I have looked at various house designs, but none are like I want them with an open floor plan and a centered fireplace, so after much deliberation, we have almost decided to create our own design and bring it to an architect. The idea is a 2-story with a basement and a fireplace on 2 floors. A good friend does that, uses a stove downstairs that surprisingly heats well on the chimney upwards, so my question is...is it possible to have a chimney as a load-bearing part if half of the first floor is open, without a central wall? 