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.is>

From the
Fine Arts Library

Fogg Art Museum
Harvard University

AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES

OF TO-DAY

Publishers' Announcement

MONOGRAPH OF THE WORK OF

McKIM, MEAD & WHITE

FROM THE YEARS i8;9~i9i5

THE ARCHITECTURAL BOOK PUBLISHING
CO. announce the publication of a collection
of illustrations relating to State Capitols, City
Halls, Clubs, Libraries and Private Residences. It
includes reproductions of specially prepared plans,
elevations and sections, the drawings of which have
been made in the office of the architects, under their
immediate direction, preserving much of the spirit of
the compositions. The method of reproduction is
photogravure. The drawings are published in fifteen
sections of twenty plates each {size 14x20 inches) and
issued every alternate month. The seventh section is
just almut to be delivered. To the ambitious archi-
tect in general practice and to his assistants the work
is practically priceless because it speaks his language,
giving facts in response to an urgent cry for facts.
It -shows how many problcnis have been solved.

TiyTcKIM, MEAD ^ WHITE have authorized the pubUcation
JwM of their work in tuck a ikape as to be of ineilimabie value
to arehiteef in general practice and to Hudenta of archi-
tecture mho make the Publte Library their hunting ground. For
the laat thirty yean we have reaiixed that me are to be con-
gratulated at a nation upon the induttry and ekitl of thete «n-
Ihueiaete, and the quiet analytical ttudy undertaken to-day ehowt
that our former eetimate reeted upon a very tolid foundation.
Their method of detign wat no caprieioun talutation to a new
order of doing thinge, a new and pleaeing rendering of an old
problem catching the eye of the beet people I'u the land, but a
reaitimilation of the beet architectural principle! the world hat
yet eeen, for all of which we have indeed to be profoundly grate-
ful. The thirty yeara have been a trial for the work and a trial
of public opinion throughout the length and breadth of the land
and everyone in U who knowi a good thing when he teei it.

Of couree, we muet bear tn mind that this America of ouri
furniehei for theie gentlemen a great golden opportunity—a great
golden opportunity. The opportunity for monumental buildingi
of thit magnifieence it not practicable in England, France or Italy
— and Germany, ai everyone knowe, a world leader in efficiency,
to quote a much abuted word jutt now, attoundingly alive in many
thingt, it tingularly deficient in mattert architectural.

The buildinge of McKim, Mead ^ White are not only once
again the vitalizing precepti of an ancient tradition modified in
Italy and occaeionally modified eleewhere, but retramlated, re-
aiiimitated for the great, gloriout country in which we live.

Archilectt the world over guard moat jealouely their plant,
elevatione and lectioni at inttrumenti of tervice wherein the utter-
moil secret reeidee. Until lately thie preeervation haa been
deemed natural; still, in the light of modern education, the archi-
tect finds that it pays to inform the public. The payment is not
only eulogy and dollars, but is visible in the aalulalion to the
standard such work raises aloft. For like the eagle at the head
of this column, it ia calm, complacent, typifying the worthwhile-
nets of the beat of the classics in ila adaiifatlon to oar needs.

ONCK IN A WHir.E. SOMEONE SETS A NEW PACE IN AFFAIRS ARCHITECTS HAL

AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES
OF TO-DAY

AN ILLUSTRATED ACCOUNT OF SOME EXCELLENT HOUSES

BUILT AND GARDENS PLANTED DURING THE LAST FEW YEARS

SHOWING UNMISTAKABLE INFLUENCE OF THE MODERN TREND

IN IDEALS ARCHITECTURAL

By SAMUEL ^O^E, architect
Exhibitor in Royal Academy of Arts, London
Member of Architectural League of New York
Author of "Indoors, " " Bronze the Eternal, "etc.

I9IJ

New York

The Architectural Book Publishing Company

Paul Wbnzbl and Maurice Krakow

^1 East 1 2th Street

HARVARD CDLLCGE LIBRAPtY

BEQUEST OF

MRS. MARRtCT J. eRADBURY

JUNE 36, 1930

DEDICATION

IT would seem that this is an opportunity to salute
heartily that spirit of endeavor which tends to pene-
trate the mysterious inertia of the architectural
kingdom sufficiently to humanize further and more sub-
stantially that arrangement of building and garden
which goes to the make-up of our homes. The public
to-day is to be congratulated upon the large number
of drawings and the accompanying chatter which is
laid at its feet, and on the fact that there is among us
an informal court of examination and analysis, ever in
session, which is qualified to examine closely so as to
present prominently that which is good and quite
worth while and side-track the rest. While it is a great
thing to be an architect of houses, it is a far greater
thing to be an architect of affairs, a man of affairs,
who for the broadening of his mind looks to other
sources of human endeavor — the drama, the opera, the
painting of a picture, the telling of a story, the play-
ing of a game, the unraveling of a political situation,
the designing of some method to equalize the burdens
resting upon every member of the human family; and
for this handful of qualifications, surely the editorial
room is, of all places, the melting pot. So I dedicate
these pages, such as they are, to Mr. H. J. Whigham
as a citizen of the world.

PREFATORY NOTE

IT is said that no part of a book is so intimate as the preface, where it is
the privilege of the author to address the public in an informal man-
ner, explaining, "Why the book?"

The book is not merely a collection of good houses built in one section
of the country in furtherance of a particular traditional ideal, but rather a
collection which shows unmistakably the influence of the modern trend in do-
mestic architecture, wherein the human element plays a prominent part.
The one thing which is obvious is that it marks American progress. Our
architects are no longer adapters of old ideas, but insurgents. What we need
is more insurgency in character building, in daily life, in everything! In-
surgency is overcoming stupid inertia and brutal resistance and making it-
self felt in a practical world. The architect realizes more than the layman
that he has loitered so long in the narrow aisles leading to the hall of his
mistress, his fair goddess, humming her praise, that he has often lulled to
sleep any really human impulse he may chance to have had. Well within
sight of the tragi-comedy, with the whole situation in the palm of his hand,
he has often encouraged rather than hindered extravagance in manner of
design. To-day his work is more spirited, serviceable and human.

We are reminded that this is a pictorial age. It is! It is a pictorial
age with certain limitations. This is not a sign of discouragement, but of the
reverse. Thousands visiting the "movies" testify to the ease with which hu-
man intellect is reached by means of pictures. A few years ago the client had
to do the best he could with pencil notes to which a wash of thin color was
applied by means of camel-hair brushes. That, and the personality of the
architect, justified the signing of the contract! To-day, where is that art of
recording upon paper the imagination, the design as well as the hope of the
architect to reach a certain goal by means of pencil, ink and color? In our
search for drawings of houses we are confronted with the temptation to say
it is all the fault of the photographer, although, forsooth, that hard-working
enthusiast was never more entitled to consideration. He is doing splendid
work! "Very pretty, but the thing won't reproduce," say editors of maga-

X PREFATORY NOTE

zines, confronted with the average sketch. Anyone trying to write a book
to-day is at his wits' end to find the right type of material to put in it, and
still the offices are crowded with young men with bright ideas, able to draw,
yet lacking that illustrative quality without which they cannot reach the pub-
lic. The marginal notes on the drawing boards show that many still pre-
serve intact the skill to which I refer. Yet what would we do, for instance,
without men like Julian Buckly, William H. Crocker, Thomas Ellison and
Edward R. Senn? I am citing those whose work I know, whose ability
I reverence for skill in studying their photographic work from the archi-
tectural standpoint plus the painter instinct.

For general inspiration and instruction I thank heartily Mr. Charles A.
Piatt, and for the privilege of reproducing original drawings Mr. John
Russell Pope, Messrs. Delano & Aldrich, Messrs. Albro & Lindeberg, and
Mr. Frank Newman, architects.

For permission to present in book form his interesting article on the
estate of Mr. Pembroke Jones I am delighted to thank Mr. H. J. Whigham.

Regarding the representation of articles and illustrations which have
been published elsewhere, permit me first to acknowledge heartily my indebt-
edness to the editor of Town <§ Country and the president of The Stuyve-
sant Co., who have extended to me so graciously the privilege of selecting
from the pages of their magazine articles and cuts which have appeared
from time to time. Several of the articles are extended or re-written, and
many are new. For the privilege of reproducing certain cuts and portions of
articles, I thank heartily Miss Virginia Robie, editor of House Beautiful. I
am also indebted to Messrs. D. Appleton & Co. for permission to reproduce,
in part, story of the property of Mr. L. C. Tiffany, and to the editors of
Architectural Record and Brickhuilder , who have kindly placed at my dis-
posal illustrations of a practical and serviceable kind.

For valued assistance regarding make-up thanks are due to my dear

friend Mr. Floyd Smith. The writing of the book gives an opportunity

to express to my young secretary, Miss Rose Friedman, my gratitude for

her encouragement and assistance.

^ S. H.

New York, August y 1915.

INDEX OF CONTENTS

BOOK I

CHAPTER I

THE STUCCO HOUSE

The interesting treatment of a romantic estate, the home of Mr, Bronson Win-
throp, Syosset, L. I. — The house of Mr. William A. Delano, Broohville, L. /., dis-
closing a hidden bowl-shaped garden in the woods — The property of Mr. William J.
Borland, Mt. Kisco, N. Y., involving an unusual approach with semicircular court —
The home of Mrs. C. B. Alexander, at BernardsvUle, N. J., embodying sigiUficant
emblems of decorative value — The Moorings, on Lake 8t. Claire, the property of
Mr. Russell A. Alger — The country horns of Mr. Lloyd C. Oriscom, Ecut Norwich,
L. I. — The Lake Forest house of Mr. A. C. BartUtt, a pleasing design xoith inde-
pendent studio — The Italian tendency of the Lake Forest home of Mr. Oeorge B.
Thorns — Mia Italia, Miss T. H. Graham's property, Pasadena, Cal. — The Long
Island house and garden of Mr. A. W. Rossiter at Olen Cove — The Estate of Mr.
R. H. Houghton, Nashotah, Wis. — The Long Island home of Mr. John A. Oarver —
Mr. C. E. Proctor's home at Oreat Neck, L. I. — Home of Mr. H. Carpenter, Lake
Geneva, Wis. — The house of Mr. Hugh J. McBirney, Lake Forest, III. — The estate
of Mr. C. Howard Clark, Jr., Devon, Pa. — Mr. C. A. Coffin's house and garden at
Locust Valley, L. I. — Ths country estate of Mr. Edward C. Hoyt, near Stamford^
Conn. — The property of Mr. Robert 8. Brewster, Mt. Kisco, N. Y. — Home of Mr.
T. H. Kerr, White Plains, N. Y.—Home of Mr. Clayton 8. Cooper, Fieldston, N. Y.—
The Cleveland home of Mr. W. G. Mather — The Rev. J. Hutcheson's horns, Warren,
R, 7. — The house of Mr. L, J. Burgess, ZanesvUle, O. — Home of Mr. Guido Hanson,
Pine Lake, Wis. — Gardener's Cottage, 8t. Martin's, Pa. — Lodge, stable and garage
on the estate of Mr. J. B. Coryell, Menlo Park, CaL — The picturesque estate, near
Wilmington, N. C, belonging to Mr. Pembroke Jones — An interesting group of six
houses of marked individuality Pages 1 — 171

CHAPTER II

THE BRICK HOUSE

The Washington house of Mr. Henry White — The country home of Mr. C. B.
MacDonald, 8outhampton, L. I.^The estate of Mr. W. B. Osgood Field, Lenox, Mass.
— The property of Mr. Thomas Hastings, Roslyn, L. I. — Mr, James Parmelee's
Washington home — The home of Mr. Herbert L. Pratt, Glen Cove, L. I. — Harla-
kenden House, the home of Mr. Winston Churchill, Cornish, N. H. — The Lake
Forest home of Mr. Finley Barrell — Mr. P. 8. Theurer's house, KenVworth, III. —
Home of Mr. R. M. Ellis, Great Neck, L. I. — Homs of Miss Emily Watson, White
Plains, N. Y. — Attractive stables on the estates of Mr. Willard D. 8traight at West-
bury, L. I., and Mrs. L. Z. Leiter at Beverly Farms, Mass Pages 172 — ^287

CHAPTER 111

THE HALF-TIMBER AND FRAMED HOUSE

The property of Mr. E. L. Winthrop, Jr., 8yos8et, L. I. — The interesting little
residence of Mrs. Peter F. Collier at 8outhampton, L. I. — Mr. Robert J. Collier's
estate at Wicatunk, N. J. — The home of Mr. Emerson R. Newell, Greenwich, Conn.
— The Vermont home of Mr. Philip B. Jennings at Bennington — 8table on estate of
Mr. Orville Babcock, Lake Forest, III. — Residence of Mr. E. D. Adler, Oconomowoc
Lake, Wis.— Home of Mr. J. M. Townsend, Jr., Mill Neck, L. I Pages 238—281

INDEX OF CONTENTS

CHAPTER IV

THE STONE HOUSE

The eilaU of Mr. E. W. RtuttU, Oreemcieh, Conn.^The country home of Mr.
Franklin Murphy, MenMam, It. J.— The home of Mr. Witliam J. MeCahan, Jr.,
Mooreitovm, N. J. — Rvnton Old Hall, Norfolk, England— The property of Mr. W.
Warner Harper, Cheetnut Hill, Pa.— The Wathtngton ho%iie, to prominent in the
Moeial and architectural zoorld, belonging to Mri. Robert K. Hitt. . . , Pages 2S2 — 814

BOOK l[

CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM OF THE SEmNG OF THE HOUSE

The eetate of Mr. George R. White at Mancheiter-by-lhe-Sea. Malt.— The inter-
eeting property of Mr. Oeorge Battman at Boeheiler, .Y. Y. — The Berkehire tetatee
of Mr. Wmiam Hall Walker and of Mr. Warren Saliebury — The romantic Brook-
Una garden of Mr: John L. Gardner — The home of Mr. Jamei Rhodet at Arttmore,
Pa. — The pietareeque formal garden of Mr. Joeeph' Choate at Stockbridge, Man. —
A teene on the eetaie of Mr. Cheiter Thorne at Tacoma, Waeh. — The Newport garden
of Mr. atom Welle— The Tudor Ball on eitale of Mr. Stuart Dunean at Newport—
A group of tuggettioe treatraentt of the telling of houee Pagos 31S — 876

CHAPTER II

WATER AS A DECORATIVE AGENT

Caeeadet to the rock garden of Mr. John D. Rockefeller on Poeanlieo HilU,
N. Y. — The fountain tcheme on the eetate of Mr. Louie C. Tiffany, Cold Spring
Harbor, L. I. — The Bpaulding ettate at Pridei Croiiing, Mae*. — A group of eix
ilhutrationt of 'water at an element of beauty Pages 8T6 — 402

BOOK III

CHAPTER I

GARDEN CITIES, LEGENDARY AND REAL

Forett Hillt Oardent, Forett Billt, L. I., an American luburb ivith the pie-
tweequeneie of a Cathedral city of mmHeval dayt — Roland Park, the engaging and
deiervedly popular tuburb of Baltimore, Md., and iti recent addition, Quiiford
Dietrict — A HilUide Oar den Houie icithout a Name, brittling with per-
tonality Pages 408—421

LIST OF ARCHITECTS
WHOSE WORK IS HERE ILLUSTRATED

Notb: — The sketch plans and other views have been prepared from blue-print copies of working
drawings, from detailed drawings and photographs taken at various times, and such data as have been
procurable from office of architect. At the same time, there may be some little inaccuracies for
which the architect is not in any way responsible. Some sketches he may never have seen.

Albro & Lindeberg, New York

Home of Mr. A. W. Rossiter, Glen Cove, L. I.

" •• T. H. Kerr, White Plains, N. Y.

** ** Clayton S. Cooper, Pieldston, N. Y.

** ** George Davidson, Madison, N. J.

'' *< A. W. Markwall, Short Hills, N. J. -

** *' Orville Babcoek, Lake Forest, Illinois
Stable on estate ol Mr. Orville Babcook, L4ike Forest, III.
Home of Mr. P. B. Jennings, Bennington, Vt.
House at Hewlett, L. I.
Forest Hills Gardens, Forest Hills, L. I. -

Atterbury* Grosvenor, New York

Forest Hills Gardens, Forest Hills, L. I. -
Roland Park — Guilford District, Baltimore, Md.

Bailie-Scott, M. H., England

Runton Old Hall, Norfolk, England

PAGES
60-65

124-129

130-131
166
167
172
276

268-275
372

406-415

406-415
416-419

300-301

Barney, J. Stewart, New York

Bungalow on estate of Mr. Pembroke Jones, Pembroke Park, N. C.

Bates & How, New York

Home of Mr. C. B. Gardner, Lawrenoe Park, N. Y.
Studio Building at Sagamore Park, N. Y. -

Bigelow & Wadsworth, Boston

Home of Mr. G. R. White, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass. -

Bosworth, W. W., New York

Garden on Mr. J. D. Rockefeller's Estate, Pocantico Hills, N. Y.

Brite, James, New York

Home of Mr. H. L. Pratt, Glen Cove, L. I.

Brust & Philipp, Milwaukee

Home of Mr. Guido Hanson, Pine Lake, Wis.

" " B. A. Adler, Oconomowoc Lake, Wis.

156-165

168
238

318-321

378-381

218-225

144-147
277

Xlll

XIV

LIST OF ARCHITECTS

Carrere & Hastings, New York

Home of Mr. Thomas H«ttiii|ty Roslyn, L. I.

** " " A. I. du Pont, Wilmington, Del.

« II 11 ^, H. Walker, Great Harrington, Maft.
Garden of Mr. J. A. Blair, Oyster Bay, L. I.

Coolidge, J. Randolph, Jr., Boston

Garden of Mrs. John L. Gardner, Brookline, Mass.

Davis, McGrath & Kiessling, New York

House at Garden City, L. I. •

Delano & Aldrich, New York

Home of Mr. Bronson Winthrop, Syosset, L. I.

" " " W. A. Delano, Brookville, L. I.

" " '* W. G. Borland, Mount Kisco, N. Y.

" " Mrs. C. B. Alexander, Bemardsville, N. J.

" " Mr. Lloyd C. Griscom, Norwich. L. I. -

" " " Robert S. Brewster, Mount Kisoo, N. Y.

11 II II ^ 3 Osgood Field, Lenox, Mass. -

" ** Miss Emily Watson, White Plains, N. Y. -
Stable on estate of Mr. Willard Straight, Westbury, L. L
Home of Mr. B. L. Winthrop, Jr., Syosset, L. L

Ellicott & Emmart, Baltimore

Roland Park— Guilford District, Baltimore, Md.

Embury, Aymar II, New York

Home of Mr. R. M. Ellis, Great Neck, L. L
Forest Hills Gardens, Forest Hills, L. L -

Eyre, Wilson, Philadelphia

Home of Miss Louise Alger, Great Neck, L. L

Forest Hills Gardens, Forest Hills, L. L

Roland Park— Guilford District, Baltimore, Md. -

Farquhar, Robert D., Los Angeles

Home of Miss T. H. Graham, Pasadena, Cal.

Flagg, Ernest, New York

Home of Mr. F. G. Bourne, Oakdale, L. L -

Fowler, Laurence Hall, Baltimore

Roland Park — Guilford District, Baltimore, Md. -

Garfield, Abram, Cleveland

Home of Mr. A. S. Chisholm, Cleveland, O.
** *' H. G. Dalton, Cleveland, O. -

199-207
282

326-331
370

336-339

170

4-13

14-19

20-25

26-33

42-45

118-123

192-197

232-233

235

240-245

416-419

231
406-415

376
406-415
416-419

56—59

236

416-419

171
369

Gilchrist, Edmund B., Philadelphia

Cottage, Gardener's, St. Martins, Pa.

148-149

LIST OF ARCHITECTS

Giidden & Friz, Baltimore

Roland Park — ^Guilford District, Baltimore, Md.

Green, I. H., New York

Home of Mr. Bradish Johnson, Islip, L. I. -

Greenley, Howard, New York

Home of Mr. C. A. Coffin, Locust Valley, L. I.

Hastings, Thomas, New York

Home of Mr. Thomas Hastings, Roslyn, L. I.

Hewitt & Bottomley, New York

Home of Mr. J. M. Townsend, Jr., Mill Neck, L. I.

Hoffman, F. Burrall, Jr., New York

Home of Mr. C. B. MacDonald, Southampton, L. I.

Howell & Thomas, Columbus, O.

Home of Mr. L. J. Burgess, Zanesville, O. •

Hunt, Myron & Grey, Elmer, Los Angeles

Home of Mr. H. E. Huntington, Pasadena, Cal.

Hunt & Hunt, New York

Home of Mr. Howard Gould, Port Washington, L. I.

Keen, Charles Barton, Philadelphia

Home of Mr. C. Howard Clark, Jr., Devon, Pa.
" " *' Chauncey Olcott, Saratoga, N. Y. -

Kilham & Hopkins, Boston

Garden of Mrs. W. Scott Pitz, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass.

Little & Brown, Boston

Home of Mr. Charles B. Proctor, Great Neck, L. I.
Garden of the Spaulding estate. Prides Crossing, Mass.

Magonigle, H. Van Buren, New York

Home of Mr. Franklin Murphy, Mendham, N. J. •

McGoodwin, Robert R., Philadelphia

Home of Mr. Robert R. McGoodwin, St. Martins, Pa.

McGoodwin & Hawley, Philadelphia

Home of Mr. W. Warner Harper, Chestnut Hill, Pa.

Mcllvain & Roberts, Philadelphia

Home of Mr. James M. Rhodes, Ardmore, Pa.

McKim, Mead & White, New York

Garden of Mr. Joseph H. Choate, Stockbridge, Mass.

