The Kamphoefner House is the first of several Modernist houses built in Raleigh from the 1940s to the 1960s. These houses were the manifestation of architectural concepts embraced by the faculty of the School of Design, established in 1948 at North Carolina State College (now North Carolina State University). Dean Henry Kamphoefner recruited several Modernist architects as faculty members, and was instrumental in influencing other Modernists to come to North Carolina to practice. He also brought internationally known architects to the school to lecture and to lead studio workshops. The Henry L. Kamphoefner House was the first in a series of residences the faculty designed for themselves, other faculty members, or for a small group of clients interested in new ideas in architecture. Built for the most part on relatively ample, wooded suburban lots, located on what then were the outskirts of the city, a key element in most of the designs is a careful integration of the house with its site.

The Kamphoefner House was designed by Henry Kamphoefner with George Matsumoto in 1948. Influenced by Frank Lloyd Wright's Usonian mode of house design, the house is oriented around a large, central brick chimney. Usonian design is characterized by small scale, affordable construction, open plan interiors, integration of interior and exterior spaces, flat roof and large glazed areas such as windows and doors. The bedroom wing extends from the core of the house, presenting a brick facade toward the street, while the glazed walls of the principal living areas open onto terraces on the property's private side, providing views over the adjacent golf course. The house makes use of clerestory ventilation and incorporates the first insulating glass in Raleigh. The Kamphoefner House is a designated Raleigh Historic Landmark.