Kirkwood firm to design home for paralyzed Rock Hill officer
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January 20, 2017
KIRKWOOD, Mo. (AP) — A Kirkwood-based architectural firm has agreed to design a handicapped-accessible home for paralyzed Rock Hill police officer Mathew Crosby.
The job is a departure for Schaub+Srote, whose principals, David Schaub and Robert Srote, have been designing luxury homes for about 20 years, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (http://bit.ly/2iFhDTf ) reported. The firm may be best known for a $25 million, 40,000-square-foot mansion in Lake Saint Louis.
In this case, the challenge is to create an effective environment for a resident with limited mobility.
The firm's interior designer, Heather Helms, was moved by a Post-Dispatch story about Crosby's struggle to recover from a pressure wound and his six-year quest to build a home that suits his needs, Schaub said.
He was shot and paralyzed while responding to a domestic violence call April 8, 2010. He has lived in rental homes since, hoping to someday build a home of his own.
The Post-Dispatch chronicled his story in November, along with those of three other police officers who have been paralyzed while on duty.
Crosby is hoping to find land near Christian Brothers College high school in Town and Country, where his sons have been provided free tuition.
But, without a home design in mind, selecting the right piece of land has been hard, he said.
Schaub+Srote agreed to design a home and review land surveys to ensure that the lot Crosby buys will accommodate it. The company also will supply anything Crosby needs to secure permits, Schaub said.
"The story moved us," he explained. "We're at a point where we have the ability to do it, and we should do it."
Schaub said his company's donation doesn't come close to matching the sacrifice Crosby made for the community.
Efforts continue to raise money to build the house. About 100 restaurants donated a portion of their proceeds Thursday to the Officer Mathew Crosby Home Fund. So far, about 20 restaurants have reported donations totaling more than $13,000, according to a Facebook page tracking efforts to help Crosby.
Donations can be sent to The Officer Mathew Crosby Home Fund, 8816 Manchester Road, No. 157, Brentwood, Mo. 63144.
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