416-419

400

108-111

19a-207

278-279

184-191

140-143

371

312

102-107
281

396

84-95
394-395

292 297

169

302-303

340-341

342-345

XVI

LIST OF ARCHITECTS

Mellor & Meigs, Philadelphia

Home of Mr. L. T. Be«le, St. Dayid't, P«. -

Morris & Erskine, Philadelphia

Home of Mr. Samuel N. Rhoedf, Heddonfield, N. J.

Newman, Frank E., New York

Home of Mr. B. W. Russell, Greenwich, Conn.

Newman & Harris, New York

Home of Mr. Bdwerd C. Hoyt, Stamford, Conn.

Owens & Sisco, Baltimore

Roland Park— Guilford District, Baltimore, Md. -

Palmer, Edward L., Jr., Baltimore

Roland Park— Guilford District, Baltimore, Md.

Parker, Thomas & Rice, Boston

Stable on estate of Mrs. L. Z. Letter, Beverly Farms, Mass.

Peabody, Wilson & Brown, New York

Home of Mr. G. W. Bacon, St. James, L. I.
" « " A. M. Brown, St. James, L. I.

Piatt, Charles A., New York

Home of Mr. Russell A. Al^er, Detroit, Mich.

a «< <i w. G. Mather, Cleveland, O.

** *' The Rev. Joseph Hutcheson, Warren, R. I.

** ** Mr. James Parmelee, Washington, D. C.

" ** ** Winston Churchill, Cornish, N. H. -
Roland Park — Guilford District, Baltimore, Md. -

Polk, Willis, San Francisco

Stables on the estate of Mr. J. B. Coryell, Menlo Park, Cal.

Pope, John Russell, New York

Entrance to and Temple of Love in Pembroke Park, N. C.
Home of Mr. Henry White, Washington, D. C.

** *' Robert J. Collier, Wicatunk, N. J.

" Mrs. Robert R. Hitt, Washington, D. C.

'* Mr. Storrs Wells, Newport, R. I.
Stuart Duncan, Newport, R. I.

(I i(

Price, William L., Philadelphia

Roland Park— Guilford District, Baltimore, Md. •

Schneider, Charles S., Cleveland

Home of Mr. Charles S. Schneider, Cleveland, O.

Schuchardt, William H., Milwaukee

Home of Mr. R. W. Houghton, Nashotah, Wis.

373

375

284-291, 313

112-117

416-419

234

280,366
365

34-41
132-135
136-139
208-217
226
416-419

150-155

- 156-165

- 174-183

- 250-261
Frontispiece of book, 304-311

- 350-355
Title-page, 356-365

416-419

374

66-73

LIST OF ARCHITECTS

XVll

Seipp, E. A., Chicago

Home of Mr. P. S. Theurer, Pine Lake, Wis.

Shaw, Howard, Chicago

Home of Mr. A. G. Bartlett, Lake Geneva, Wis.
' " G. R. Thorne, Lake Forest, 111.

H. Carpenter, Lake Geneva, Wis.
Hugh J. McBirney, Lake Forest, 111.
Finley Barrell, Lake Forest, 111.
Exiward Morris, Chicago, 111. -

f II

I II

Sill, Howard, Baltimore

Roland Park— Guilford District, Baltimore, Md. -

Spahr, Albert H.

Home of Mr. J. F. Byers, near Pittsburgh, Pa.

Stephenson & Wheeler, New York

Home of Mr. John A. Garver, Oyster Bay, L. I.

Sterner, F. J., New York,

Forest Hills Gardens, Forest Hills, L. I. •

Street, J. Fletcher, Philadelphia

Home of Mr. W. J. McCahan, Moorestown, N. J.

Tompkins, J- A., New York

Forest Hills Gardens, Forest Hills, L. I. -

Tubby, F. T., New York

Forest Hills Gardens, Forest Hills, L. I. -

Walker & Gillette, New York

Home of Mr. Warren Salisbury, Pittsfield, Mass.

Wambolt, Robert H., Boston

Home of Mr. G. R. White, Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass.

Warner, J. Foster, Rochester

Home of Mr. George Eastman, Rochester, N. Y. -

Warren & Clark, New York

Home of Mrs. P. F. Collier, Southampton, L. I.
'* ** Mr. E. R. Newell, Greenwich, Conn.

Wyatt & Nolting, Baltimore

Roland Park— Guilford District, Baltimore, Md. -

Wyatt, J. B. Noel, Baltimore

Roland Park— Guilford District, Baltimore, Md. -

250

46-51

52-55

96-97

98-101

227-229

237

416-419

423

74-83

406-415

298-299

406--(15

406-415

332-335

318-321

322-325

246-249
262-267

416-419

LIST OF PLANS
RELATING TO SOME OF THE PROPERTIES

KoTs: — For a long time U hat been the habit of architeeli the world over to jealotuly guard
their plant. Th» American architect of to-day, however, realixei not onfji their vaitu at ijtttT«ta«nt»
of terriee, telling the itory in a vivid, direct and unequivocal manner, ai memoranda of the general
teheme, but their edvcational importance, which u far-reaching, a iplendid tribute to their lervice.
We have been to fortunate at to be permitted to include forlg-three plane tchich do much to throir
light on the problem. It it interetting to note that the ekelch on page 184 givet the property of
Mr. W. O. Mather before it mat developed. The one on the oppotite page thotee the alteration. The
drawingi on page 188 illtutrate the property of the Rev. Mr. Hutcheion at the time of purchaie anii
teheme at carried out by Mr. Piatt.

Plant of porlioDi of properlie* will be found oo Ibe (ollowinf p«ici : 13, 19, 23, 31, 10, 49, 65, 121,
128, 141, 149, 163, 183, 190, 196, 206, 216, 226, 233, 244, 258, 267, 273, 299, 303, 309, 328, 335, 354, 362
370, 384.

Hou*e plani notinf only the mmngemeDt of roooii ere thona od pa|e« 100, 147, 287, 291.

Snbtidiery detaili are illuttrated oo pa^c* 9, 386, 392.

LIST OF LANDSCAPE ARCHITECTS
WHOSE WORK IS HERE ILLUSTRATED

Note: — In prtparing th« tketeh plant and other vi«to» of country properliet the ulmoit core hai
bten txtrcited that th« to-called new art of the landieape architeet may be properly UUutrated. T\»
tketehtt art a campSation of data procured from variout tovrcet, at carton* timet, under varying eon-
ditiont. Everyone realizet the fugitive nature of treet, thrvbt and ftotnert, and while they occupy a
«romni«n( place in the landtcape and in our heart; it it not eaty to record by meant of pen and
tnJb. The illuitrationt are preiented an memoranda of intent rather than of completed fact, Betidet,
me mutt bear in mind that the loit of color and texture hat undoubtedly proved fatal to many eeheme*

Duhring & Howe, PhiladelpbiH

Garden ol Mr. W. Warner Harper, Chetlnnt Hill, Pa. 302-303

Forest, Ailing De, Rochester

Properlr of Mr. George Battman, Roebetler, N. Y. - 322-325

Greenlcaf, James, New York

Propertr o( Mr. H. L. Pratt, Glen Cove, L. I.

Langdon, James G., Baltimore

Roland Park— Gnilford Dittriot, Baltimore, Md. •

Nichols, Rose Standish, Boston

Garden ol Mr. C. B. MacDonald, Sautbampton, L. I.

Olmsted, Frederick Law. Brookline

Roland Park— Guilford Diitriot, Baltimore, Md.

Olmsted Brothers, Brookline

Properly of Mr. Franklin Murphy, Mendham, N. J.

" " W. Warner Harper, Cheitnut Hill, Pa. •

" " " G. R. While, Man«heitef-by-tbe-Sea, Ma**.

" " " CheWer Thome, Tacoma, Wath.
Foreit Hillt Garden*, Porett HilU, L. I. •
Roland Park— Guilford Dialricl, Baltimore, Md.

292-297
302-303
3IS-32I
3«-349
406-415
416-419

Vitale, Femiccio, New York

Property of Mr. W. H. Walker, GrMt BarriogtOD, Man. 316, 326-331

View on Bttate of Mr. Samuel Heilner, Corao, N. Y. - • 401

,-^<?:^j3^

MODERN QUEENS, LIKE THOSE OF EGYPTIAN DAYS, LOVE WHITE HOUSES
CrcFprrs and bitrherry hrdfce, with their rich color and pungent perfume, make a feast fit for g

CHAPTER I

THE STUCCO HOUSE

The interesting treatment of a romantic est at e^ the home of Mr. Bronson Win-
throp, Syosset^ L. I. — The house of Mr. WUliam A. Delano, BrookviUe, L. /., disclosing
a hidden howl-shaped garden in the woods — The property of Mr. William J. Borland,
Mt. KiscOj N. F., involving an unusual approach with semicircular court — The home
of Mrs. C. B. Alexander, at BernardsvUle, N. J., embodying significant emblems of
decorative valv^ — The Moorings, on Lake St. Claire, the property of Mr. Russell A.
Alger — The country home of Mr. Lloyd C. Griscom, East Norwich, L. I. — The Lake
Forest house of Mr. A. C. Bartlett, a plea^ng design with independent studio — The
Italian tendency of the Lake Forest home of Mr. George R. Thome — Mia Italia, Miss
T. H. Graham^s property, Pasadena, Cal. — The Long Island house and garden of
Mr. A. W. Rossiter at Glen Core — The estate of Mr. R. H. Houghton, Nashotah,
Wis. — The Long Island h^me of Mr. John A. Garver — Mr. C. E. Proctor^ s home
at Great Neck, L. I. — Home of Mr. H. Carpenter, Lake Geneva, Wis. — The house of
Mr. Hugh J. McBirney, Lake Forest, III. — The estate of Mr. C. Howard Clark, Jr.,
Devon, Pa. — Mr. C. A. Coffin's house and garden at Locust Valley, L. I. — The
country estate of Mr. Edward C. Hoyt, near Stamford, Conn. — The property jof Mr.
Robert S. Brewster, Mt. Kisco — Home of Mr. T. H. Kerr, White Plains, N. Y. —
Home of Mr. Clayton S. Cooper, Fieldston, N. Y. — The Clet'eland home of Mr.
W. G. Mather — The Rev. J. Hutchesons home, Warren, R. I. — The house of Mr.
I. J. Burgess, ZanesvUle, 0. — Home of Mr. Guido Hanson, Pine Lake, Wis. — Gar-
dener's Cottage, St. Martins, Pa. — Lodge, stable and garage on the estate of Mr.
J. B. Coryell, Menlo Park, Cal. — The picturesque estate, near Wilmington, N. C,
belonging to Mr. Pembroke Jones — Group of six houses of marked i7idividuality.

S there any danger of overdoing the description of that form of
white house which owes its attraction to a surface of stucco?
We all know it as being worked upon a foundation of brick,
hollow tile, stone, or wire lath stretched upon a wooden
frame. In some subtle wav, it seems that from the com-
monest and most ordinary materials the most picturesque re-
sults are often obtained. Analyze, if you will, carefully and impartially the
illustrations accompanying this chapter, to find how much the attraction of
the house centers in the material, and the influence it exercises upon the land-
scape. Stucco in almost any form, age, or condition seems to grow intui-
tively more beautiful every day. The surface resembles a canvas on which
nature seems to breathe a benediction, adding little markings of its own.
There is no end to its language, to its attraction, its coloring, its texture.

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VIEW OF ENTRANCE COURT FROM SUMMER ARBOR AT THE TOP OF THE HILL

Tbe pathway radiates so as to increase the apparent length of the walk. It opens widely at the
court end and narrows considerably near the arbor. The distant shore is visible over the ridge

Mr. Bronson Winthrop's Home, Syosset, L. I.

Delano & Aldrich, architects

Illustration) from original drawing aod pfaolograpbi by Edward R. Sens

THAT the site has had much to do with determining the general treat-
ment of the interesting property acquired some ten years ago by
Mr. Bronson Winthrop is seen by a mere glance at the photographs.
A visit to the neighborhood discloses still further the nature and color of
the scenery in that section of Long Island which has so evidently an individ-
ual note of its own.

The house is built upon the southerly slope of the well-known hill prom-
inent in the vicinitj' of Hempstead and Oyster Bay. While it is so located
as to secure the enjoyment of the sun whenever it is shining and the shelter
of the native woods from the northerly and easterly winds, it is kept out of
sight by being removed a distance from the brow of the hill, and is reached
by a deeply cut roadway leading into the old country lane which connects
with the Flushing and North Hempstead turnpike. The old country lanes
of the neighborhood with their diversified textures and the orchards, the
native woods, and even the sand banks, have been remembered in designing
and laying out the general scheme, in contriving and subdividing this
property, so that while it is new in idea it is old in appearance. It is mel-

6 AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

low in tone. This quality has been secured in a hundred ways by the free
use of local sand with a finishing coat of stucco for the walling; by the plant-
ing of creepers varying in texture and color as well as drawing, which though
green are also gray and dusty purple at times ; and by the way certain ma-
jestic trees, locust, pine and cedar, have been lifted from their local beds and
replanted where likely to be of more value to the picture. It is maintained
by some that in the arrangement of the setting which has involved the re-
moval of many trees of an unusual size the designer has transfused much of

THE MAIN ENTRANCE TO FORE-COL'IIT VIEWED FROM DRIVEWAY
The view gives an excellent idea of the general character of the setting hereabouts. It varies greatly

the woodland with the magnetism of his own robust personahty. Locust trees
have been planted at the westerly end of the house, bringing unmistakably the
graceful quality of domesticity, the charm of repose.

From the little sun-parlor a path has been cut leading down to the en-
trance court, which is reached by a sliort flight of rough steps. Here also
is a small pool and a tiny fountain. The entrance court and terrace have
been cut deeply into the shoulder of the hill. A pleasing vista is to be en-
joyed looking from this sheltered spot up the slope to the sun-parlor with its
entanglement of creeping roses backed by Japanese cypress, planted at set
intervals.

MH. BRONSON WINTHROP'S HOME, SYOSSET, L. I. 7

The general scheme is rather large and ambitious in its inches, but
never does it get away from the idea that while by some it might be termed
a manor house, it is instinctively and essentially a manor of Long Island.
It is as unassuming as the peasant cottage at Gruchy where Millet was born,
or the home so long associated with the poet Goethe. Extending west-
erly some nine hundred feet an<l one hundred and twenty feet wide, flanked
by a double avenue of Norway maples, is a splendid green, a lawn for re-
ceptions, at the end of which is a tennis court surrounded by a pergola.

THE HOODED EN'TRANCE ACCENTS THE LONG NORTHERN FRONTAGE
The front door opens directly into a paved central hallway, whirh is comfortably furnished

Yes, and attention is also bestowed upon the flower garden upon whicli the
central hall opens, and the bulb garden which is reached through the east-
erly porch. Here tulips stand arrayed like soldiers in gay company, flaunt-
ing their colors like a parading army. Violets are here, recalling the azure
of the sky. Of course, the garden is bordered with privet and accented at
intervals with box and into the little kingdom comes an occasional cedar
enriching with its shadows and perfume. The garden is bordered with a
simple paling, unassuming in the extreme, and the trellis-like structure of
the porches maintains alike the general idea of that form of carpentry work
with which some of the intimate memories of Colonial times are associated.

to „*^ ft.

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MR. BRONSON WINTHROP'S HOME, SYOSSET, L. I. 9

As the main drive swings around into the entrance court there is an old
pond, fed by underground springs of great age, on whose shiny surface, mir-
ror-like, the scenes of to-day pass as in the days when Long Island, then
known as Nassau, was first dotted with happy homes, and the ponds of the
locality were valued by stray cattle and Indians as indeed jewels beyond price.
It might readily have been drained, loaded with heavy clay so as to earn the
classification of a water garden, a lotus-pond, and have been lined with pockets

SKETCH PLAN OP HOUSE WITH ENCLOSED GARDEN AND ENTRANCE COURT

or half sunken tubs or broad borders of iris and other marsh-loving plants ; but
no, it is here treasured as a mirror pond, and its value is shown in many
ways. As the visitor enters the main drive the bright tantalizing gleam of
the water is seen at a distance under the trees. It glistens brightly among
the pines and cedars, the old apple trees, the dogwood, and is a stimulating
little surprise in the plantation. We don't have to be Orientals to treasure
within a veneration for the crystal springs, forever fresh, clear, inviting,
and yet mysterious.

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SKETCH PLAN OF PORTION OF PROPERTY, SHOWING SOME PROMINENT DETAILS

MR. BRONSON WINTHROP'S HOME, SYOSSET, L. I. 18

The house is evidently an illustration of individual thought. Obviously
the architects have not concerned themselves with reproducing ideas which
have become well known elsewhere, but have endeavored to solve for them-
selves the various complexities of the problem as they have arisen. In many
ways it is a bright and cheerful property, unlike some European estates,
which, owing to their use of evergreens and certain Jacobean and Tudor en-
richments, have at times made for themselves an effect too often dark, pom-
pous and melancholy. This Long Island manor is lifted from that category
by the subtle introduction of color, and by the skilful changes of texture,
which lighten the scene amazingly. Doubtless, like many of the old places,
it will in time be overrun with brambles and briars, in delightfully pictur-
esque profusion. Still it has been so studied that the lake is not likely to be
stagnant beneath marsh plants, nor is the driveway likely to be choked by
jungle and nettles.

The view from the little sun-parlor or tea house extends from Oyster
Bay harbor across to the Connecticut shore. The hill is four hundred feet
above the water level, so that it permits also at certain times a view of the At-
lantic across the Island. Rocky Point, Oak Neck, Great Captain Light out
in the bay can well be seen.

Early in the eighteenth century Dutch farmers from Kings and
Queens Counties moved into this neighborhood, settling in Wolver Hollow,
now known as Brookville; others made their homes in Cedar Swamp, the
Glen Head of to-day, and still others were so fortunate as to find sufficient
attraction to establish themselves in Eastwood, which for some reason or
other is now called Syosset.

It is doubtless interesting to recall that to the Winthrop family, descend-
ing from the English branch, we are indebted for three Governors, in addi-
tion to others well known for their prominence in the field of law, sociology
and politics. The famous old Puritan, John Winthrop, was for many years
Governor of Massachusetts ; his eldest son was one of the Governors of the
colony of Connecticut. In 1661 the town of Middletown granted to "our
much honoured Governor, Mr. John Winthrop," a portion of the rugged
north hills known as the Governor's Gold Ring. This tract of land was
famous for its lead mines, supplying bullets for the colony's use during the
war. The intrepid scientist spent days washing ores and assaying metals
without any "find" of great value. However, he is said to have secured
enough gold for a few rings. Mr. Beekman Winthrop, a cousin of Mr.
Bronson Winthrop, was recently the Governor of Porto Rico.

THE NORTHERN" VIEW GIVES GROUPING OF ROOF LINE, CHIMNEYS, GABLES
Perhaps It Is impertinent in disregnrd of the usual, in reJiervntion of enrichment for the Interior

Mr, W. A, Delano's Home at Brookville, L. I.

Delano & Aldrich, architects

Illustrations from original drawing and photographs by Edward R. Senn

N this age of great wealth many of our newly designed gardens
are inspired primarily by an architectural motive. So it is
certainly very comforting to realize that once in a while some-
one approaches the subject from a more warmly human con-
sideration, realizing the welfare of the trees and plants and
the quickening influence of their association upon our daily
life at the risk of making the house merely an incident in the general scheme
of things. It is pleasing to hear of someone going into the woods to build
a house and to plant a garden, yet so contriving the design that the woods
remain intact and unimpaired, entering into the design, forming a setting
for the richly planted border of flowers; in other words, that the wildness
and general abandon of the woods becomes, as it were, a climax which is
fostered by the artificiality the composition has entailed.

The accompanying views illustrate graphically one such occasion where
a man of affairs, w^ho happens to be an architect and the owner of the prop-
erty of w^hich he makes a residence for his family, is inspired by some such
motive. It is interesting because among other things he is known as a
heauoo arts enthusiast, for years closely associated wnth serious academic
schemes of considerable moment. The legal fraternity of England say that
a man who will insist upon acting for himself in a professional capacity has
a fool for a client ! However, the designer of this interesting place evidently
does not come under that category.

Among the oaks and hazels, the chestnuts, locusts and cedars of Long
Island in that particular portion of the "Land of Pastimes" lying between
Brookville and Syosset is Mr. Delano's property of some thirty acres,
which has in its make-up as viewed to-day both individuality and romance
as well as distinction. It is a house on a hillside with a hidden garden,
literally a nook or bower in the wood, picturesque, very informal, bearing
no architectural relation to the house. The lavout is fantastic, full of lit-
tie whimsicalities, glowing with sunshine and color and fragrant with the
perfume of many flowers.

Approaching the property from the main road the house is to the left

16 AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

or southern side of the driveway facing the meadow land, overlooking the
valley with its broad, hollow woodland in the neighborhood of Wheatley
and Old Westbury.

It is so located on the hillside as not only to invite a full enjojinent
of the distance but also to be kept as close down to the ground as possible
and to be sheltered from the wind storms, living up to the general idea
implied by the design, that it be a garden house, a cottage in the woods.

THE ENTRANCE PORCH IS REACHED BY DESCENDING FROM THE ROAD
The house makes an interesting sky-line in which the trees and bushes play an important part

happy among the trees and shrubs rather than a thing standing alone sep-
arate and distinct, dignified possibly but too isolated and detached.

It is a small house with an exalted roof and gables somewhat after the
type favored in England of late, delightfully informal and comfortable.
The window openings are dressed after the fashion of the Tudor period by
bricks cunningly set into the heavy walling. The garden elevation dis-
closes an interesting sleeping porch and in many ways the roof line is pic-
turesque with its gables and chimneys.

