{"nrhp_refnum":"04000705","name":"Stepping Stones (Wilson, Bill and Lois, House)","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"62 Oak Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Katonah","county":"Westchester County","state":"NY","lat":41.24645821200005,"lon":-73.70124229343031,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2004-07-16","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"2012-10-16","areas_of_significance":["Health/Medicine","Social History"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Stepping Stones is a former summer house in the Dutch Colonial Revival style at 62 Oak Road, Katonah, Westchester County, New York, built c. 1920. The 6.5-acre property has six contributing buildings, including a studio and a 1950s garage built by Bill Wilson.","why_significant":"The property was the home of Bill and Lois Wilson from 1941 until 1988. Bill Wilson co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous and wrote its Big Book and the 12 Steps. Lois Wilson founded Al-Anon Family Groups and Alateen. The nomination argues the house is significant in Health/Medicine and Social History for these associations.","narrative":"Stepping Stones is a hillside property of about 6.5 acres in Katonah, New York, centered on a one-and-a-half-story Dutch Colonial Revival house built around 1920 as a summer residence. Bill and Lois Wilson bought it in 1941 and lived there until Lois died in 1988. Bill added a studio called Wit's End and a garage in the 1950s, and all six buildings share brown shingles, white trim and bright blue doors. The interior remains furnished as it was at Lois Wilson's death. The property is significant for the couple's work. Bill Wilson co-founded Alcoholics Anonymous, wrote its Big Book and helped spread the 12 Steps and the view of alcoholism as a disease. Lois Wilson founded Al-Anon Family Groups and Alateen, and in 1951 the house served as the first headquarters of the Al-Anon clearing house. It is now maintained as a historic site by a foundation.","period_of_significance":"1941-1988","architect_builder":"unknown","architectural_style":"Late 19th and Early 20th Century Revivals: Dutch Colonial Revival","criteria":["A","B"],"status_note":"Buildings and grounds are in very good repair and retain high integrity. The property is owned by the Stepping Stones Foundation, which maintains it as a historic site and museum.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.452341-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/04000705.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000705/cfbef07f6d-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/04000705/cfbef07f6d-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Daniel Case","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stepping_Stones,_Katonah,_NY.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Daniel Case</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Stepping_Stones,_Katonah,_NY.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75323251","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stepping_Stones_(house)","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7611129"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/westchester-county/stepping-stones-wilson-bill-and-lois-house-04000705/"}