted on a one-bedroom home, but downstairs, a family room easily converts to a studio apartment with its own kitchen and outside entrance.

When people come to visit, he said, smiling, "I show them the room and tell them, 'See you Friday.'"

The idea, he explained, was that if they ever needed someone to take care of them, that person could live in the basement. Since his wife died, Drum lives in his home alone.

There are three fireplaces in the home, including one in the basement.

There's also a Murphy bed that folds down in a workshop area and a convertible couch in the room that Drum's wife used to use for her activities. Even without a guest room, Drum has space for multiple guests.

Although Drum had to ask Jones for many changes during the course of the design work, they both agreed on wood and glass. There's a view through large windows of Lake Windsor from every room. A large deck wraps around the lakeside of the house, which Drum considers the front.

The wood, including built-in furniture and intricate light fixtures, was all cut and milled on site. It was delivered to the site as rough lumber and a craftsman from Eureka Springs set up a temporary workshop on the property.

There are no shrubs or trees on the property, except for three small artificial Christmas trees that Drum puts up each Christmas along with lights. Jones believed the home should be attractive enough that it didn't need trees.

The Drums moved to Bella Vista in 1982 to be close to friends who had made the move earlier. Thirty-five years later, John Drum is still friends with Rosalie Robinson. Both are in their 90s.

Drum has no intention of ever selling his unique home. When he dies, his son will live there, he said.