The entrance is reached by descending several steps from the drive-
way. There still lingers a number of old apple trees which suggested
somewhat the shaping of the terrace, and one which is low in branches and

MR. W. A. DELANO'S HOME AT BROOKVILLE, L. I. 17

fantastic in drawing guards the fountain that drips from the ivied wall at
the end of the pergola. In an unusual and romantic manner the outline of
the terrace is built "dry" with pockets for creepers. Its slight elevation is
also accented regularly by low shrubs planted at intervals, a friendly accent
changing the texture of things acceptably.

Glancing at the plan accompanying, it will be found that A shows
the position of the family living room with its big fireplace, its numerous
casements opening to the ground and onto the loggia indicated by the let-

VIEW DISCLOSING END OF HOUSE AND PORTION OF TERRACE
The terrace is of the domestic type, informal but graceful and accented with bushes

ter J. B denotes the paved entrance hall and C the dining room. D marks
the den, F the servants' hall.

Approaching from the main road and turning to the right in a north-
erly direction we are compelled to climb the bank by means of rude stone
steps until we reach the center of what would ordinarily be the darkest sec-
tion of the little wood where the path swings round in a circle in the middle
of which is hidden a bowl-shaped garden. This is a surprise. The grove
which enclosed this unexpected bower spreads itself over the broad shoulder
of the hill very much as it chooses and has been transformed into a fairy glen
by skilful planting and also by the timely omission of the usual architectural

X -

MR. W. A. DELANO'S HOME AT BROOKVILLE, L.

trimmings. Towards the north and west there is an opening in the grove,
the one giving an unexpected picture, the other admitting the sunhght.
Here an orange gleam flames in among the shadows, revealing the center of
the bowl with a sunken fountain and a thin jet of water. With this as a
center the architect has worked insidiously to build up a picture; from it
in various directions the pathway opens up into other little surprises, other
sections of the hidden garden. He has evidently realized that a wood is
something more than a collection of trees ; it is a glorious opportunity, a rich

treasure with which to add at
right places the rare element of
color. A rose bower, a Japanese
tea arbor, are here, and visible
only from a certain angle a white
statue of a child at play. Encir-
cling the sunken bowl is a broad,
well-selected border of flowers,
Chinese lilies, dahlias, great va-
riety of phlox and a remarkable
collection of asters. These in
turn are sheltered and backed up
by a high hedging of privet, per-
mitted to grow pretty much as
it will so that it runs into and
forms part of the low bushes of
the neighborhood, and climbs
into the lower branches of the
cedars and locusts. The Japa-
nese arbor is a resting place for
afternoon tea and here it is that
the antics of the cupids can best
be enjoyed. The one on the
western pedestal across the
bowl, a dancing figure playing
the tambourine, seems to chal-
lenge the cupid in the center of
the rose bower beyond.
A formal arbor commands an uninterrupted view of the historcial sec-
tion which is forever associated with Oyster Bay. This grove husbanding the
hidden garden stands three hundred feet above the sea in the center of a pano-
rama which is not alone interesting from its pictorial but its social radius.

SKETCH OF A PART OF THE PROPERTY

Showing some preferences of the architect. It
also discloses the hidden bowl-shaped garden and
the steps up the hank by which it is reached. Here
bIsi) are the orchard, the rose gurden and the Jajia-
nese arbor, the fountain bower and utiiuritii

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Mr. W. G. Borland's Home at Mount Kisco, N. Y.

Delano & Aldrich, architects

Illustrations from original drawings and photographs by Harry Coutant

HIS attractive little property is interesting because it shows
briefly a thoughtful and conscientious treatment of a hill-
side estate. It is a scheme essentially alive. It shows the
alertness of the architects in their quick grasp of the unusual
opportunities of the site.

To reach the fore-court of this little Mount Kisco, N. Y.,
property, belonging to Mr. W. G. Borland, we are invited to descend from
the roadway of the upper level, entering by a semicircular antechamber,
so to speak. This aproach is very well contrived and so picturesquely
planted as to accent agreeably the serious outline of the concrete wall, which
here joins the walling of the upper boundary. This fore-court is delight-
fully contrived; it extends back into the bank and by carefully selected
trees and shrubs, encircling a recessed fountain, makes a little climax
which is refreshing and decidedly unusual for so small a property. It
is, at is were, a picture within a picture, unexpected, just a little thoughtful
tribute to the romanticism of the workaday world, a surprise that we notice
as we leave the place, or as we enter at the side of the lower road through
the orchard, or pass out westerly along the upper terrace towards the rose
garden. It is a thoughtfully balanced and well contrived place in which pro-
vision has been made for an orchard and a vegetable garden with a
mosaic-like flagging leading to the service quarters. A portion of the prop-
erty is walled and lined with maple trees.

There is much to be said about the house, which is so located upon the
upper terrace as to present a full view of the Bedford Hills in the distance.
It is a semi-fireproof building of hollow tile and concrete, deliciously un-
assuming and direct in plan, having a service wing on the westerly end and
a generous veranda, or loggia, extending towards the east. Into an en-
trance loggia and central hall open the dining and living-rooms and a small
library where the glory of the setting sun can be enjoyed.

The house is pleasing in the simplicity with which the openings are
contrived, balanced, centered. The windows to the dining and living-rooms
are large, five-lighted, mullioned and transomed openings giving light

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MR. W. G. BORLAND'S HOME AT MOUNT KISCO, N. Y.

where needed. The casements are leaded. The openings to the bedrooms
above are well schemed and the dormer lighting to the upper floor is excel-
lent. The large chimneys at each end of the house speak of comfortable
fires within. The roofing is accented cleverly by gables in the right place.

SKETCH PLAN OF A POUTIOX OF PROPERTY

The front service entrance, yard, garage and orchard are here shown; main view is indicated.
The treatment of this hillside property is very interesting, showing the subtle manner in which we
descend into the court and the decorative quality of the scheme by a semicircular driveway

The overhanging eaves, the blinds to the upper windows, the timbers of the
pergola and the woodwork generally are thickly coated with creosote, a rich
brown preservative developing the natural grain of the wood. We note the
original treatment of the gable of the garden frontage for its unusual method
of shingling. The same distinctive detail marks the gable of the service wing.

24 AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

Love of creepers on the house walling has here survived the chilly
breezes of academic criticism. The designers have not pinned their faith
to richly moulded window and door heads as the only legitimate form of
architectural expression. They have extended somewhat the accent of the
gables by the wise use of a trailing vine named by scientists Euonymus
radicans. This greenish, whitish, purplish vine, which is always beautiful
and when seen in any light has white markings recalling the brightness of
the walling. As a base to the house has been planted a dwarf hedging of
the domestic barberry, the leaves of which are a light green. Late in the

SECTION THROUGH ROADWAY AT ENTRANCE LEADING TO THE COURT
The sketch disoloses the generd planting scheme, the poplar, maple and a portion of trellis.
le rough stone wall is laid in lime mortar with thick layer of cement to form a coping. The inasonr}-
very irregular. Turn to the accompanying plan to get a full understanding of this drawing

season the leaves turn orange and red and tawny russet, and in the winter
the branches are decorated with brilliant scarlet berries.

The painter instinct of the architects has prompted the introduction
of the warm gray of the distance as the local color of the panelling to the
principal rooms. The French, ever skilful in their background, have devised
this peculiar mixture all their own and have found it very serviceable. It is
a gray which is warm and seems to have the ability to reflect daylight. It
was doubtless suggested by the distant landscape, liaving a wonderful depth
when viewed in a certain light. It has at least one excellent quality in a sun-
shiny climate, whatever it may have where the days are too dull and life too
dreary, in that it brings out the full value of mahogany and the bright
colors of the chintz so favored in countrv houses.

MR. W. G. BORLAND'S HOME AT MOUNT KISCO, N. Y. 25

It is said to take a big architect in these days to design a small, com-
fortable house, a house that is brimful of personality, that is good to look
upon, utilitarian yet romantic in idea, that at the same time is not overwhelm-
ingly architectural but distinctly pleasing and sure to develop harmoniously
as it ages. In other words, it is said to take a big man to do any small thing
thoroughly well. Abernethy, the famous English physician of the first quar-
ter of the nineteenth century, did not recommend carriage exercise for the
poor people of his active practice, but rather devised a formula which im-
proved their diet, lengthening their lives, extending much their days of hap-

CROSS-SECTION THROUGH COURT WITH DETAIL OF FOUNTAIN

The second view shows the general planting scheme from another angle. The central portion of
the wnlilng is thiclily coated with cement concrete and left for the creepers and weather markings
to color. This change of texture is delightful and somewhat unusual in modern woric

piness. Tolstoy, speaking with his passionate eloquence of the difficulty of
telling a short story in a brief, pertinent manner, or of composing a simple
melody, appealing alike to our hearts as our senses, earned, with some of
our architects of to-day, our gratitude, because of the close attention they pay
to our daily requirements. They think so much more of the living needs
of a small family than of the stilted proportions of their art.

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Mrs. G, B, Alexander's Home, Bernardsville, N. J.

Delano & Aldricb, architects

Illustrations from original drawing and photographs by Julian Buckly

[HAT hillside, garden and landscape meet in some portions of
New Jersey's hospitable borders in a very picturesque em-
brace has long been known. Every now and again the state
increases its popularity and its interest by husbanding still
one more home of the privileged. And it is perfectly natu-
ral, for many of the townships are both beautiful and con-
veniently reached from the metropolis. There is an unusual variety of sites,
hillsides that are pastoral and rocky sites that are rugged, inviting stern
treatment by owner and architect. These are certainly stimulating and not
a little of a challenge to the imagination. At times they are very costly, so
that it is not to be wondered at that the pastoral property is a little more
popular for general service. There is about it often a quality which in-
vites by reason of its color, its texture, its adaptability.

The home of Mrs. C. B. Alexander at Bernardsville is one of those
graceful testimonies to the practical acceptance of the idea that a home
should be quiet and restrained in outline, that it should be free from ostenta-
tious display, comfortable within, and so contrived in general layout as to
take its proper place with the surrounding properties. There is about it cer-
tain English and French characteristics. It is wholesome in idea, being un-
usually exempt from any affectation. The plan is thoughtfully laid out, and
the rooms so contrived as to make the best of everything. They open well
and liberally. Things are generally on a center. The quality known as scale
and balance is well preserved. There is about it a certain architectural right-
eousness, a naive austerity, a sacrifice to truth and potency, that is accept-
able. The windows depend upon their proportion rather than their embel-
lishment for their interest. Not a moulding appears on the outside of the
house, with the exception of the head to the triple window in the gable, which
shelters the sleeping porch of the upper floor. Wrought-iron English case-
ments have been used for many of the openings. They have been imported
for this purpose and give a little personal quality which is acceptable.
The house is built of hollow tile which is used for all exterior walling. The
roofing is of slate graduated in width of courses and varying in color, the

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AIRS. C. B. ALEXANDER'S HOME, BERNARDSVILLE, N. J. 29

tones running from blue to purple. Roughcast cement stucco is skilfully
floated upon the walling — a veritable canvas on which the weather changes
will soon weave a diaper of markings, quaint and rich, low in tone, varied in

TERRACE WITH ENTRACE TO DINING ROOM AND HALI,

Inserted in the wall at the far end as a decorative note is the
Madonna and Child, terra cotta of the Delia Robbia school, bright
in color, and with tlie usual blue for background. In harmonj' with
the blue is the painting of tlie window shades and frames

color, and becoming more beautiful every day. There always will be about
this fonn of surfacing an interest alike to the painter, the poet and all
others of cultivated ideas. It is a surface which furnishes an excellent back-
ground on which the shadows and reflected lights have a certain subtle part-

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MRS. C. B. ALEXANDER'S HOME, BERNARDSVILLE, N. J.

nership and sympathy. It is this tone which gives quality to the green and to
the grays of every season of the year. Its value is to be seen in the contrast
of the flowers, planted in the window boxes and in the low, dull green of the
cedars and boxwood near the entrance. The principal rooms on the ground
floor are paved with Welsh tiling. This is also to be seen in the living-room,
hall and the dining-room. The terrace and the flooring of the porch are paved
with red brick laid alternatingly in groups of three, checker-board fashion.

SKETCH PLAN OF PORTION OF PROPERTY

Showing general arrangement of rooms, entrance and fore-
court, with terrace, garden and servants' wing. The service court
is screened from garden and terrace. The sketch reveals outline
of planting and fence line and outline of wood on northern side

The architects have paid no little attention to the adornment of the terrace,
perhaps I should say the ennoblement, by the introduction of two terra-cotta
plaques, a Madonna and Child. They are to be seen, the former in the
center of the end walling, the other one between the window casements to the
dining-room. Over this one a light is suspended by a delicate wrought-iron
bracket. Here is also to be seen a circular marble table for the family to
dine literally under the sky.

The entrance is through a driveway into a fore-court, and so under a
hooded doorway into the hall, so that the privacy of the family is in no way
disturbed. The floor above is somewhat unusual, with its fireplaces in every
room, its private baths, its liberal closets, its acconmiodation for maids.

82 AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

wherein they have tiieir separate staircase and hallway. In a word, it is an
arrangement that spells comfort.

The garden is sheltered from the northwest and yet gets the full benefit

THE HOODED DOOR AND WINDOWS ARE WELL PROPORTIONED

; form when

of the sun. A stone walling runs across the end of the garden gracefully
swelling out in the center to accommodate a small fountain and having two
broad stairways leading to the wild garden. All this of the natural Jersey
rock well-covered with lichen, moss, metallic oxides and weather discoloring.

MRS. C. B. ALEXANDER'S HOME, BERNARDSVILLE, N. J. 38

so that it goes very well with the shrubs, the long grasses and the under-
brush. And perhaps it is from here that the most satisfactory view of the
house is to be had, and this, in the summer season of the year, will doubtless
be the center of things. Those, however, who love color and are very much
alive to the significance of the Delia Robbia reliefs, will remember with
pleasure the blue of the background, that remarkable tone cherished so long
by the great Italian sculptor, for it has found a living form of sympathy
in the great masses of larkspur and heliotrope planted in the garden. Even
the Venetian blinds, window frames, hood to the entrance, have all accepted
the blue as their decorative and distinguishing coating. And it is the rich,
clear, transparent blue, going so well in contrast with the cream tone of the
walling, which gives no added importance to the green of the foliage. This
emphasis is so much more satisfactory than the magnificent medley of pri-
mary colors too often favored by well-meaning but poorly informed people
who fail to realize the chemical action of light and weather upon common
everyday paint and stains. Of course, to preserve the balance white flowers
abound and foliage that is pencilled with white and gray, and a rich varia-
tion of flowers of delicate tone. We must not forget the silver-like sheen
of the stone flagging and the important part that the wide mortar joints
play in the story. For, after all, white is of inestimable value; without it
the combination would be graceless. It often justifies the innocent pride the
blue seems to have among the primary colors.

It is this form of house designing, of home building in this great Amer-
ica of ours, showing the skilful adjustment of many of the outlines and pro-
portions of Europe which is particularly encouraging and stimulating be-
cause it exhibits, among other things, a keen realization of the beauties of
our own plants and trees and illustrates their importance in architecture.

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Mr. Russell A* Alger's Detroit Residence

Charles A. Piatt, architect

Illnst rations from original drawing and photographs by Julian Buckly

OME people say that the Moorings is popular because of
its frontage upon Lake St. Clair. Others, speaking with
what eloquence they possess, attribute its attraction to the
woods of the district, the woods for which Grosse Point has
always been famous- They refer with no little pride to the
native elm, maple, ash, and the balsam and pine, which
cling so tenaciously to the soil in spite of the high breeze, and they also
dwell upon the fact that here is preserved intact the long avenue through
which the old house was reached and still remains. Others again talk of the
way in which the new house sits on the most elevated portion of the site
and is terraced to the water-edge, so as to leave the long pergola screening
the flower garden, making a frontage imposing at a distance, comfortably
nearby and delightful to the guests at all times. But the real secret of
the attraction of the place resides in the fact that small as it is in inches,
for to be correct this portion of the property consists of some six or seven
acres, it is big in idea.

It might very well be termed a big little place. Whether you enter
from the northern frontage, leaving Jefferson Avenue behind you, or ap-
proach the place by a motor boat, it is impressive. Both the northern and
the southern frontages are pleasing in the extreme and in a way they are
delightfully deceiving. Says one: "The property seems to own you body
and soul, whithersoever you look at it ; it is fascinating by day, it is engaging
at night." The sea wall has been so contrived as to provide for a bowling
green in the center and a landing stage at the side. The house is built
sufficiently close to the ground to be a part of the natural terrace, to shun
the high winds but enjoy the views. The views are many and very beauti-
ful. Grosse Point Lightship is right ahead, looking south, when the mists
permit ; Askins Point of Canada can be seen and the Island of Fishes, when
the mirage from the swamp behind is not too thick. Windmill Point is
very much in evidence, and at times the well-known Belle Isle. The prop-
erty is located close to the Country Club.

The house is unusual in its plan. It opens up well and is very much
of a surprise. If we enter from the northern frontage we reach the

Si a,

X 5

MR. RUSSELL A. ALGER'S DETROIT RESIDENCE 87

central hall which is the soul of the place, and from it pass through the li-
brary into the loggia and out down a number of steps to the lower terrace.
Here, descending again, the bowling green is reached. Or we can stay in
the central hall and enjoy all this from a distance by contenting ourselves
by a visit to the long balcony on which the hall opens. Here can best be
enjoyed the pageant of the lake with its crowd of cargo-boats, barges and
steamers, for the architect is a great rogue; like the magicians of Egypt
he has been able to do much with these enchantments. Old Detroit has
disappeared beneath acres of new buildings. Much of its history has been
forgotten; the Indian wigwams or the far-sighted generosity of Pontchar-
train is a memory.

Moorings is a story of one clear-thinking architect and his vigorous
handling of a rather difficult and unusual problem. It is the spirit of the
thing that pleases. It did not jump up in the night. It was not created off-
hand. It was a vision wherein the clear-sighted and patient worker toiled
to one definite and distinct climax. The property was laid out first in
small, to put it technically — that is, a model was made of it, a model for
scale and a survey which shows the elevation of every section. It is always
difficult for a client to visualize plans. Varying levels confuse. It is no
easy matter to understand satisfactorily other technical points or- the need
for planting to screen the entrance and the service porch. This re-
duction of the scheme to the model was a splendid means of winning
success by deserving it. The . mind is schooled with the philosophy
of life and we are able to realize the need of certain things before
they are planned. In this property the house occupies so natural a
position that, in spite of the fact that we enter what would ordinarily be
termed the second floor, and go down into the billiard-room or out onto the
terrace, we quite as naturally ascend to the bedrooms above, or stroll out to
the pergolas to enjoy the distance; we are obeying instinctively the arrange-
ment of the architect. He is our mentor, our guide, omnipresent though
invisible. We fall in line with his wishes, we see the picture as designed by
him, finding it none the less engaging and delightful because we p.re uncon-
scious of any pre-arrangement. We are well rewarded.

It is a white house of concrete, the dressings of which are of limestone,
the same practical material being utilized for the entrance hall and the main
stairs, the pediment to the northern frontage and as an enrichment to the
central window and the little circular detail immediately above. The house
is roofed with red tile which overhangs very much after the fashion of the
houses in the northern section of Italy, yet the roof is kept well up above
the ceiling of the bedrooms, so as to give a neutralizing chamber de-

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40 AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

signed to eliminate that dread of all country houses, heat overhead where
it is not wanted; by a system of cross -ventilation the bed chambers are cool
in the summer and warm in the winter. It is an all-the-year-round house,
a fireproof house — this latter goes without saying in these practical days
— a house wherein domestic com-
fort has been studied more than is
usual and where the decorative ac-
cent is splendidly in the right place,
and for a definite purpose.

Thanks to great beds of lark-
spur, blue is the prevailing color
of the garden in the month of Au-
gust, following the pink and white
of the Japanese anemones. Still it
is an old-fashioned garden with
old-time colors and perfumes, all
verj' cleverly screened by the per-
gola, which in turn bears upon its
well-proportioned frame a rich
mantling of wild grapevine. "For,"
says Mr. Piatt, "the wild vine of
the grape has a quality our domes-
tic variety fails to possess; the
leaves are very large, thin and
translucent ; t h e j' are lighter,
brighter, more cheerful, and form,
as it were, a more graceful shelter
to the pergola." The fore-court is
accented in several ways; at the
termination of the elm avenue two
recumbent figures of the lion ap-
pear well scaled with the building,
verj' simple and stately in drawing.
The court is circular in movement
and the corners which form the cir-
cle are planted with rhododendrons
and other flowering shrubs which

mass satisfactorily without disturb- ^., ^^. ,,p portion of property

ing things, and while thev give a , ,. , ,. . =

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pleasing note with tiieir color, teX- garden and the vine-covered j.ergola

MR. RUSSELL A. ALGER'S DETROIT RESIDENCE 41

ture and drawing, content themselves with spreading instead of aiming to
hide the windows and block the light.

Turning to the sketch plan of a portion of the property, we note that it is
through the entrance marked B that the central hall A is reached. This
is the soul of the place; opening from it is a long balcony facing the lake.
To the right is the library C, to the left the dining room D, and extend-
ing from both of these are a conservatory and loggia E and F. G accents the
breakfast room and H the garage and I the small private dock, which is re-
cessed so as to give ample protection from the exposed frontage upon the
lake.

The popularity of the Moorings is not due so much to the general de-
sign as such, but rather to its intimate relation to the lake; that is, to the
fact that into the scheme has been brought the lake. The lake with its mys-
tery and charm belongs to the picture, or may we not even say it belongs to
the house ? To get the full pleasure we should look to something more po-
tent than that which is transferable by means of paper, for at best sketches
accompanied by letterpress convey an idea, a memory, but that is all. The
merest glance from the end of the avenue, as the sun rises or sets so as to
include the flash of light upon the surface of the water of the translucent
purple of the distance, the movement of the tree-tops as they gently sway
in the fresh breeze, would speak better than anything we have wit enough
to add ; because it would disclose in a subtle and persuasive manner the orig-
inal idea of the designer when he first attacked the problem, grasping its
privileges, its opportunities. Delightful also is it to realize that the lake is
for others, for there is nothing selfish about the design. Is it not a possession
without ownership?

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Home of Mr. Lloyd G. Griscom, Norwich, L. L

Delano & Aldrich, architects

Illustrations from the architects' original pen and ink drawing

AS it not that resourceful painter, writer and prince of good
fellows, John Lafarge, who spoke so frequently regarding
the sketch as an instrument conveying an idea, saying that
somehow or other we try to make our drawings as ugly as
as possible? He was speaking of decorative work. The
comment was the outcome of a visit from a young drafts-
man presenting to the master his sketch for criticism. The sketch was one
of those fatally pretty affairs we all know. Is it not with drawings as with
personalities? It is the dull, dreary person we avoid. Here is a drawing so
decorative, so human, that we find ourselves for the moment gazing at it as
a work of art, when, in reality, it is a memorandum of an idea. And this
altogether oblivious to the fact that it is once again Bismarck's criticism of
the average newspaper — as merely printer's ink upon paper. If we find our-
selves held momentarily by the drawing it is the fault of the architects, who
have themselves to blame ! Thanks to the drawings, however, the spirit is
intensified rather than concealed, and behind the decorative quality resembling
a wood-cut and the suggestiveness characteristic of an etching the potency
of the scheme is here visible and unmistakable.

The suburbs of New York owe much of their beauty to this improved
study of material and to the local color. This term, once found only in the
vocabulary of the painter, is accepted to-day with reverence because it is
understood. We are delighted to find it spells something good for the
countryside. There is in the work of the architect less pose and artificial-
ity, more balance. He is no longer ashamed to have his work chic ; he prates
less frequently of his ansemic mistress-style, and while he still imports antiques
he brings with them a saving element of common sense, which tends to coun-
sel us regarding their best disposition. The suburban home to-day is more
beautiful because it belongs to us, to our time, to our ambitions, and to our
pocketbooks. We have learned that the country property, whether it be
two or a hundred acres, must be studied as an entirety, which means that
architect or owner becomes, in a way, and for a time, something of a painter.
In this way our house building has become less of a tragedy.

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Mr. A. G. Bartlett's Home, Lake Geneva, Wis.

Howard Shaw, architect

Illustrfltions from orUinal drawing and photographs

T is when we look at pictures like these that we realize the
importance of surroundings. And we recall that the archi-
tect, in his handling of the country-house problem, resem-
bles the playwright, because in his effort to present at the
theater a phase of society or to point a lesson, he is compelled
to study background and setting. He cannot afford, in any
way, to be indifferent to the claim of costuming, music and lighting. True,
the playwright is not embarrassed with the lay of the land, but he has to
put up with the caprice of the star who demands the spotlight in addition to
other artificialities and is arrogant regarding entrances and accents of other
descriptions. The playwright's struggle with the presentation of a high-
class comedy resembles greatly the architect's handling of the country house.
His background is a living thing, subject to the fluctuations of the seasons,
and being a portion of the earth humanized it must be sheltered and pro-
tected, as must also the inmates of the house, while the fantastic backing of
the dreams of the playwright is a painted canvas struck or set to fit the ca-
price of the hour. Even so it must be studied, thoughtfully designed, for it is
an essential portion of the story and no longer are we living in the time of
the immortal bard. "The play is the thing" was written at a time when
scenery was practically unknown. But to-day it is important. Who could do
without it, for it is the very ground of the story, illustrating the time, the
place and the occasion? It is by the brilliancy of scenic effects, the machin-
ery of the stage with its lighting, movement and the rest of it that the public
is entertained, as well as with the play. Wlien the curtain is down and the

audience leaves the theater it takes with it an intimate memorv of the beautv

•• •

of the scene as an entirety as well as the sparkle of the conversation, the
dramatic situations. It were as difficult to remove from the picture dia-
logue as scenery. The architect is also concerned with the picture as a whole.
And like the playwright he is indeed embarrassed by the detail demanding
attention. He has to fit the house to the site verv much as the writer ad-
justs his scenes to the equipment of the theater, to the intellectual capacity
of the audience, to the well-known impatience of the age — to the limit of its
endurance.

MR. A. C. BARTLETT'S HOME, LAKE GENEVA, WIS.

These very interesting views show one method of so designing a house
that it fit the specific background and that it make of the occasion the very
most that is possible. Here is a property where a house is so enclosed in
a dense wood that shade and shadow as well as the whisper and majestic
movements of the trees enter day and night into the scene and form part of
it. It is indeed a house secreted and retired, a veritable nook in the woods.

The sunshine plays an im-
portant part in this
scheme. The painter with-
in the architect here once
again invites our salutation
and receives it because he
shows his keen realization
of the responsibility of the
occasion. Yet he is a great
rogue. Of course, he could
very well do without pro-
jecting mouldings and
carvings, changes of tex-
ture and artificial coloring,
because the trees help him
so splendidly with their
wonderful shadows and re-
flected hghts. To my mind
this type of design is one
that should be encouraged
greatly where an oppor-
tunity occurs in this way.
People returning from
Italy rave about repose
and scale, the absence of
this, that and the other, and
forget the unportant part played by weather incrustations and coloring, and
the part also that the background contributes to the general scheme. So
many people demand ornament. This happy little place is far away from the
clamor, rush and excitement of the world. Reflected lights count here and,
as if adding to the painter's delight in mystifications and color, a pool ap-
pears that the sky may be mirrored in it. The magic of its blue increases the
value of the greens of the foliage. It tempers as well as modifies and cools
the reflections. It transmogrifies the picture in certain seasons, and when the

THE PLAN OF THE PLACE IS EVERYTHING

The skill in demising rtwrns )r
tercommunicHtion is here shown.
nxinis is of interest, the loggin

relation to outloolt and in-
The relative scale between
and gallery well contrived

THE HOODED ENTRANCE TO THE COURT

It is on this mouldrd archway, with Its original grouping of windows,
plants and trellisrs that so much praise has heen hestowed. Against the
wall on the far side of court is a long figure panel in rich colors

winds ruffle its surface and whip the outhne into and out of all shape it brings
a scene of humor that is indeed entertaining. The sun plays an important
part upon the main or southern frontage. It enters the loggia between the
library and dining-room, reaching the gallery, and from there extends into
the court again. Later in the day it climbs the fence on the western side of
the c-ourt, gilding everything till evensong, then hides behind the big trees
till morning.

The house is reached by a circuitous route through the woods and the
entrance is on the eastern side by means of what has been facetiously termed
the "dog trot." It is a hooded entrance leading to the court as well as to
the gallery of the lower floor and to all the important rooms. Splendidly
does the house open up and yet there is a sense of seclusion and privacy in
the planning. It is a well-contrived place for the reception of guests.

The lettering of the accompanying sketch plan indicates the principal
rooms. A, B and C give the position of the studio suite. D is the dining-
room and E the library. F shows the den, G the kitchen, H the service hall
and I the billiard-room. It is the design of an architect working with, or
at least inspired somewhat by his brother-artist, the painter, son of the
owner, and his immediate needs as well as the requirements of the family

MR. A. C. BARTLETT'S HOME, LAKE GENEVA, WIS. 51

have entered into the scheme of things. Modernity and moderation or ap-
propriateness are written large across the face and are to be seen in the plan.
In some subtle way this little, informal co-partnership has led to unusually
interesting results of an intimate nature to which a sensitive mind will nat-
urally respond with delight. Although modern in conception, modern in
execution, modern in its make-up, it is very old, prehistoric in fact, in some
of its detail and arrangements and in its manner of using concrete. The
ancient Assyrian handled some of his little country terrace garden manipu-
lations very much after the manner adopted here. His general conception of
things is to be seen in the structure of the pergola and in the design of the
fences. Yes! if you please, plain, everyday fence lines can be made in-
teresting! The classics did it. I, for one, am delighted to see the moderns
adopt the same course.

It is a solution of an unusual problem which is very delightful because
of the things it does not do and the method by which certain little essentials
are glorified with scarce the expenditure of the dollar, without the utiliza-
tion of some grandly extravagant ornament, and this is the house of a
painter, of a designer of decoration, of a gentleman whose work is well
known for its breadth of understanding as well as for the excellency of its
drawing and the charm of its color. Mr. Frederic Bartlett's paintings are
ambitious and imbued with the story-telling quality. It is also an interest-
ing house because, with all its modernity, it shows a right hearty respect for
architectural traditions. It recalls some of the scenes in northern Italy.
The arrangement of the openings is well studied. The sense of proportion
has had much to do with the shaping as well as the locating of windows
and doors. Each frontage has one distinguishing accent when viewed from
the outside, and when the court is entered, the court which runs north and
south, another type of picture is disclosed.

Still, like the scene at the theater, there is one center of everything. In
the house problem there is no spotlight with its arrogant preferences, at times
so wonderfully disturbing to the audience however it may flatter the player,
but the sun, nature's smiling luminary, knows no such dictation. Its entrance
into rooms, into the remote corners of the prdperty, depends largely upon the
thoroughness and care of the architect. "Does the sun enter here? For how
many hours do we have the sun?" is perpetually heard. Many country
houses have been ruined simply because they were not properly lighted. It
is as important as drainage. This lighting is an omnipresent element of ar-
chitectural, I may say of human necessity, for, in a house scheme, the au-
dience is always at home. The scenery cannot be re-painted or touched up,
nor can the curtain very well be rung down.

Mr. G. R. Thome's Home at Lake Forest, III.

Howard Shaw, architect

HAT this house has a strong personality everyone must admit.
It might well be classed as the villa of a prosperous Roman
at the time when that all-conquering force held absolute sway
in the northern section of Italy during the grand period of
the Renaissance, so Roman is it in spirit and idea. It is now
some little time since the native forest bordering Lake Michi-
gan was disturbed and trees cut and uprooted to make way for this house,
built for Mr. Edward L. Ryerson of Chicago and a few years later sold to
the present owner, Mr. George R. Thorne. It made at the time no little
talk even in this locality of big things. The Chicagoan is generally acknowl-
edged to be a doer rather than a dreamer, and while the rest of the country
hesitates, investigates and searches for a precedent, behoM, he builds ! The
idea that the American is the Roman of to-day might well emanate from this
enterprising section, where timidity seems to be unknown.

The villa is unusual in proportion, up-to-date in plan, old in spirit.
The walling is of solid concrete, after the Roman fashion, not of Traver-
tine. Rather is it of the concrete of the sort described bv some classic
writers as Opus-incertum. Rough and vigorous is the material of which
it is made. The sand is coarse, the stone small, the cement well burnt.
The surface of the walling does not reveal the markings of the wooden
forms, as in the case of the ancient foundations of the temple of Titus re-
cently exposed to view, because the modern bush hammer has here been
applied so vigorously upon the surface that the walling speaks its own
language, direct, recognizable everywhere in the building world, the lan-
guage of modernity and utility, a wholesome force which endures. Unlike
the more usual surface of cement applied to brick or frame, this weathers
delightfully.

The walls are some two feet in thickness throughout, running from the
footing to the underside of the springing of the roof. Inserted vertically
some eight inches apart are porous tiles three inches thick to prevent the
dampness from penetrating. The roof is not of the heavy stone type fav-
ored in classic times, but is so constructed that, while it does not endure
for so long a period, it is infinitely lighter in weight and for many reasons
more desirable for our general use. It is of slate, variegated in shape and

WORTHY THE ENTRANCE FOR A DOGE OP VENICE. IS THIS AHCADING
Dellcnte, lace-like shadows from the roynl oak bestow a gracious henediction upon the threshold

MR. G. R. THORNE'S HOME AT LAKE FOREST, ILL. 55

color, which is green and purple in tone. Its liberal projection casts a
welcome shade over the upper window during the heat of the day. The
blinds outside are painted somewhat after the fashion of the bluish-green
so frequently associated with the older section of picturesque Munich.

It is a well-contrived house running east and west, facing north and
south. The large square living-room is in the center of the block, the meet-
ing place of everything and everyone. It is a big open court in effect,
splendidly lighted, its casements opening to the floor upon the terrace
which faces the south. The gallery immediately behind is of the same im-
posing length, but of a different proportion, giving reasonable wall space
for pictures, and the staircase is a little apart, within a liberal recess and
with walling of its own, enclosed, out of sight, wide in reality and wider still
for those invited to ascend. The staircase is a private alleyway rather than
a mere architectural problem the solution of which is an occasion for dis-
play. Like many of the older houses of Italy the grounds and the lower
rooms are beautiful and big enough for everyone, and on them is distinctly
the architectural accent. This concealment of the entrance to the many
rooms above, the more intimate family apartments, is excellent.

The house is not raised on an artificial level; it has no superimposing
base, but stands within a few inches of the natural surface of the ground,
sufficiently high to secure protection from a chance washout or during the
dreary season when nature is mantled heavily with snow. The dining-room
with its dining-porch opens from the easterly side of the living-room." It
is approachable also from the gallery. The service wing is a further ex-
tension. The library opens upon the westerly side of the living-room and
it also has its enclosed porch and, like the dining-room, is reachable from
the gallery. The extension of the western wing is for the accommodation of
the guests. It has a private entrance and many other provisions for their
comfort.

Much attention has been bestowed upon the materials. This is notice-
able both within and without. The house is of a large scale and materials
count here in the composition more than in the average case. They have
entered largely into the interpretation of the design. It is a concrete house,
but the pavements are often of red brick or red tile. The pavement of the
terrace with the steps to the loggia at each end of the southern frontage
and the northern entrance is brick upon edge. The paving of the loggias is
of red tile. The long gallery is also paved in much the same manner. This
has a way of tying the place down to the ground. The red is good to live
with. Low and rich in color, it speedily mellows delightfully with age. The
entrance from the northern side is worthy the frontage of a palace.

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Miss T. H. Graham's Home, Pasadena

Robert D. Farquhar, architect

Illustrations from photographs by Graham Photo Co.

lA ITALIA" is the name so graciously bestowed upon the
villa recently built for Miss Graham in the Sierra Madres of
southern California. The first view is very pleasing, some-
what startling perhaps, as though the realization of a dream.
As a matter of fact, it is rather the result of a ripened expe-
rience during an extended residence among the picturesque
cities whose shores are laved bv the luminous waters of the Mediterranean.
Stimulated by the exalted altitude of the background, the house is built
upon an elevated terrace-like bank so far above the plateau level of the foot-
hills as to resemble somewhat a stage setting for a drama. The little place
is vividly white, contrasting with the luxuriant foliage of the lordly euca-
lyptus trees behind it, their rich mantling bringing into prominence the out-
line of the interesting composition. The house is within a few minutes'
walk from the trails leading to the small canons which cut into the mountain
side, in constant enjoyment of the breezes which blow in from the Pacific.

Although small, it is somewhat conspicuous in that section of the Sierra
Madre which is enclosed by the wide and beautiful valley of the San
Gabriel River and its upland beach, midway between Pasadena and Los
Angeles. It is an all-the-year-round house, built substantially of concrete
and stone to withstand the penetrating nature of the mountain mists and
dense fogs, with no effort at grandeur but with a certain novel simplicity
of outline that is singularly pleasing. The walls are thick, super-imposed
and so constructed with flat arches as to support the upper floor and the
colonnade which runs along the front and ends of the house. This upper
floor is reached by a wide, open, outside staircase so that the upper chambers
have their own independent entrance direct from the garden in addition to
the usual inside stairway from the hall.

The overhanging roof of red tile, the pergola which crowns each bay,
the calm severity of the order between and the general arrangement of
openings show unmistakably the influence of the villas and minor palaces
built on the outskirts of Rome during the days of Dante. Indeed, the com-
position shows frankly its indebtedness to the Rome of the classics.

THE OUTSIDF, STAIRS, AN AUXILIARY liNTRANCE TO THE UPPER CHAMBERS
It ia encouraging to see this modiflcatioo of Roman architecture in our favored land

MISS T. H. GRAHAM'S HOME, PASADENA 59

The staircase as an architectural feature for the outside of the house
has entertained the designers of the French chateau for many centuries.
This interesting element was for a long time a close competitor with the
circular tower and the roof. It was the central accent of manv well-known
compositions. This is to be seen to-day in the buildings of the broad valley
of the romantic Loire. The designer of this attractive California house,
while maintaining the advantage of a direct entrance to the upper chambers,
has relegated this serviceable feature to the end of the house, leaving intact
and undisturbed the central part, the entrance court and approach, very
much as did the Pompeians, so there is ancient and distinguished authority
for this form of design. It was from a villa of this description that Pliny,
the Younger, addressed by letter Domitius ApoUinaris during one of the
many summers he spent in his country house in Tuscany, and again a
friend, Gallus by name, when within seventeen miles from Rome in his sub-
urban house. These letters describe vividly the beauty of country and town
life as enjoyed by the wealthy Roman in the first century. They gave
graphic pictures of the scenery, naming with infinite care and deliberation
the trees and shrubs of the gardens, the materials of which the houses were
built, the general division of the rooms, realizing their advantages and th^
way in which they are so strangely similar to that form of building which
is favored in our own time. It is doubtless interesting to remember that the
famous letter to Tacitus, in which Pliny describes graphically the terrible
tragedy of Vesuvius, was penned in a villa of this description belonging to
his mother, and within sight of the volcano.

In laying out the property of Miss Graham an effort has been made to
get the most out of a long narrow site which has considerable variation of
level, a somewhat formidable frontage upon the main road leading directly
to the foot hills and blessed by a stream of running water. The house is
built upon the upper section of the property, running east and west, and
stands boldly in front of the eucalyptus trees, behind which is an elevated
tank for the house supply. The principal entrance is at the rear. Advan-
tage has been taken of the extended frontage to permit a somewhat unusual
driveway from the lower level, going along the far side without disturb-
ing the general picture, and yet in full enjoyment of the orange and
lemon trees and the flower garden. Of course, first impressions count for
so much and the laying out of a place is everything.

"Mia Italia" is a happy name for so interesting a property and to the
distinguished owner it must always be gratifying, recalling as it does the
many pleasant years spent in sunny Italy.

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Long Island Home of Mr. A* W. Rossiter

Albro & Lindeberg, architects

Illustrations from original drawing and from photo|(raphs by Julian Buckly

ERE is a new house in an old setting. The approach also is
excellent. Big chestnuts and far-spreading elms line the
driveway to the front porch so that the first impression is
practically all that can be desired. The scene is in that
favored portion of Glen Cove, Long Island, which for many
years has been characterized by the name of Red Spring
Point. An examination of the views of the country house which Mr. Ar-
thur W. Rossiter has recently built is encouraging because it illustrates an
up-to-date method of attacking an old problem.

From the entrance the great pageant of the Sound opens up with its
surprising picture. The house has been built several feet above the original
level a little to the north of the former homestead, so unfortunately destroyed
by fire some few years ago. The small circular lily pool in the sunken
court is to-day the approximate center of the old building. The plan tells
the story. It is an L-shaped house with the service wing running in the
northeasterly direction convenient to and in line with the dining-room. This
elevation of the ground floor level by artificial terracing has improved things
amazingly, by bringing into prominence the ever engaging panorama of the
Sound with its endless procession of boats, its vivid outline of City Island,
surrounded by. barges, freight boats and yachts lying at anchor. The
garden is not only protected from the public gaze and the wind, being
located several feet below the level on three sides, but, thanks to the thick
foliage of the old trees and bushes lining the outer border, it is exceedingly
retired, sheltered, an agreeable setting for the subtle comedy of domestic
life. The garden is protected on the easterly side by a thick hedge. Here
the ground drops suddenly some twenty feet or more and slopes gently
back into the meadow. There is an interesting view from this small loggia
which has recentlv been converted into a breakfast room. It is verv de-
lightful in many ways. It is a view with a peculiar personality. Right
royally does the design show that advantage has been taken of the site and
the trees. The house is attractive in appearance, simple in outline. There
is a frankness and wholesomeness about the composition which is delightful

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LONG ISLAND HOME OF MR. A. W. ROSSITER 68

as well as serviceable. The plan provides a direct and convenient arrange-
ment of rooms with a loggia at each end of the house, the living and dining-
rooms between. The loggias are paved with red brick. The one leading
from the living-room has a large, open fireplace; they are pillared in a
delightful manner, encroaching a little upon the terrace and giving an in-
teresting accent to the elevation. The stuccoed walling promises to weather-
stain shortly ; as it tones with the color of the setting it will resemble some-
what the old houses of southern Europe. Travelers point to the chalets of
the Tyrol, to the hillside and valley houses of Spain, claiming that in some
remarkable manner that fascinating land of dreams holds and cherishes
within her wide boundaries more than her share of the world's beauties.
We are told that her sunlight is brighter, her mountain air softer than
ours. Of the exquisite texture of her trim thorn hedges, ilex-woods and
myrtles, the startling blue of her cloud-emblazoned sky, flaming acres red
with poppies, golden corn fields and vineyards, we often hear. Still, the
brilliancy of the sunlight is more noticeable upon the houses and notice-
able because of the potenc)'' of the setting. Nature seems to find here an
informal playground, something to toy with, built by man. There the
whitened surface of the houses is often a quaint epitome of the district,
every foot disclosing a different version of the story ; as the plaster has been
patched in places the repair counts occasionally as an accident which soon
mellows acceptably.

The house will doubtless be remembered bv some because of its treat-
ment of openings which upon the southern frontage are very, large. The
roof is kept low, and while the overhang of the eaves is considerable the
projection of the gables is slight and there is not any attempt to magnify
them into a decoration. The purlins project sufficiently to carcy the over-
hanging rafters. At stated intervals the shingles are doubled up, over-
lapping so as to form strongly marked horizontal bands. This increases the
apparent length of the roofing. It also lightens it somewhat in effect.
The value of horizontal lines is also shown in the projecting trellis-work
at each end of the house where the creepers will shortly hang over, giving
a delightful shadow and lessening the need for the striped awnings, by pro-
viding a living transparent green, the tendrils and foliage of which change
with the seasons. These are some only of the points to which praiseworthy
attention has been given. They are points, the result of study lipon the
ground in our own country under local conditions. And it is a type of
study much needed if we are ever to take advantage of the best elements of
the architecture of the old countries. Houses like this answer immediately
the impatient question, "Shall we ever have an American style?"

AN AGREEABLE SETTING FOR THE SUBTLE COMEDY OF DOMESTIC LIFE
Stately cedars accenting upright lines number among elements which have received attention

LONG ISLAND HOME OF MR. A. W. ROSSITER

Realizing that after all the plan is the king or constitution of every
project toward which we naturally turn as authority for discussion, look at
the acompanying sketch. It resembles a remark on the margin of a valued
etching, and is an intimate memorandum, serviceable alike to everyone. We
learn that A is the living room, with its wide casement opening upon the
sunken lawn connecting with B the
dining room attached to the long
service wing; that C designates the
entrance hall, and that the letter L,
which appears on two occasions,
indicating the importance the de-
signer assigns to outdoor rooms,
shows the position of the loggias,
which accent each end of the house.
The loggias occupy a very promi-
nent position in the general scheme.
The one near the entrance has a
length of five bays. It has also a
large open fireplace, so that it could
well be used late in the autumn and
early winter as an outdoor room
enclosed with glass. We should re-
member that it opens from the hall
and living room. The smaller log-
gia at the easterly end has also its
individual note, for it has an exten-
sive view across the country from a
considerable elevation, being locat-
ed on the extreme edge of the bank. ,„ ,. , ,, ,.(,,,. ^ i -^ ■

o ■ Wc see the location of the lilg trees burdenng

It makes a singutarlv attractive t*"^ cntranee, the equally prominent ahrabbery upon

. ^ , ' s lower level, the two terraces and garden with

picture irom the terrace below. drcular pool; stlll there are other elements of beauty

Since the architects have concerned

themselves personally with creepers, learning their requirements and realiz-
ing that as creatures of life they require certain practical provisions of a
structural nature, they have designed trellises blocking them out from the
buildings to give something to which their delicate tendrils can cling.

The interest in this house centers also upon the vigorous manner in
which the architect has attacked the problem. Ruthlessly has he swept
aside certain too frequently acknowledged precedents, contenting himself
with practical service to the occasion.

THE PLAN TELLS THE STORY

DETAIL OF ENTRANCE PORCH AND BAY SHOWING GABLES AND CHIMNEYS
It is a substniitlal house embodying certain charactrrUtlc details of the Ellsab^han period

THE DRIVEWAY IS CONCEALED UNDER A HEAVY MANTLING OF SNOW
rhe owner's love for the n

Property of Mr. R. W. Houghton, Nashotah, Wis.

William H. Schuchardt, architect

HERE is an unusual presentation which is so full of surprises that we
are tempted first to speak of the setting rather than of the house.
As we look at it and realize the density of the wood we see in a mo-
ment that photographic views of the interior were not possible at any other
period of the year. We are thankful indeed for this winter view. The
house is built upon the easterly slope of one of the many beautiful lakes
in the vicinity of Nashotash, Wisconsin, a little west of the energetic city
of Milwaukee. The snow has given an informal and naive setting, chang-
ing the values as the painter would say, bringing into prominence the rich
browns of the roofing, the half reflected lights of the windows, the curi-
ously mottled effect of the rough-cast upon the walling. It has given a
sharpness and brilliancy to every outline. The chestnuts and oaks remain
undisturbed as though companions to the wholesome looking barge boards
which accent the projecting eaves. These vigorous and stately timbers ap-

FROM THE VERANDA WE GET AN ADMIRABLE VIEW OF THE LAKE
The design provides for a large sleeping porch in each gable over the lo^a

pear also within the house, reminding us of the rich forests covering the
great bosom of mother earth in this section of the state.

The house is built upon the extreme border of a glen. A few feet from
the edge of the long loggia the ground slopes about forty-five degrees,
running down towards the lake. It is approached by a long driveway
through the wood with practically no sacrifice of the timber, without any at-
tempt at a garden, a border of flowers anywhere, or an added color note of
any description whatsoever. The picture is beautiful. The property of some
sixty acres remains wild, rugged in part. It is literally and essentially a
house in the native wood. A house for the summer, filled with resinous per-
fume, a spice-like scent resembling a sylvan incense. The trees not only cast
a graceful diaper upon the scene but they jostle its projections, making the
air melodious when they are fretted with the wind. No tree has here been
sacrificed for any flowering plants, terrace or pathway. It is practically a
large, well-arranged camp, with many of the conveniences of the city, the
wildness and abandon of the forest, plus the ability to entertain hospita-
bly. It is evidently the work of a good, live, up-to-date architect who has
studied the lay of the land and its opportunities, and the desire of the fam-
ily to enjoy freedom from the conventions, taking advantage of certain

THE DINING UOOM IS HOSPITABLE IN APPEARANCE AND CONVENIENT
It connects with the living room and opens direct upon the long veranda overlooking the laiie

views across the water in a southerly direction, and also of the welcome sum-
mer breezes from the same quarter. The building is located so near the
edge of the bank that it was found wise to let the service wing follow the
original line of the glen, a scheme which has added greatly to the comfort
of the domestic service also, leaving imdisturbed the northern exposure of
the breakfast porch. The block of the house receives the full advantage of
shade from the overhanging trees and protection from the glare reflected on
the surface of the water, and thanks to its position, the benefit of the air.

It has some of the stately proportions of the Tudor period. The porch
and bay over is not unlike some of the castles at Nuremberg. The roofing is
excellent.

Look at the size and construction of the living room with its big win-
dows, its long, westerly loggia, heavily beamed ceiling, and its invitmg in-
gle; for the summer nights are occasionally cold and the firelight always
picturesque. It might well be classed as a one-roomed house, so big, open and
hospitable is it in its general appearance and make-up. The dining room is
small by comparison and very cozy, screened off behind the bookcases, hav-
ing its own hearth and porch. The living room, or house place, as it might
well be termed, following the custom prevalent in the northern section of

THE UPPER HALL SHOWS MUCH OF THE SERIOUS CONSTRUCTION OF THE HOUSE
We get here a detail of the newel post and balustradlng, and an idea of bedroom doorways

England, has within its area many little surprises. Not only does the sun
smile upon the big ingle-nook of goodly proportion, upon the large Colo-
nial writing table in the center and upon the shelves of books in faded covers,
but it vitalizes and inspires everyone. From an unexpected angle the visitor
catches a glimpse of the ragged edge of the lake, which changes with the
season. Following the lay of the land the floor of the house has been kept
as close to the original surface of the ground as consistent with good build-
ing. We pass down two steps from the entrance hall and again down to the
long loggia which is but a few inches above the natural level. Remember-
ing the comfortable old taprooms of the village wayside inn, the delightful
cozy parlors behind the bar, the setting of romances of merry England dur-
ing the latter part of the Victorian era, the architect has imbued the general
scheme with many features that are singularly pleasing, viewed either dur-
ing the day or in the evening. We are reminded here of the fiction of Charles
Dickens, who so frequently located his stories in the taproom, the meeting

SKETCH SHOWING THE DIRECT METHOD OF HANDLING THE STAIRCASE PROBLEM
The wall surfaces are frankly treated, giving an admirable suggestion of half timber worli

place of the neighborhood, the center of things very much alive: the picture
at Nashotash is so much more human than the average country house of to-
day. It is not overwhebned with style. The little casements between the
two doors at the easterly end of the dining room, the treatment of the small
closets and of the service entrance under the stairway, the detailing of the
stairway and its beamed ceiling of the upper hall, illustrate vividly the re-
gard for the daily comfort of the family and the innate love of a romantic as-
sociation. There is not anything coarse about this detailing; it is all good,
direct in idea, with the accent in the right place. There is considerable char-
acter in the balustrading and newel posts, in the trim and hardware generally.
The design is free from that coarse, that brutal form of construction thought
by some to be essential to a house where good solid timber is plentiful. Here
is a spirit of restraint and respect for the individuality of the various crafts.
Stucco and brick work have here a prominent part.

The color of the interior is pleasing. The wall is the shade of autumn

A SCREEN DIVIDES THE LIVING FROM THE DINING ROOM
It must be remembered aa an unusual house, big in idea, hospitable in Intent and very spacious

leaves appearing in diaper form upon the surface with a cool, gray back-
ground, recalling the silvery bark of the white birch. It has the effect of
an old Louis XV damask, with its smoky moonstone blossoms and quaint
arabesque ornament. The wainscoting and beaming of the ceiling is charged
with a warm tincture which is rich, fulsome, rather dark in places, yet trans-
parent and agreeable in tone. This also has, thanks to the inequality and
open texture of the grain, an element of silvery gray when viewed in a cross
light. In other words, the architect has remembered that upon the color of
the woodwork do many famous hostelries depend for their charm. The main
girder crossing the living room is solid. It is supplemented in places by
bea^y wrought-iron bands. Surely there never was a more liberal chamber
plan, with its sleeping porches over the long loggia, the comfortable bath-
rooms, open fireplaces, ample closets and wide passages.

A visitor says, "It is a place you want to live in forever and ever, you
can repose with the thought that it will not be off color or out-of-style next
season; it breathes the air of contentment."

Many of the older architects of other civilizations were too unskilled
in the proper adjustment of their building material to the needs of the im-
proving education of the people ; they were too much engrossed by the friv-

THE NATURAL CENTER OF THINGS DOMESTIC WITHIN THE HOUSE
The picture discloses intimately the great Inglenook, big window and the timWrs overhead

olities, the fashions of the hour, too cumbered by them, and their work
shows manifestly that they were hampered. Here, however, in this new age
of ours, an age which desires, above all, to serve the living as well as reverence
the dead, there is a distinct reflection of a personality we to-day classify as
modernity. To give an instance of this restful effect, this sense of comfort,
this ever-obvious quality of repose and domesticity wherein it recalls the best,
the spirit of the picturesque hostelries of the older countries, look for a
moment at the front entrance on the easterly side. Examine it on the plan,
look at it in elevation, study at a distance and near to from the perspective.
It is scarcely too much to say that here the architect reveals himself. It is the
most delightfully plain little piece of unaffected construction that any
enthusiast could ask for. It leaves but little to be desired. You cannot add
to it without spoiling it ; to change it in any way is to disturb the repose, to
make obvious an omission.

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Long Island Home of Mr. John A. Garver

Stephenson & Wheeler, architects

Illustrations from photographs by Julian Buckly

I HIS Long Island home makes an immistakable appeal — an
appeal which is a precious heritage of the past, possessing,
over and above everything else, the rare quality of frank-
ness. It has been designed and built very much after the
fashion practiced by the church in erecting its abbeys, col-
leges and cathedrals in medieval times. Its picturesque out-
line recalls also the direct planning and structural integrity of the minor
manor houses and pleasing little hostelries of the hillsides and valleys of
rural England, conceived and contrived from the hearthstone outward,
rather than from the outside towards the center of the building. This latter
method often led to a systematic assemblage of frontages too often false,
making serious demands upon the plans by forcing, as it were, a compro-
mise or a surrender of privileges.

The architects of Mr. Carver's home have not been content merely to
contrive the building so as to make it fit the site, the family and the appro-
priation, but have endeavored to preserve intact the natural beauties with
which the property is so richly endowed. Here are splendid oak trees and
two remarkably fine maples, and a pine that has weathered many a winter.
Here is an old garden. Indeed, the site is not only rich in memories,
diversified in outline, favored with a flower garden skilfully hedged and
sheltered, but it stands in a position commanding a wonderful view. It is
located a mile or two back from Oyster Bay. From the windows of the
lower story can be enjoyed its placid waters with the rich encirclement of
native woods, and, beyond, the greater pageant of the stately Sound.

The study of this phase of English architecture is excellent. The
men engaged in the search for tlie underlying principles of this form of
Gothic expression must be sincere artists because the style, if so it can be
called, is exacting, and while in no way foreign to the soil has much to be
overcome in its acceptance in this country. It is an individual style. It
makes serious demands upon the workman. It is energetic, being full of
mysticism and requiring, nay, insisting, upon work-enthusiasm. For years
it has been associated with monastic, romantic and social activities, with

A PLEASING RETREAT, A LITTLE HAVEN OF REST NEAR THE ENTRANCE
Full of character and inviting is this coiy cornpr; a step from the upper terrace to the hall

LONG ISLAND HOME OF MR. JOHN A. GARVER 77

which the craft worker was closely allied. And to inject this form of
architectural expression into our own country at this time requires no small
ability. As a matter of fact, the architect finds himself very much alone,
struggling with a problem difficult to understand, hard even to define.
Here is a method of domestic building, picturesque beyond words. In
this all agree. Years before the Beaux Arts architectural school of France
was ever thought of, long before architecture was reduced to a calculat-
ing science, forced to conform to a jelly-mold fashion, to certain set pre-
cepts, wherein individuality was discouraged, even stifled, this style was
known far and wide as the architecture of the "plain man." It originated
with and belonged to men with an instinctive preference for common-sense
outlines, for direct scheming, for frank handling of materials.

Before we can enjoy in our own civilization the captivating little hos-
telries or minor manors so revered in England, we must imbue the work-
man as well as the architect with real enthusiasm and love for his own
individual craft. This is a truism which every worker at the drawing board
realizes. "Oh," says one, "we can sketch the thing on paper all right. That's
easy. But the charm of the old is in the execution, as well as in the
general scheming of things." The love for gables, dormers, overhanging
upper stories, lean-to roofs and ridges following the gentle slopes of hill-
sides, exalted chimneys, quaintly overhanging oriels, pierced and carved
finials and barge-boards must not end with the drawing. It is not pencil
work, but chisel work that we want. And the chisel cannot always be oper-
ated by a machine. We must have, too, plasterers who will transmit, by
the trowel, in a free, whirligig fashion, their own "finish," an informal
handwriting, a naive and very interesting addition to the wall surface. But
this desire we complicate by demanding other things as well. Here, for
instance, in this home on Oyster Bay we have a house which is semi-fire-
proof (that is, the walls and the floors are of brick and concrete), a house
enjoying telephonic connections with the outside world and electric light,
windows, leaders and roofs that are wind and water tight, first-class plumb-
ing and many other things never dreamt of in the palmy days of the
ancient manor. The problem was not simple.

Mr. Garver's house, standing so proudly surrounded by great trees
on the highest portion of its undulating acres, is of liberal measurements.
It is long and rather low in elevation, it is particularly pleasing in arrange-
ment of gables, and it assigns to a prominent place the picturesque re-
minders of traditional building, when men lived rugged lives in the open
and the house was practically only a picturesque protection from the in-
clemency of the weather. The length reaches almost two hundred feet. It

S 1

8 1
>• S

H
if

I I

LONG ISLAND HOME OF MR. JOHN A. GARVER 79

was, indeed, designed to make the most of its opportunities. It has been
sympathetically contrived to harmonize with the site, a site occupied for
many years by another homestead. All this has been accomplished with
but little disturbance. Even a portion of the old foundation, running east
and west, has been used in re-building. The northern frontage is accented
by the front entrance. From the windows on the northern exposure the
gardens are ever in view.

The architects preserved intact the idea of the central hall, extending
it through the house. This is not simply a transformation to America of
to-day of the old spirit of domestic building as practiced in Central Europe
ages ago. Rather is it a re-assimilation of the needs of a home. The
architects have evidently attacked the problem of building very much as a
playwright struggles to stage a drama of the present time. Every detail
is intensely human, practical and worthy of regard. Look at the porte-
cochere. Here is a feature delighting the heart of the ordinary academician,
giving him splendid opportunities for curved rooflines. This stilted accent
has been the making of many a facade. The views before us show this serv-
iceable entry to be a miere incident ill the composition* The porte-cochere
is connected with the vestibule of the hall by a cloister-like passageway
with an open timbered roof and balustraded framing. In no way does it
disturb the general arrangement of the composition.

The entrance to the library is distinctive. It is approached from the
liall by a wide passageway, under a four-centered Tudor arch. The visitor
descends four steps within a splayed jamb, receding embrasure fashion. It
is an interesting threshold. To the right of the entrance is a reading bay.
Straight ahead" is a hooded fireplace of stone, occupying the center of
prominence fn the middle of a large ingle-nook. Books are everywhere.
Each foot of the wall where possible is utilized by cases for shelving which
bear eloquent testimony to the fact that the owner is a reading man, num-
bering among his personal friends many well-known and revered authors.
Beyond the ingle-nook of this library is the family loggia, paved with Welsh
squares. Here also the piers are buttressed and the openings arched, fram-
ing the landscape and inviting a view which extends for many miles. The
living-room, dining-room, hall, all have their own distinctive bay windows,
which project so that the color and perfume of the flower border enters the
house. These bavs are located to fit with the inside rather than the outside
of the house. There is also a stimulating bay to. the chamber floor, a grace-
ful memory of the satisfactory stairways so well remembered by those who
have spent a portion of their lives in the colleges of Oxford or Cambridge.

ARCHITECTURE IS SAID TO BE THE KIGHT TREATMENT OF OPENINGS
In delightful variiition is this interesting study in oriels and bays. iMok at the wealth of casements

LONG ISLAND HOME OF MH. JOHN A. GARVER 81

There are sheltered benches flanking the southern entrance to the hall, the
northern porch and the loggia leading to the rose garden.

It is these httle things which remind ns of tlie wisdom of so contriving
our homes that they enter into and become indeed a serious part of our hves.

A COOL RETKKAT FHOM WIND AND SfN

Of (course, the ceiHngs of tlie hbrary, hall and pajs-sageway are panelled and
the walls of the dining-room know, indeed, no artiiicial covering. Kvery
effect is acomplished frankly and naturally. There is not anywhere a
vestige of aflfectation. This may also be said of the furnishings, which, in
the simplest detail, exhibit the same sincere, frank understanding of the
true significance of the beautiful style in which the house was conceived.

ii'
II

LONG ISLAND HOME OF MR. JOHN A. GARVER 8:3

Turn again to the bay windows noting the detail of the construction,
remembering that the general temper and disposition of the time is revealed
in the ornament, and that the inner life of a people is disclosed in the fur-
nishing of their homes. The legs and stretchers of the high-backed chairs
and tables, settees and low stands foi plants in the hall, dining-room and
library exhibit an intimate connection with the lathe work of the mitred
corners of the bay windows. This same relationship is sustained between
the turned bahisters of the staircase and the balusters of the covered pass-
ageway between the porte-cochere and hall. So, throughout the house, the
general spirit of extreme simplicity dominates both the ornamental por-
tion of the framework and of the furniture. Much of this restraint is char-
acteristic of the Jacobean days when the Italian motives were being ab-
sorbed by the English. The library shows a softer treatment, typified in its
characteristic chairs. The frames are covered and sometimes upholstered.
There are chairs of this type in Holyrood Palace at Edinburgh and in
Cluny Museum at Paris. A fascinating account could be written of these
high-backed chairs which have entered so largely into the lives of the most
troubled days of Central Europe. Their moulded, pierced and carved stretch-
ers, their lightly curved arms are familiar as well as charming.

It is not enough to say that this is once again an excursion back among
the by-ways of merry England, or to claim for it a new departure, a new
adventure; rather is it a new assimilation, a calm and deliberate presenta-
tion of an old theme with a still older dress, and yet — and this in a whisper,
in view of the costuming of the period — a dress deliciously free from con-
sciousness.

This is essentiallv a countrv house and will be so remembered by visitors
because of its delightful connection with the garden and the old apple or-
chard, the long rose walk and the old pump house. There is here no stately
terrace of varying levels or statuary or costly fountains or active water
courses diverted in set, serious wavs We look in vain for carved or cut
monstrosities, wherein nature's beautiful bushes and trees are made to re-
semble gargoyles, imps or misshapen urchins, cubes and squares and globes
of crippled foliage. Instead, there is a wonderful meadow-land ever chang-
ing, ever beautiful, ever comforting, which is big in idea, wholesome in sien-
timent and good to live with. We can always construct an Italian garden ;
we can subdivide, cut up and belittle with stone and plant posies, but it
is difficult to find a more stimulating setting for a homestead of this type
than the natural meadow-land, one of the glories of our America.

A nKOAn I'AVEMKNT LEADS FKOM THE HOUSK TO THE SEA
'iew with big oak and chestnuts which iiiiikes us classify the huuse us that of a palater

Mr. Charles E. Proctor's Home, Great Neck, L. I.

Little & Brown, architects of alterations

IlluBtrations from photographs by Julian Buckly

E are to be congratulated that once in a while a painter or a
poet builds for himself a house. He builds generally as
he pleases, paying but little attention to the usual. No one
has yet been able to devise a means whereby a limit can be
put to the vain imaginings of this fascinating personality
and but few men of the world make the attempt. This is
very much the way the visitor feels who is so fortunate as to be permit-
ted a close and intimate examination of the country property of Mr.
Charles E. Proctor, which runs down so close to the water's edge at Great
Neck, L. I., as to be conspicuous for its beauty in that section of the north-
ern approach to the metropolis which is so important. Mr. Proctor is a land-
scape painter of such prominence that he might well enter the list with
those who make painting their profession.

The house is one of those well-arranged, picturesque places of cement
and stucco that concern themselves more with comfort and beauty than with
architectural style or period of any description, and that depend for their
many attractions upon the unusual or skilful manner in which certain plain,
every-day things have been contrived and the efficiency of an attractive set-
ting. Shadowlane has something more than the usual sunlight, direct, vivid,
onmipresent. On the edge of the water it is like a poignant and absorbing
little drama, for, while overlooking the sea and coming so closely into the
sphere of that capricious charmer as to receive at all times day and night a
wondrous light, radiating and transmitting to every element a bewitching
and unexpected glamour, it still shares with the rest of the landscape the di-
rect sunlight. All important is the lighting of a picture or a stage. Here
is a canvas on a large scale with footlights that enrich the shades, soften
the shadows. The scene is very beautiful. The visitor instinctively realizes
that it is as a painter that the owner has worked conscientiously with the
theme, and that he has engaged himself so industriously that everything
entering therein shall be charged with some peculiar mission, shall be inter-
esting for its own sake or because of its intimate association with some other
phase of the larger story.

THK MAHTU.K BOWT, BORDEHRD WITH ACiKHATl'M IS THE ACCKNT OF TKItUAf
This little annual echoes the aiure Bky and forms an Interesting encirclement for the fountain

MR. CHARLES E. PROCTOR'S HOME, GREAT NECK, L. I. 87

It pays to investigate this interesting country house solution of a fas-
cinating problem, for it illustrates in so many ways what has been accom-
lished by thoughtful study in other lands, under other conditions. The pain-
ter's approach to the problem of house designing varies greatly from
the system of study adopted by the architect. The painter or the poet re-
sembles not a little the writer or the teller of a story in that he is con-
cerned most of all in the production of something which is beautiful, in-
teresting and engaging. In a word, he is content to make a hit and does not
burden himself much, if at all, with such inanimate qualities as history
and archaeology. Shadowlane is interesting because it exhibits the prefer-
ences peculiar to a painter. That is the house has been studied very much
as a landscape picture. It pays to investigate it in detail, for it shows the
skilful way in which advantage has been taken of certain structural
methods adopted by the Orient and by Spain, methods which are common in
northern Italy, but which have been ruthlessly swept aside by France and
were rarely, if ever, known in England.

Examine, if you will, the shaping and proportion of the openings. The
one problem of line has received infinite regard. Look at the colonnading
to the southern loggia and at the depth of the reveal, the splay of the piers.
There is a fulness of line which is delightful. This quality is also to be
seen in the large northern window to the studio, in the upper window and
pediment which accents the gable at the northern entrance, at the arched
entrance to the gate house, and elsewhere. It is discernible in the shaping
of the minstrel's gallery in the studio ; it is one of the distinctive characteris-
tics of the steps of the terrace by means of which we descend to the garden.
The pathway leading from the bank to the water's edge is curved, the long
pergola which girths a portion of the sea frontage follows a sweeping line.
The boat house is circular, it has an overhanging, conical roof. It is by
means of six flat arches that the private landing conveys the visitor to the
float.

The painter evidently is a practical believer that the line of beauty is
not that which runs directly between two fixed points. He evidently be-
lieves in the line that "counts" as in the color which harmonizes. Too
many disregard utterly the possibilities of line. Again, the property is not
cut up by a deliberate attempt to level everything off ; by a series of terraces
the original undulation of the grounds has been respected, the rootage of the
old trees undisturbed. In a graceful ivay the long pavement extending from
the southern front slopes gradually to the edge of the bank. In many
other places has the harshness of the straight line been avoided. The para-
pet walling surrounding the entrance court curves agreeably. The long

TUB CJAllDKN AITUOACll SHOWS OCTAdDN TOWKR OF ORIGINAL HOl'SR
It illiistratrs the dining room wing, une of the recent iind must servlreniile additions to the proj>erty

MR. CHARLES E. PROCTOR'S HO:\IE, GREAT NECK, L. I 89

lily pool has semicircular ends. A marble bowl-shaped fountain accents
the center of the garden terrace, and so it goes.

It is an old property thickly wooded with oak, locust, maple and
chestnut trees. Many of them are of an unusual height, very sturdy and
majestic in appearance. The original house was built some years ago and
the present owner has added to it an easterly and a westerly wing, utiliz-
ing to advantage the original portion and preserving intact the two octag-
onal towers with their pyramid roofs, and developing further an extended
loggia which connects them. These wings have an important bearing upon
the general composition and significance of the place. The studio wing,
running in an easterly direction, might well be renamed the chapel, so ec-
clesiastical is it in design, with its vaulted roofing and vigorously moulded
Gothic ribs springing gracefully from massive piers, its exalted mantel over
the fireplace, minstrel's gallery and great organ at the end, and flooring of
blue and brown tile curiously interlaced. In proportion and measurement it
resembles somewhat the guard room of the Hotel de Cluny, now one of the
most interesting museums in the old section of Paris. The fireplace is
practically a reproduction of the one so prominent in the great hall of the
Chateau Langeais, long known among the most picturesque and attractive
French houses which mirror themselves in the waters of the romantic Loire.
It was in this great hall that the "Duchess of the wooden shoes," a term of
endearment applied by the peasants to Anne of Brittany, was at the age
of eighteen married to Charles VIII of France.

We turn naturally to the organ as the accent of the house. Mr. Proc-
tor was so fortunate as to discover and to rescue from the flotsam and jet-
sam of Barcelona a richly carved and decorated reredos belonging to an al-
tar long forgotten, which he has incorporated skilfully into the case of the
organ in the minstrel's gallery. Here, under a canopy, is the sacred figure
of the Madonna and Child. The canopy and niche have received gold
and white, and that form of rich, low color which tends to make of it a ser-
viceable background for the figure. Here appears a diaper decoration of
strange significance and considerable brilliancy in places. At times the
gold ornament is burnished, again it is luminous, but soft in tone. The fig-
ures are curiously wrought and with considerable skill. Rich reds of the
rose, pink, and white which is gray with age, are to be seen upon the cos-
tume of the Madonna. From one of the minor windows at certain sea-
sons of the year the setting sun by a fantastic reflection seems to bestow
an evening blessing. All this forms the central motif of the organ case.
It is incorporated in and forms part of the framing, which in a correct and
academic manner comprises a group of columns in two orders with base

5 s

MR. CHARLES E. PROCTOR'S HOME, GREAT NECK, L. I. 91

entablature, cornice and pediment complete. These columns enclose two
large, upright panels and in the upper section one single panel. The base
is further enriched by three paintings which run horizontally and are of a
smaller scale than the rest of the composition. The columns stand free and
clear and the entablature is broken, coming forward so as to receive the pro-
jection of the abacus and cap. The columns are fluted and carved, enriched
with parchment color, violet and apple green. It is this form of decoration
which does so much to give value to the paintings of the panels. The can-
vas to the left illustrates Mary's visit to St. Elizabeth, "My soul doth mag-
nify the Lord." The canvas to the right illustrates the story of the Nativ-
ity ; the one above, the topmost canvas of the composition, presents the crown-
ing of the Queen Mother-. The scenes in the base illustrate the Agony of
Gethsemane, the Scourging and the Sorrowful Way.

We recognize in this rich contribution from Barcelona, the capital of
a sea-girt principality of Spain, the stimulating use of white and gold as a
decorative note. It is this which forces into prominence the splendid pur-
ple, the emerald, orange and flesh tints, the translucent greens, pearl tones
and violet. There still lingers about the sacred figure and the old canvases
an air of mystery and charm which is unmistakable and becoming to a deco-
ration of age and association. Such valuable relics usually find a place in
a museum or are displayed as an interesting illustration of the skill and
equipment of a painter craftsman, their significance slighted or ignored,
their message forgotten. The home is so much warmer and more human
than the museum. Those who assign to inanimate objects human emotion
might well be forgiven if in their enthusiasm they claim for this decora-
tion a sense of gratitude for its hearty welcome in the new world. Surely to
all of us the organ is a favored instrument of intimate appeal.

This interesting chamber will also be remembered for its gilded and
heavily carved pillars which formerly supported a baldachin over the altar
of one of the chapels in the Basque section of the Pyrenees. The designer
of the ornament has evidently remembered the shepherd of this fascinating
locality. This is to be seen in the grapevine movement and in the blossoms
and fruit with which the detail is enriched. At night the studio is illumi-
nated by sanctuary lamps and Venetian lanterns suspended high overhead to
which electric light has been added. Here also are candelabra and sedilia-
like chairs from Venice, and to add interest to some remote corner occasion-
ally a costly piece of drapery of a delightful tone is to be seen.

The study of the decoration of the breakfast-room must have been an
agreeable theme to the painter. It has been altered somewhat from the orig-
inal plan, an octagon, and is to-day practically a circular room, thanks to the

THK FIHE1'1,ACK IIESRMBI.ES ON'K IN THE GREAT HALI, OF CHATEAU I.AN'GEAIS
We rcciigniw that it wiis in that roiiiantic cbatiruu that Charles \'III nmrried Anne of Brittany

MR. CHARLES E. PROCTOR'S HOME, GREAT NECK, L. I. 93

trellis woi'k covering the wall. This unusual accent within the house is cut
into fantastic shapes and is painted the mignonette green of the French
army field service. Certain ornament is brought into relief hy cream and
white, ail of which is an excellent backing for the marble table in the center

THE DETAIL OF THE DINING ROOM DOOIIS IS UNUSUAL

An agreealile c<intrast uf trxture between the small deruratlon of
the panels anil the more robust treatment of ceiling;, side wall and floor.
Here is a bright spot of rieh eotor beautifully toned like an old missal

and the projecting moulding which surrounds the fireplace and it is also of
service to the vase and other ornament of the mantel. Ferns and palms look
as if they grew here. Trellis work radiates towards the center of the saucer-
like dome ceiling. The panel openings vary in outline. The piercing is
pleasing, bringing into the design the delicate question of shadows and de-
tached ornament. It is all very light and graceful. In a whimsical man-

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MR. CHARLES E. PROCTOR'S HOME, GREAT NECK, L. I. 95

ner the panels of the walling have false perspective. The background is of
stucco, rough in texture, silvery gray in tone.

It is through the long hall of the original house that we enter the din-
ing-room in the westerly wing, either by means of its independent entrance
from the terrace, or by passing through the breakfast-room. Doubtless the
painter had in mind the magnificence of some of the mountain houses in the
northern section of Italy and the chateaux of the Pyrenees when he de-
signed this room. There is a sense of grandeur in the heavily-beamed ceil-
ing, the moulded and carved joints, the panelling of the main girders, the
splendid fireplace with an exalted mantel extending well-nigh to the ceiling,
its quaint pavement of colored tile, its long benches in front of the dining-
table and its falling of gray stucco. It is dark and rich overhead as befits
an apartment used principally after sundown and depending upon artificial
lighting. The doors are panelled and decorated in color. By an interlacing
arabesque ornament the rails and panels are in contrasting shades after a
fashion prevalent many years ago.

The trellis form of decoration is notable in the terrace, for it gives an
excellent opportunity for the creepers to add interest to the wall surface.
We must not forget the semicircular awning to the long loggia. The sky-
line has been improved greatly by the wise use of dormers which vary some-
what in their outline. Like every other well-designed country house with
good, liberal wall surface, Shadowlane will shortly be diapered in places by
lichen and rusty moss. It will be fringed here and there to bring into con-
trast the weather markings and the bright silica particles of the stucco. This
livery of nature is both beautiful and serviceable.

The circular pool in the center of the terrace is bordered with ageratum,
a little tropical charmer with soft plumy head and tubular flowers, echoing
the cerulean of the sky. It performs a very graceful and serviceable office,
blooming all summer long. It was named by the Greeks for its inability to
obtain a great age. Midway between the water and the flagging it is an
agreeable contrast of which we never tire. Bordering the foot path leading
to the boat house is a broad bed of begonia which is pink, orange, scarlet,
deep rose and red lead color. This jewel-like blossom of a plant now so
popular was named by Plumier after Michel Begon in the early portion of
the seventeenth century when that stinmlating administrator of the French
and patron of the scientists was living at Blois, a short distance from the
Chateau Langeais.

THE ENTltANCK IS I'NL'sr \I. AND INTKUESTING
ThU is due iHrgciy to the constrm-tioii anil proiHirtiuii of (^ulile

Mr. H. Carpenter's Home, Lake Geneva, Wis.

Howard Shaw, architect
lltuitrationa Irom phoiojraphi by Henry Fuermsnn

HERK is tlie work of a modernist, an individualist, a man who, while
realizing the needs of the day, is in no way forgetful of tradition, rev-
erencing the teaching at its true value. In other words, this house
recently built well within sight of Ijake Gene\'a is the work of a man who
thinks for himself in matters architectural. It is to he seen in many ways.
The pictures hefore us give some of the story; the plan reveals more inti-
mately the source of his composition and the practical manner in which he
has attacked the problem.

The library, hall and dining room- -that is, the three big things of the
house — run through, having a frontage on the southern terrace as well as

MR. H. CARPENTER'S HOME, LAKE GENEVA, WIS. 97

on the northern entrance. Look, for instance, at the treatment of the en-
trance, gable, the way in which the usual pierced barge board with its sharply
"pointed peak and carved iinial is omitted and the skilful manner in which
the end rafter is ]iiade to count, curving a little so as to soften somewhat the
stiffness of the outline. Doubtless the rafter is doubled and so made suffi-
ciently stout to permit a chamfered edge. Very acceptable and very
unaffected is the gi'aceful curve the gable assumes. The sturdy sttme but-

THV. UKNERAL VIEW IS HERE WELL ILLUSTRATED WITH ITS SETTING
It is a houKF of many attraotiuns. Note buttresses, overhariKing of upper floor Hnd treatment of r<Hif

tresses count as decoration. They are also of service, supporting the upper
ston,' and the exalted roof. Incidentally they indicate the scale of the li-
brary, which is of unusual dimensions, being nearly seventy feet in length and
having a width of more than thirty feet. It opens from the c-entral hall,
which includes in its make-up some characteristics of the early monastic
screen of the medieval period. Great attention has been bestowed upon win-
dow and door jambs, which splay considerably; the wall is often thickened
out in a very ingenious fashion.

In a word, the scheme as a whole is one more illustration of the fact
that it pays to study the romantic proportions and associations of medieval
days, and that architecture is, after all, the judicious treatment of openings.

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Lake Forest Home of Mr. Hugh J. McBirney

Howard Shaw, architect

llliiitr«tioD( from ori^nal drawint add phota|raph> by Henry FuermaiiD

FROM the very instant we enter we feel that this is a house of sur-
prises. And that is saying a great deal, when we remember the other
interesting homes built of late in the pleasing suburb of that tireless
and resourceful industrial center which we crystallize in one word — Chicago.

The home of Mr. Hugh
J. McBirney is planned
to fit one of the open sec-
tions of Lake Forest,
where thick copse and
wood give way to meadow
land. The surprise is a
long vaulted and red-tiled
gallery or cloister con-
necting the front entrance
with the southwesterly
frontage on the far side
of the house. The vault
is of stucco. It begins
immediately under the
entrance gable and is fur-
ther accented by a semi-
circular hood and is as
vigorous in texture as the
outer walling, being
frankly a structural as
well as a decorative fea-
ture. This very unusual
treatment of things do-
mestic adds to the interior
much seriousness and

THE FRONT ENTRANCE WITH UNUSUAL GABLE

, , , c h a r m , a picturesque

There is much originality in the detail of overhanging rafters . . . , .

and purlins, in the metal hood arching, the front entrance recall- quality of unexpected in-

ing the cloister within, and other testimony to the acceptance of . j. i. n, I • •».

mSny of the most serviceable Ideas of the modem scboil tcrcst tO the CaSUal Visitor.

100

AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TODAY

It is known technically as a barrel vault with intersecting penetrations, and
is supported by well-built piers with chamfered corners. Not unlike the
iiiedieval days, the cloister has a small aisle also vaulted, giving entrance
to the main stair hall and doing a host of things to make the homestead a
__ _ series of pictures with in-

' M ' i viting perspecti\'es, and

shadows that bewilder and
I invite.

I The accompanying sketch

I shows by means of letters
the position of the cloister-
like connection between the
front and garden entrances
indicated by the letter A;
! B shows the living room and
I C the room set apart for the
' family dining; D is the main
stair hall and £ the tele-
phone closet; F is the little
I rtower room imder the stairs
] complete with plumbing
connections, sink and special
I taps for filling vases; K is
I the serving pantry directly
■ opening into the kitchen.
The plan marks by dotted
" lines the treatment of the
vaults and ceiling. The liv-
ing room will be remem-
bered for its sturdiness.
Into the hood of the fire-
place has crept much of the vigor of the cloister. It is big of scale. The
interlacing ribs of the hood are interesting in many ways. Viewed in a cer-
tain light they seem to suggest a structural motive, and yet they are decora-
tive in idea. The manner of treating the door and window openings is also
original. Dispensing with the customary architrave, the architect has here
added another of those individual schemes of his which are very gratifying.
It is instructive to note the original manner in which the chimneys are
treated. Look, for instance, at the chimney which takes the flue of the living-

SKTiTCHED DETAIL OK CFA'TER OF HOUSE

The drawing (fives the utiiisuRl rioisler-like manner c
conneeting the front and icarden entranrps, forminf; also a
interesting ending to the llvinit room. We see the way i
whieh the main and rear stairs are skilfully contrived

LAKE FOREST HOME OF MR. HUGH J. MtBIRNEY

room fireplace and see the use of iiietai in the hood on the outside. The
accompanying illustration of the garden view shows the detail. The hood
projects. It is not pierced, but impressed with good vigorous ornament.
Metal as a decorative element is decidedly new upon this continent. The
same material has heen used for the dormers. Here it counts as cornice and
is built up after the fashion
of a coronet. It appears
very prominently, crowning
the sleeping porch over the
enclosed court, and is dis-
tinctive because of this bat-
tlemented upper edge.

Like most of the work
from the same distinguished
office, we recognize the
sturdiness of the composi-
tion. It is distinctly a
man's conception of what
a house should be, and a
man's handling of material,
of outh'ne and proportion.
Provision for the immediate
future and welfare of plants
and a recognition that na-
ture will play a part by
enriching the surface of the
walling are shown. The ■
sunken garden with its
square flower beds, placed
diagonally, separated by
stone flagging, its apse-like
termination at the extreme
end. its distinctive porch reached by means of steps from the southern court,
its broad bordering of herbaceous plants and its view make a picture of
many surprises. This checker-board form of layout is unusual and has many
advantages, not only because it permits easy access to flowers, but because
it invites diagonal vistas of blossoms and does a host of things which lead to
their daily comfort. Flowers within reach is one of the demands of the house-
wife. There is a quaint old-world grace about the flagging, the broad open
joints of which invite ferns, stone crop, and Alpine plants.

HKHE IS THK HAI.I. FUOM CiAHDEN KNTUANCR

This feature, no iinui'UBl in residetn-i-s, recalls unniistak-
Billy the eliiinler of the iilibey, the screen of the inanur house.
Fortunately some of the trowel murks remain in the plaster
work. The paving is of large Welsh liles of n rieh red

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House of Mr. G. Howard Clark, Jr., Devon, Pa.

Charles Barton Keen, architect

HE very outline of this place breathes antiquity. In many
ways it is a Georgian house of the type adopted when the
most promising and successful people of this country were
beginning to build houses in a workmanlike and satisfactory
manner, houses which were to be permanent and lasting.
Naturally they turned to the later Renaissance of England
for inspiration and to-day we are to be congratulated that there still linger
houses of this comfortable, satisfactory type for which the Georgian period
was famous. It is a common-sense style with abundance of character, a style
to which the individual note can readily be added without putting the whole
composition out of tune. It is a broad middle-class type of architectural ex-
pression which can be adjusted to any site, almost to any purse. The City
of Brotherly Love and its neighborhood made of this period an expression,
intimate, characteristic, wistful, their own — somewhat unlike the treatment
adopted by the wealthy of the Southern States, who accepted the general
scheme of things as contrived by the early architects. We see this at Home-
wood, Whitehall of Maryland, Hardwood House, Paca and Brice Houses
and the house known as Woodlawn of Virginia. And the inspiration of that
early work is to-day very vividly before us in the House of the Sisterhood of
Notre Dame, Maryland, and Carter's Grove close to the James River. The
Philadelphia interpretation of the Georgian is in a way unique not only in
what it does but in what it omits. This self-imposed restraint is to be seen
in the walls of their houses within and without, everywhere. Good propor-
tion takes precedence of extravagant themes, which, while very pleasing, are
soon wearisome. In the houses of the lordly cavalier the curved line and ro-
coco ornamentation of the French are omnipresent, and while the Philadel-
phian rejected the enrichment he gladly accepted the general plan, which he
found to be admirable. He preferred the Georgian treatment of panelling
and arcading as more robust, more wholesome, he called it.

It is said that when the charter for Pennsylvania was passed for signa-
ture before England's king, the question of name was still unsettled. Will-
iam Penn suggested New Wales; another Sylvania. Seizing his quill, the
king prefixed the syllable "Penn" in honor of the many distinguished

108

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HOUSE OF MR. C. HOWARD CLARK, Jr., DEVON, PA. 105

services of his father, the Admiral. To-day the name "Pennsylvania"
spells the immeasurable quality — courtesy, consideration, modesty and
friendliness to the world and brotherhood to mankind. In nmch the same
way has the refining influence of his strength of character permeated the
architecture of that favored state. The spirit is still to-day active in its pro-
test against extravagance of any description, its graceful plea for restraint
against superimposing upon our daily life ornament for its own sake.

The house of Mr. C. Howard Clark, Jr., at Devon, Pa., is long, dis-
tinctly serious in outline and proportion. The central part is very dignified.
The architect has taken as his inspiration the Doric order and of it he has
made good use. It was the fashion to utilize this order about the time when
William Penn's prominence was first noticeable in England and at a time
when the architects were building some very important public buildings. It
is the work of John Vardy, Kent, Gibbs and Ware, making admirable use of
it in private houses which endears it to us. It has the element of repose, of
great respectability and wonderful cahii. Incidentally it is an economical
order to follow. It imposes but few conditions upon the designer, but what it
does require must be respected and obeyed. In length the frontage of the
Clark house exceeds two hundred feet. The central portion husbands the
living-room, hall and dining-room with some minor divisions. Extending on
each side, connected by enclosed corridors which are treated architecturally
as blank arcades are two prominent and serviceable wings. The one is a
loggia, large, windowed on three sides, open, practically an outdoor detached
garden house. It is in the other wing that the kitchen with its various
rooms is to be found. The wings and the connecting corridor have rooms
above. The roofing is interesting. Into it has been put much thought. It
is accented in the center by a Doric pediment and supported by four col-
umns about four diameters apart. They are academic in their outline and
correct. Rustications appear at the corners, and through the middle, run-
ning belt-like round the house a broad, projecting band appears. It is a
brick house, floated with white stucco. Of course, like every other Phila-
delphia house, it stands upon a base of local stone. The threshold is stone,
well laid, liberal in its inches. Practically the two frontages are identical.
Still, in the garden frontage there is this variation: the central pediment
comes forward, sheltering the porch. Very beautiful is this, the all-important
accent of the garden front. It stands upon a terrace of noble dimensions.
It has a lawn closely trimmed, surrounded by a low parapet walling pierced
at prQminent places. From this steps lead to the meadow. Yes, the roofing
has been admirably contrived. It is of interlocking dull-green tile, very
beautiful and likely to become more so. Look at the chimneys. They

106 AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

are big, well balanced, well placed. The pyramid roofing of the wings is
distinctive and we must remember this is a new house, a white house, and
allow, if we can, for the rich foliage which will shortly own the trellis, form-
ing a secondary band round the wings, a band of color varying in its draw-
ing in place of the shadow cast by the hood so frequently found hereabouts.

THE ENTRANCE IS CROWNED BY A STATELY PEDIMENT

Within, the house reveals the plan adopted by the well-informed, luxury-
loving Southerner. It opens well. It is welcoming in its aspect. The hall
runs through the center of the house with the principal rooms on each side.
The living room is nearly fifty feet in length with a breadth of about one-
half. It has two fireplaces. It is splendidly panelled. By the way, in the
cornice of the hall is much of the seriousness of the Doric. An element of
repose is obvious everywhere. It is unmistakable. It extends to the furni-
ture, which embraces much of the teaching of the modern school. The pre-

HOUSE OF MR. C. HOWARD CLARK, Jr., DEVON, PA. 107

vailing color tone is a rather low and quiet composition of warm buff and
silver grays with occasional rose and gold in small quantities. A cool gray-
ish green is much in evidence. Rugs of the Orient cover all the floors;
fumed and polished oak of the forest the walls of the den. The risers of
the staircase are floated with white enamel as is the balustrading; the treads
are oak, the handrail mahogany and the walls to the top of the house axe
enamel which is pleasing in its general appearance.

It is splendidly wooded hillside property and the native trees are let
alone. At one time chestnut with its big leaves, its robust growth domi-
nated the scene. The house is well placed. The gardens terrace consider-
ably up at one end. Meadow land extends a long way in front of the grass
terrace, enjoying the sun most of the day. The original level of the ground
has been preserved intact. This is one of the distinguishing features of
landscape gardening in the vicinity of Philadelphia as understood and prac-
ticed in England. The original levels are respected. There is but little ar-
tiflcial cutting, leveling, terracing. All of which means that the hillside is
not disturbed in any serious manner. It is subdivided, hedged in, fenced
around, thoughtfully planted, but the general contour of the land remains
undisturbed. All of this helps to spell neighborUness, kindliness, good feel-
ing. In other words, there is no hard and fast barrier which relegates to it-
self the series of superior platforms.

In all this we have another illustration of the potency of the modem
spirit in affairs architectural, the cultivated preference for one good thing
at a time, which differentiates between the scholarly and appreciative mind
and the merely fashionable person. It exhibits the intimate and thorough
study of the property, the conscientious labor in locating the accent. It
shows also the influence of the site upon the general scheme, and that the
architect realized the most desirable locality on which to focus his strength.

HERF. IS A PLEASING CONTRAST BETWEEN HAY AND HOOD OF ENTRANCE PORCH
It is hy a sriiiirirculHr drive leHding from the main road that the front door is reached

Mr. C. A. Coffin's Home, Locust Valley, L. I.

Howard Greenley, architect

Illuilratiooi from photo^raphi by Floyd Baker

IF you would know the man of to-day, study his house. It is a rare treat
to find among the more recent properties of these great United States
an encouraging testimony to the efficacy of the broadening outlook of
our best people. The country house of Mr. Charles A. Coffin, from its very

MR. C. A. COFFIN'S HOME, LOCUST VALLEY, L. I. 109

inception, belongs to Long Island. It forms a part of it. It is not like a
suburban house adrift, or a city house removed, but is a house designed for
this section of the country. Not only is it built of local materials and con-
ceived to suit. the site, the family and the pocketbook, but it is of the country
and evidently proud to be there. In many ways it is very interesting. It has
a frontage upon the main highway leading from Glen Cove to Oyster Bay
and is well within view of the new Piping Rock development. It is a richly
wooded property, with maple, locust, hickory, wild cherry and beech trees.
The surface of the ground is undulating and for many years about one-
third of it was utilized for agricultural purposes and the rest left undis-
turbed as natural woodland.

In locating the house, advantage has been taken of a knoll which rises
a few feet above the ground levels and of the position of a large hickory
and a wild cherry tree and subsidiary planting. It has also permitted the
utilization of a splendid view. It runs east and west, having a prominent
northern and southern frontage. The extension in a westerly direction is
encouraging for many reasons. It has an impressive and an inviting per-
spective, and, thanks to a series of open spaces, terraced and enriched
with lawns, with broad borders of flowers, so that the distance is made
to appear as a picture within a picture.

The house is some two hundred feet in length. It might be termed
an open-air house, a house with an extremely large living-room, with many
porches, some covered, others open, and casements where possible. It is
evidently the house of a man who loves the great out-of-doors and who has
determined to make the best of the rural charm, the abandon of the woods.
It is not only picturesque in outline and very unusual, but also serviceable.
Within and without the general kej'note is white with a roofing of red tile.
There is not about it anything small or belittling in architectural detail.
Provision has been made for creepers, so that in a short while the whole
frontage will be covered with an ever-varying texture. It is practically fire-
proof, and is an all-the-year-round house. The plan provides for a den, a
writing-room, a small room for the flowers, a reception room and the rest
of it, and, of course, the usual service quarters, with modern luxuries and
necessities. The interior walls are just as strong and satisfactory as the ex-
terior. There is a certain picturesque abandon about the composition
which is the natural outcome of skilful scheming.

The fortunate visitor will always remember the place for its unusual
attraction in the woodv section, far removed from the main road. Some
of this is so wild that it can hardly be spoken of as a garden, yet it is classed
a wilderness. Here are large clumps of beech trees, under the shade

AN INTERESTING STUDY IN PORCHES AND BAYS

The view shows somethlni of the roof and the way it is contrived to flt the unusual plan. It
. Is the product of a resourceful mind which has found profit In the study of Engli^ work

of which a rich diversified order has been systematically worked out. In cer-
tain seasons of the year will be found the wild honeysuckle or pink azalea,
the fire-cracker plant whose brilliant vermilion tubes brighten many a dull
shadow. The dutchman's breeches with dainty heart-shape blossoms which
hang tremblingly from a slender stem, yellow butter-and-egg, touch-me-
not, and the butterfly weed, jewel-like in growing, and the common barberry,
mountain ash, elder, and fringe tree, and, of course, common, everyday su-
mac, add to the rich pageant of glorious color. Here upon a raised portion of
the property is a bungalow, a camp, a woodshed, a spring, all hidden in the
natural undergrowth, the high bushes and the low trees. The planting is also
interesting in its use of berry-bearing shrubs, which sing their little song in
the winter, when the snow is upon the ground, the snow forming a back-
ground for the berry. It is this type of thing, this method of humanizing

THE LIVING ROOM IS BIG IN IDEA, WELL LIGHTED, BRIGHT AND CHEERY

the property by the thou^tful and free use of color and planting that ap-
peals to the visitor. Would that it were contagious !

Is there anything more engaging, anything which makes a more exact-
ing demand upon our skill, than this construction of suburban homes, which
are located sufficiently near the city to enjoy its conveniences and yet suffi-
ciently within the fascinating center of country privileges to enjoy out-
door sports and the wild abandon of the open? This demand upon the
architect has been fearlessly met by some men in general practice, who have
succeeded in making their classic mistress ignore to a degree her irrevocable
laws so that our architecture is more warmly human and very much more sat-
isfactory and better to live with, conforming better with our ideas of the
amount of money the citizen is justified in spending for his home.

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Home of Mr. Edward G. Hoyt, near Stamford, Conn.

Newman & Harris, architects

Illustrations from photographs by Wurts Bros.

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T is when we see houses like the one recently built by Mr.
Edward C. Hoyt that we feel encouraged for the future of
American homes. It is distinctly the proper and obvious
solution of the problem from a broad and wholesome stand-
point. It is designed after a fashion which is international,
in that it is broad and vigorous and world-wide in idea, and
while old in method of building, and of well tried and dependable work-
manship, it is new also in its skilful use of cement, of hollow tile and other
up-to-date materials. It is well planned, well roofed, well and creditably
detailed. It has less frivolous ornament than any house of its size that has
been built hereabouts for many a year. What ornament it has is in the
right place and is the natural and logical outcome of a well determined and
decorative scheme, so that in many ways it has beauty of a reasonable type.
The property is located at Noroton Hill, near Stamford, Conn. It is set so
far back from the main road, the Boston turnpike, as to be somewhat out
of sight. The view from the long westerly terrace opens up panoramically
in the direction of Long Island Sound. It is a splendid picture. There is
something particularly interesting in this Tudor manor of England standing
here high up on the shore of an American sound, in full enjoyment of pass-
ing ships of every description, a picture instructive in many ways, stimulat-
ing, inspiring, challenging.

This house of Mr. Hoyt is typical of the improved and the reawakening
sense of our architects and of our property owners. Splendidly does it
typify the kind of things we desire, the type of thing for which we are pre-
pared to stand and of which we are justly proud.

The house is built of brick, floated with stucco. The windows have
dressings of limestone of which the fireplace of the entrance hall is also built.
This material is also used for the door jambs, for the weathering of the but-
tresses, the base of the chimney stacks, and for the coping around the porte-
cochere entrance. It also appears as a subsidiary base on which the house
stands very close to the surface of the ground. The house is roofed and
shingled with rived, that is split, shingles of cypress, which live forever.

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PictureMjue Is this elevation with its overhanging, half-timbered gnbling and projecting bafs

HOME OF MR. EDWARD C. HOYT, NEAR STAMFORD, CONN. 117

They neither disintegrate, warp, twist nor rot. The barge boards . are care-
fully thought out, well moulded, sympathetically cut in divers curious and
interesting ways.

Within, the ceilings are of interest, carefully moulded with ribs that take
up a somewhat fantastic outline; that of the hall is a graceful evolution of
the square, set diagonally within a circle, an ornamental form of great his-
torical importance. The billiard room is beamed heavily with oak. The din-
ing-room has for its ceiling enrichment a running ornament on the under
side of the subsidiary beams which appear to extend the length of the room.
This Connecticut dining-room has much character, not confined within its
own walls, but beyond, by means of a subtle introduction of casements : the
one long and low, the other tall, permitting a view into a breakfast-room be-
yond, and again through a casement to the horizon line, wherein the early
morning sunlight gladdens the breakfast-table. The breakfast-room has also
an open porch of its own, a sort of early morning hiding place for momen-
tary concealment or a continued siesta.

The suburban district of New York has witnessed many improvements
of late, but not anything more vital than the method recently adopted by
architects and others in their vigorous handUng of a complex subject.

The up-to-date method of attacking the problem of suburban homes in-
vites much which is not usually classified under the dignified head of Archi-
tecture. After an engaging and somewhat extended flirtation wherein we
have sought to build in this vicinity copies or adaptations of houses foreign
to our soil, we have decided to readjust and concern ourselves with that form
of building which fits the ground near our city and which brings to our
hearths the rich pictures of the neighborhood. We are just a little tired of
being archaeologists, copyists, adapters. This has led to a healthier and more
worth-while house, of which this is a splendid example. For it has within
itself local ideas as well as local color and an individuality which is unmis-
takable and worthy.

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Mr. Rpbert S. Brewster's Home, Mt. Kisco, N. Y.

Delano & Aldrich, architects

Illustrationi from original drawing and photographs by Harry Coutant

ES! A chateau from the land of ancient courtesies and
courtly manners, the mother of republics and of graceful
accomplishments, in the very heart of our American woods,
and quite at home too, thank you, and looking as natural
as if its white walls, well-proportioned windows and arch-
ways, lofty roof lines and sparkling fountains, were deep
in the great mysteries of the majestic Fontainebleau. It is somewhat
startling, but very delightful to find within the hilly section of Westches-
ter County, half hidden in foliage, a house so sedate in idea, so restrained
in outline, so free from extravagance and withal so wholesome in its make-
up. It is a country home, well planned, thoughtfully contrived and ingeni-
ously introduced into the woodland without a heartless cutting away of
things, a too free changing of levels, or the adoption of some big engineer-
ing scheme, reducing the grounds to an artificial platform. The garden
and courts have been laid out and the house located with reference to the
view. The outline has been determined in form somewhat by the steep-
ness of the hillside of which they are a part, so acceptable do they seem to
be to the sympathetic visitor. In a word, Mr. Robert S. Brewster's sum-
mer home at Mt. Kisco,'New York, conforms to its site and fits into its
surroundings. The house is well studied from within, it fits the family as
well as the site; the block plan reveals the general layout. The rooms
are grouped with regard to the compass point, and in a right-about-face
manner it fronts the north, makes much of the south and west, arid rele-
gates the service wing to the eastern section with its yard, for even here
the architects have not forgotten the early rising of the sun and the attrac-
tion of breakfasting in the open, just as that luminary rises with its gorgeous
benediction upon the day, for a porch is shown opening from the dining
and breakfast rooms upon the grassy court.

The problem of daylight for the house as for the picture is funda-
mental. The citizen of to-day assigns to the already heavily burdened archi-
tect the responsibility of so arranging the rooms that they are well lighted,
— light being as important to general comfort as intercommunication.

119

FKOM THE LIBRARY THK TKMPr,E OF I.OVF, IS SEEN EXSHRINED IN THE WOOD
lliis view is from the northern court mnrked by low tnarble-cnpited stone walling, notnlile In plan

MR. ROBERT S. BREWSTER'S HOME, MT. KISCO, N. Y.

Yes ; the plan is excellent, and is an important tribute to the ingenuity
of the architects, who have managed to keep the service wing out of sight;
the house, as it were, is all frontage, or all presentable, and yet the work-
ing portion is well taken care of, with its own independent yard. A long
gallery conceals the service wing from sight.
It is flanked by archways looking into the rose
garden and leading into the central hall. The
living-room opens upon the northern view of
the wood, from which at well determined places
long, narrow alleyways are cut, giving inter-
esting perspective views into the recesses of
the foliage. These architectural accents are
valuable and are decoratively acknowledged
by fountains standing upon the upper terrace
walling. Water plays an important part in
this scheme, being pumped from the little
brook running from the arched entrance of
the property and stored in large tanks at the
top of the hill well behind the tall trees and
equally well out of sight. It is an interesting
element of the picture wherever seen, and in
some adroit fashion it is pretty well on view
all the time. There are seven well-arranged
fountains and one tiny pool in the lower ellipti-
cal sunken court around which we pass in
going to the far-away portion of the property
deep in the valley.

The block plan shows by letters: A, B,
C and D, A indicating the upper court and
D the lower wild garden, the varying im-
portant points which differ considerably in
level, yet which are connected by marble stair-
ways, rustic runways or vaulted pergolas, according to the position which
seems convenient or desirable, and so subtle is the descent that in no way is
the varj'ing level a matter that concerns the visitor. lie may walk from
the Temple of Love enshrined among the locusts, cedars, hemlocks and
pass readily into the upper court under the segmental runway to the main
pergola, entering the elliptical garden, again descending to the valley,
scarcely realizing that he has passed many feet below the level of the house.

The block plan shows by figures; 1 indicates the living room, 2 the

SKETCH BLOCK PLAN

Outline showing housr, up[K:r and
wpr courts, with fountains and
Tmila. connecting runways with the
leading to lower garden

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MR. ROBERT S. BREWSTER'S HOME, MT. KISCO. N. Y. 128

library, 8 the dining-room, 4 the central hall, 5 the servants' wing with
its kitchen, pantries, servants' hall and rear staircase. The entrance is from
the court lettered B. Here carriages can arrive and depart comfortably,
ample room and privacy for the court being well preserved. It is all part
of the general scheme of things, so is the sunken court enclosing the lower
garden which diverges somewhat from the center of the house axe in its
wise adjustment of the site. The garden is sympathetically divided into
flower beds and borders, occasionally dry walling appears with pockets for
creepers and plants and for things that interlace generally and promise to
he of great interest when more fully grown. The walling of this and other
parts of the property is constructed of stone quarried on the site and full of
metallic deposit, varying greatly in its color and texture.

It goes without saying that this is the way of men who have refused
to yield to the imprisonment of historic styles as such, because of the many
phases false to our ideals of civilization and to our understanding of true
beauty, expressed in the word service to that which is best and most inspir-
ing in our nature, and who have found pleasure in devoting days to the
labor of so grasping the opportunities and limitations of this particular
site, family and occasion as to manipulate something not only free from af-
fectation, but which shows they have struggled manfully with the problem
from the ground up rather than from the drawing-oflRce down. In other
words, they not only accepted, but glorified, in the responsibilities and limi-
tations. There is a wholesomeness and strenousity about everything, a
consistency, a rhythm that is acceptable.

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Mr. T. H. Kerr's Home, White Plains, N. Y.

Albro & Lindeberg, architects

lUuBtrstions from original drawing and photographs by Julian Buckly and others

S everyone knows, some houses have the advantage of a splen-
did setting thrust upon them, others depend for their inter-
est upon the resources of the architect. Remembering this
and realizing that the practical value of professional service
is one of the vital topics of human interest and discussion,
applying to architect as it does to lawyer and physician
wherein results tell, it is entertaining to examine the house recently built
at White Plains, New York, for Mr. Thomas H. Kerr. Here the archi-
tect has had to make his own site, his own background, bringing to bear his
own personality. There are a few handsome trees upon the property but
no particular view in any direction. Credit is due to the bold, vigorous way
in which the scheme has been so contrived as to make tlie best of the slop-
ing meadow land. It is a small property of some eight or ten acres; still,
by keeping the house well up, by staging it, so to speak, it has become
interesting. This is one of the occasions where it pays to study the site from
an academic outlook, and where the architect has certainly succeeded in
becoming so imbued with the subject, with its numerous and engaging rami-
fications, as to design a house which is not only imposing but comfortable
and good to look upon. The views give something of the story, but neither
the color nor perfume, still less the brilliant sparkle of the sun. Without
an equally conscientious study of the planting scheme, the utilization of cer-
tain well-known shrubbery and the assignment of common everyday bricks
to a prominent place ; without the well-contrived terracing, parapet wall and
approach, and without the lily pool, the house pure and simple would have
been just one of those good-looking but somewhat ordinary buildings.
But this house, the staging of which is so skilfully foiled and so decorative,
so led up to by plants and flowers, has become an engaging picture. Into
the composition has crept the delicate quality of romance and a still further
promise of charm in the near future. The terrace garden is full of color, a
fragrant potpourri of fancies and frivolities, of water lilies and pink
oleanders, movement and reflections, recalling classic days and haunts of
the fairies and wood nymphs when examined in the twilight. This goes

125

IVY-BOKDERED POOL WITH LIMKS. OI-EANUKRS AND BAY TRKES
The rcHirction ot the colonnaded porch at each end of the terrace recalls classic days and drj'uils

MR. T. H. KERR'S HOME, WHITE PLAINS, N. Y. 127

admirably with the round-topped elms, bottle-green chestnuts, stately pine
and maple trees bordering one side of the property, easting a shadow upon
the roadway.

In many ways it is an up-to-date, sober house with modern conve-
niences, modern characteristics and luxuries ; and yet, strange to say, we are
attracted most of all as far as the exterior goes to that form or proportion

THE HOODED ENTRANCE HAS ITS OWN GABLE

of both ornament and construction which are well nigh prehistoric. The
loggias at each end were old in spirit in the days of the graceful and critical
Athenian. The ivy-laden trellis arching the entrance to the long living-
room at White Plains reminds us once again of the agreeable manner of
accenting with vines, laurel wreaths and palm branches the doorways to
the dwelling place and temple in classic times. The painted treillage screen
lattice-work invites the free use of crimson ramblers, wistaria and other
creepers of our time, such as the domestic grapevine and the wonderful

^\ iJI irM^?"

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THIS SKETCH DISCLOSES THE GENERAL ARRANGEMENT OF THINGS
It also gives an insight into the arrangement of rooms on the ground floor and floor above

MR. T. H. KERR'S HOME, WHITE PLAINS, N. Y. 129

euonymus. Ivy also borders the water garden with its iris, and lilies of
delicate shades blooming only at night, when it appears as a dim garland
mirror diapered with stars and fireflies.

Although to all intents and purposes the central hall with the library
and dining-room is one long chamber, so far as the decoration is concerned,
they each have a separate treatment. Heavily panelled is the ceiling to
the central hall. The fireplace is of Istrian marble of stately proportion.
Here also is a practical testimony to the industry of the cabinet workers
of the Renaissance of Italy. Mr. Kerr has been so fortunate as to secure
from various sources furniture which might well be added to the national
collection. Some of the chairs are remarkable, not alone because of the
oddity of their shape, the delicacy of their carving, but for their associa-
tion. It is not often that chairs intended for the gondola, so constructed
that they give satisfactory support, are found in a country house. Here
also are high-backed settees, cabinets that may one day have held within
their secret drawers documents of great value. The dining-room is of the
style of one of those eighteenth century excursions into classic decora-
tion of which so nmch was said in tlie early days of George III, and which
is once again, and this time in America, receiving considerable attention.
The wall panelling and ceiling ornamentation are like those adopted in the
Adelphi region of London from the designs of Robert Adam, the Scottish
architect. This enterprising enthusiast succeeded in recomposing some of
the sterner forms of classic adornment so that they became available to
modern usage. The dining-room at White Plains is an excellent illustra-
tion of the method of procedure. Upon a ground of light gi'ay, rosettes and
garlands of white appear at set intervals, in much the same manner as that
adopted by Wedgwood, the sculptor and ceramist. The moulding and
arabesque ornament is low in relief, cameo fashion, very delicate in drawing
and exceedingly refined in idea. To the panelling, which is always broad,
preserving large surfaces, is added an occasional pastoral or dancing scene,
a classic subject treated in a classic way, winsome and capricious at times.
A figure subject of this description accents the panelling over the door and
window head. It also appears as a center to the ceiling. The room is fur-
nished with mahogany, rich and dark, and has also among other attractive
bric-a-brac some fine pieces of Sheffield plate, tall and slender candlesticks,
and a convex mirror which reflects amusingly.

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III II

The Home of Mr. Clayton S. Cooper, Fieldston, N, Y.

Albro & Lindeberg, architects

Illustration from photograph by Harry Coutant

N all parts of the world there is a charm about a small house

by the wayside. There is mystery in it, a secret as to the

farther side, particularly when it is so placed that the sun

resides there the greater part of every glorious day. These

houses are usually found in the suburbs, where the ground

is measured by the foot, dominated by the building line and

rural district regulations and yet, thank Apollo, we can do as we like at

the back. Yes, we can plant flower borders, or have a big wide open lawn,

more or less sheltered by trees and enjoy privacy at the back.

This is very nmch the way we feel when we look at the small property
in the vicinity of Van Cortlandt Park, recently built by Mr. Clayton Cooper.
It is just one of those captivating places an architect loves to sketch
in the margin of his drawing board or the real estate man pictures through
the smoke of his cigar, as a place he would love to own for himself. It is
large enough for a reasonable family, it is convenient enough for anyone in
all conscience. The entrance is in an inconspicuous place. Entering in a
small but well-shaped hall, after descending a few steps from the roadway,
we descend further into the living-room, w^hich occupies the end of the house,
and walk out upon the loggia from which we view a long, enclosed garden,
where in the open we can read Dostoyevsky. Further steps down take us
to the room assigned to the royal game of billiards, immediately under the
living-room. The service quarter is worked out well with its own stairway
and bathroom for maid. A long, four-lighted window illumines the kitchen
on one side, a three-lighted one on the other. Of course, the living-room has
a splendid accommodation for books along the north wall. The end of the
house has a small garage. The words: comfort, convenience, picturesque-
ness, independence, can well be used in describing the place which does so
much to cultivate an ingratiating affability, needed by all, and the ex-
quisite sense of privacy essential to a writer. This happens to be the home
of a writer. It is just the place for delineating character, inventing subtle,
living and convincing phrases, transmitting them to a world which at times
has been known to be human, or sufficiently human to show appreciation.

181

Home of Mr. W. G. Mather, Cleveland, O.

Charles A. Piatt, architect

Illustrations from original drawings and photographs by Julian Buckly

WINN, the estate of Mr. William G. Mather of Cleveland,
is an interesting treatment of a lake frontage. In many
ways it varies greatly from the neighboring lakeside prop-
erties, which, although they are very picturesque, standing
back from the water some considerable distance, surrounded
by gardens and terraces, and having a certain connection
with the lake, vary but little from good-looking homes in other sections of
the country. In a word, they too often miss a golden oportunity. Gwinn
is literally upon the lake, some twenty-eight feet above the surface of the
w'ater, and so close to the edge of the bank as to be a part of it. Enthroned
among the venerable elms, the house owes much to Lake Erie and the reflec-
tion nearby humanizes delightfully the edge of the water. It is but a small
property, some five acres in extent, yet the frontage has been so contrived
as to make the most of the occasion. Doubtless the Lake, driven by fierce
winds, constantly eating into the bank suggested somewhat the crescent-
like shaping of the new breakwater, which, after the practical method of
our time, has been constructed solidly of concrete, superimposed in places
and liberally battered in front. This keeping of the building as close to
the water as possible permits an intimate association with the great open
area, and increases the apparent height and dramatic appearance of the
house, which seems to find its foundations on the lake itself. The majesty
of the front is increased by the height of the bank. The venerable elms,
many of them a century old, the maple and oak make an admirable set-
ting. A portion of the crescent-shaped breakwater has been so thickly
planted as to add to the brilliant light the delicate tone of green and so
offset the glare, inseparable from a prominent position near the water.

The accompanying sketch of the original condition of the shore front
shows the grove of trees upon the easterly side, the general character of the
layout, the ragged water edge and the irregular bank, the diversified nature
of the woods, the westerly boundary of I^ombardy poplars. The central
line indicates the position of the house. The woods are very beautiful.
Occasionally a birch, sycamore or black walnut tree adds richness. The out-

133

134

AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

line is determined by the lofty elm trees. Those at the outer edge of the
bank have evidently received for many years the full force of the wind,
being gaunt in limb and stripped of foliage. Such, in brief, was the condi-
tion of the property when the architect formulated his plan for the improve-
ment of things.

If the lake frontage appeals to the lover of big schemes because of its

majesty, its immense scale, the
noble order of its semicircular
portico and exedra-like exten-
sion of the lower terrace and
approach, due not a little to the
original setting and the relation
between the house, the bank and
the lake, so does the southern or
garden side of the house appeal
to the lover of flowers, of sun-
shine, of shelter. Here the scale
is different, more human; and,
thanks to the general arrange-
ment of everything, to the na-
ture of the heavy foliage upon
the westerly exposure, the gar-
den is sheltered from the pre-
vailing winds, and yet in full
enjoyment of the sunshine.

The second sketch plan show-
ing the property as developed
by Mr. Piatt discloses graphi-
callv the entrance drivewav
leading towards the circular
court at the westerly end of the
house. The service drive leads
from the boulevard. The south-
ern frontage is therefore free, open to the long lawn bordered by English
ehiis which are very stocky in outline with a crown that is compact and
a leafage that holds its color late into October. This avenue of stately
elms is very beautiful. It was possibly due to this that Mr. Mather ac-
quired later considerable property upon the far side of the public highway,
where he located the servants' quarters, stable, and the rest of it, and where
the long vista opened through the newly planted parkway beyond. This

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PROPKRTY IN ITS OUKilNAL CONDITION

The rap^ged water edge suggested tlie new frontage.
The central line shows the niidde of the house. Few
of the trees have had to be sacrilieed, which is fortunate

HOME OF MR. W. G. MATHER, CLEVELAND, O.

view is enjoyed greatly from the library windows indicated on the plan by
the letter B. The principal rooms are noted as follows: C marks the inner
hall and D the dining-room, which connects with E, the morning room. G
shows the position of the reception room to the left of the entrance, and F of
tlie withdrawing room to the right. A accents tlie semicircular portico from
which the great panorama of the lake opens up. The main arhor in the
garden is designated by the
letter I, and the long pergola
is marked K. The plan shows
the flower beds, their relative
size, and the place where the
fountains appear, the tennis
' court and the greenhouses and ;

cottage for the gardeners.

The large octagonal foun-
tain in the center of the garden ,
is presided over hy a graceful
figure of bronze from the fa-
mous Goddess of Fortune at
Fano, an ancient walled town
on the projecting spur of the
Apennines, between Ancona
and Ravenna. This graceful
tribute to the skill of the sculp-
tor of the Renaissance of Italy
looks very much at home in
the New Republic, fitting the
garden admirably, finding no
little sympathy with the lordly
elms and the carefully ar-
ranged palette of colors at her
feet. Like the house, she also
faces the lake. There is an-
other fountain in the grove on the same axial line, somewhat concealed by
the big shadows. It marks the crossing of the paths and is a little winsome
artificiality among the venerable oaks. Very refreshing is this bubbling over
of the stream imprisoned momentarily by the dolphins. A third fountain is
the one which accents the landing upon the upper terrace, of which the little
bronze boy is the c*entral figiu'e. Tins amorino is full of life. It illustrates
the delight a child feels in grasping a living creature that resists embrace.

PROPERTY AS UKVELOPKD BY MR. FI.ATT
Here Is the new lake frontage with terrace approach
and the long ehn-lihadecl lawn wliich centers the scheme.
To the right the original grove remains intact

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Pcdiment^d portico, entablature and cornice have much of the quiet dignity of the stately Ionic order

The Home of the Rev. J. Hutcheson, Warren, R. I.

Charles A. Piatt, architect

I1lu*ir«l!oii* Irom original drawing! and photogriphs by Aujuil Patzig

THE visitor to Villasera, the home of the Rev. Joseph Hutcheson, will
admit freely that the orchard is the center of attraction. There is said
to be a leading spirit, a controlling idea, in every worth-while scheme.
In this Rhode Island property, in the suburbs of Warren, overlooking Nar-
ragansett Bay, the most prominent and most beautifuf thing about the place
is certainly the orchard, or, as it has bieen deservedly rechristened, in respect
to its rich glow of color, the walled garden.

It was early summer when first the architect examined the little estate,
The apples were just forming. The place was very wild. The house, such as
it was, fronted the main street, turning much of its back toward the Bay.
It was approached by a rough roadway leading to the outbuildings and
after a while to the shore front. Glance at the plan of the property in its
original condition and you will see how it all looked, and you' will note the
fence line interspersed with bushes and small trees, the splendid old orchard,

187

188 AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

rather crowded perhaps, but still vigorous in spite of its years, picturesque
and romantic, possibly profitable to the market, and full of that remarkable
drawing which only an old apple or fig tree possesses. There are said to be
few things more beautiful or altogether more satisfying and stimulating to
a sensitive person than the view of a summer sky seen through the thick fo-

PROPERTY IN ORIGINAL FORM

The sketch discloses the jiosition of
the old huiise with its Hiiiall oiitbuildin);!i,
rondway, fenee line, ijushes and orchard

PI,AN AS IT IS TO-DAV

Thanks to the hiiproved desi)[n, the
old ii]>)>le orchard lieeumes a walled garden
and is rejuvenated by improved scheme

Hage and overhanging boughs of the apple tree. The leaves make a won-
drous diaper of rare beauty.

Tiu-n if you will to the sketch plan as it is to-day. Here the old apple
orchard has become a walled garden. True, we miss some of the trees in
the center and note their place has been pre-empted by a mirror pool upon
the broad stone curbing of which stand low bushes in fat earthenware jars,
-a little friendly competition with the red above, which at certain angles ap-

THE H05IE OF THE REV. J. HUTCHESON, WARREN, R. I. 189

pear in the reflections upon the surface of the water. Here also is a hroad
bordering of flowers of many colors; the deep blue of the delphinium, the
purple of the iris, is here among the bucking to the smaller blossoms among
tlie shadows, and as a climax to it all we realize that something else has been
added to the scene by the wise omission of the wall at the southeasterly end,
the charm of distance and opalescence with magic grays and silvery tones
forever associated with the sea. In the center of the mirror pool is a small
fountain, just suf-
ficient to give a lit-
tle sparkling note,
a sense of move-
ment to the sur-
face, of murmur-
ing amid the
flowers and the
sunshine.

Further study
of the plan reveals
the value of the
scheme as a whole,
and from the ac-
companying views
we find the house
to have a fine clas-
sical portico and to THE NORTHEASTERLY VIEW SHOWS THE ARBOR

be correct calm '^''^ pot<rncy of the new planting scheme is most RatisfatTtorily re-

' , venled by rxBinining closply tne Heciiii) ponying plan of property aa it

and verj' effective it tn-day. The mirror iHiiit takes the pliice of Minic of the npple trees

in line. It is ap-
proached through an avenue of elm trees. It was to secure satisfactory root-
age to some of these promising tenants that much of the original rock had
to be blasted. The scheme provides for a tennis court, garage, stable, gar-
dener's cottage and vegetable garden, and a well-proportioned shelter at the
northwesterly end of the garden. It will be noted that the shore frontage,
toward which the property gently slopes, has been severely let alone, and
that the planting has been so arranged as to make of the frontage from
the Bay a well-balanced picture. It is a small property with a singular
charm. The visitor feels that everything is related to that walled orchard
with its wondrous light.

FRONT VIEW. SHOWING BAY OF I.IVIN'U AND DININC! KOOM WITH LOGGIA
The bays, arcadlng, long windows, and overhanging roof are resjtunsibic for a pleasing elevation

Home of Mr. L. J. Burgess, Zanesvitle, O.

Howell & Thomas, architects

I II uit ration! from original drawing and phologrBphi

COMMEND me to the man who finds pleasure in serviceable features
adding to the comfort of the home lover. By coiimion consent we get
more out of a square house, dollar for dollar, than of a house of any
other kind. It is economical. Ec-onomical is it as to space and running
expenses, excellent for domestic service, and for heating inviting a gowl,
general system of intercommunication between rooms. A square house is
workable and adjustable to many subdivisions.

Some people condemn this description of building because, forsooth, in
the hands of certain architects it verges on the commonplace. "There are
so many square houses, we tire of them," say they. This is high praise!
The internationalization of this form of dwelling is one of its strong points.
Having the cosmopolitan appeal, it has become universal in its make-up.

By means of two five-lighted bays, semicircular in plan and connected
by a well-proportioned loggia, this interesting house at the extreme edge of
the city of Zanesville, Ohio, assumes considerable importance.

HOME OF MR. I.. J. BUKGKSS, ZANKSVILLE, O.

141

It is interesting to learn from the accompanying sketch that gives the
principal rooms that A is the hall, B the dining room, C the living room, D
the nmsic room, E the reception room and F the sun parlor or living porch
as you will. It is through the loggia, here indicated by the letter G, that we
enter the house. K is the kitchen and accompanying service wing.

PLAN SHOWING ATTENTION BES'l'OWED ON GENERAL SCHEME

'ITlp hoiisF is very plpaKln(c, upon an exalted terrace aiming shadows of oak trees. The stucco re-
flects brilliancy of light, niuking an interesting contrast to delicate shades of ftreen and russet of the
foliage. 'Ilie service |)art Is separate, with Its stairway, Its own bathriHitii and porch for the maids

The trim of the hall and living room is of red gum, oiled and waxed. The
ceiling of the former is panelled with the same material. The side walls
are of graj' sand-finished plaster. On the upper floor there is an unusual
provision for amateur photography. This is for Mrs. Burgess, who has found
it of great service. Throughout the house there is a graceful testimony to the
love of color. Some of the fireplaces are decorated with tiles imported from
Holland. The child's room has a built-in wardrobe and a cabinet for toys.
We must not forget the room in the basement, finished with dull-red brick
walls, beamed ceiling and open fireplace, popular for winter entertainments.

AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

In the interesting case before us, it is evidently so well within the gi-asp
of a cultivated mind as to include in its design many other sympathetic ideas
of a descriptive character. It is interesting to see the prominence given to

the circle as a decorative
and structural element.
This is obvious in the
arching between the
square piers of the loggia
and in the treatment of
the spandrils immediately
over them, where a small
mosaic of glass enamel
appears lunette fashion.
Even the trellising fol-
lows this outline. The cir-
cle has been remembered
in the drawing of the
small areas which light the
basement and in the foun-
tain upon the rear terrace.
Fortunately the site is
very high and is thickly
covered with old oak trees
reaching high overhead.
The view to the west over-
looks the Muskingum
Valley. The living and
reception rooms are so lo-
cated as to make the most
of the sunlight. On the
westerly frontage there is
a small semi-informal
garden with a little foun-
tain and pool upon the
terrace, making it of in-
terest! - Throughout, tlie house is decidedly modern in character, embodying
many features of the present phase of Germany. Occasionally we find some-
thing unmistakably Italian in incentive, but this displays the influence of
the German mind.

The human element and the pleasure of entertaining in a social man-

THE TKRHACK MAKKS AN ATrRACTIVK PICTURE

Tlw mirror jhm)! and foiintuin inske a vnluable note, a
spot of bri(i;ht li(rht ever to l)e enjoyed, a sense of nir '

and life. Water has the quality of transmilting Ii(tlit

HOME OF MR. L. J. BURGESS, ZANESVILLE, O.

143

ner may be responsible for the provision for musicales and charades, for we
see in the arrangement of the floor levels that the floor of the music room
and reception room, adjoining, is two steps above the main of the house,
being just suflicient to
give an opportunity for
an evening at home in a
dramatic fashion, with
customary accommoda-
tion for scenic effects.
The music room is practi-
cally a part of the living
room, being separated
only by an arched open-
ing and the two steps.
All this is very delightful.
Over the mantel of the re-
ception room is a convex
mirror reflecting the mu-
sic room and the sun par-
lor or living porch be-
yond. Mr. Burgess was
so fortunate as to discover
in Munich some admir-
able panels of stained and
painted glass which have
been incorporated into
the windows. The living
room of course becomes a
center of attraction in the
family and of great serv-
ice with its recesses for the
accommodation of books semicihculau bays opkn on front terrace

and splendid bay the ^" "^tractive arrangcniFnt nf windnws unci an aKre<^abIe

" ■^ ' setting to which lacc-likr shatlows cuntriliute lilierHlly. The scene

casements of which open is full of color. The color is the result of good material

out and have leaded glaz-
ing. ,It is well lighted from both sides of the house. The side walls are
covered with a woven fabric, golden brown in tone, which goes well with the
dark brown of the woodwork. The dining room ceiling is vaulted. What
ornament it has is of interest, the work of modellers famous in the district.
The lighting fixtures are of silver from the Birmingham gild of England.

K 2.

THE ENTRANXE WITH CIRCULAR DRIVEWAY IS HERE VERY WELT, ILLUSTRATED
The trees lining the approach give it an excellent Impressiim; the window heads are Interesting

Home of Mr. Guido Hanson, Pine Lake, Wis.

Brust & Philipp, architects

llluitratioDi Irom original drawing and pliotographa

EVERY once in a whole some one builds a house defying our limited
ideas of classification. We are tempted to class it by some other term.
Loving a bungalow and that g>'psy camp life with which it is generally
associated, we want to speak of it under that intangible nomenclature, for
while it has characteristics of the charm and abandon of life in India which
gave us the word, it has a rather more serious air, as becomes a house quali-
fied for the serious affairs of life.

This is very much the way we feel when we look at the little place
recently built in the thick, woody section around Pine Lake, where it is
well-nigh hidden among the oaks and chestnuts. The owner is to be con-
gratulated that his property has a large open breathing space, a meadow on
the high spot of which he has built. He is further to be congratulated on the
richly wooded background which set the pace, so to speak, and which fills

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HOME OF MR. GUIDO HANSON, PINE LAKE, WIS.

147

the daily life with perfume, color and, occasionally, with movement, always
with cool shade and transparent shadows. I say "congratulated" because
these are things money cannot buy, but even the pennies of the poor can
damage irreparably, nay, destroy. This little place literally in the wood — call
it a bungalow or house, as you will, and for my own part I would rather call it
a camp — ^must be delightful for the summer. Thanks to the architect, it has
assumed quite a little prominence with all its deliberate refusal to avoid
serious proportions.
From the pillared
entrance, semicircu-
lar in plan, and brave
with canopy and tiled
floor, the windows
with their arched re-
cesses overhead and
oriel at the stair land-
ing, the loggia and
covered porch ex-
tending to the ser-
vants' quarters, from
the stately fashion in
which the living room
ceiling is treated, the
scheming of the mi-
nor rooms, the un-
usual stairway, the
detailing of the fire-
place, and in many
other ways do we
note the attention
which has been bestowed upon small things, things of great importance.

It is pleasing to see from the views that the owner realized that upon
the furnishing and decoration much depends. He has kept it simple. He
has also arranged to introduce into the kingdom a sense of brightness and
good cheer. Possibly the color has much to do with this, for we find no
little care has been exercised in that regard.

Over and above all does the man of the world look to other things
for his pleasure, being less concerned with the fitment, the habiliments of the
bungalow than with the bungalow itself and of the part it plays in his daily
life, for it is the land of individual freedom.

CXIVZJU^D POI2CM

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THE SKETCH PLAN SPEAKS ELOQUENTLY FOR ITSELF

Here is a small house with a great idea — one very strong feature
big and worth while. A room big enough for a dance. The servants*
quarters are indicated but not detailed. The prominent view is from
the porch on terrace overlooking valley in the greater distance

A I'ORTION ONLY OK AN INTEUESTING DESIGN

Gardener's Cottage at St. Martins, Pa.

Edmund B. Gilchrist, architect

llluitration) from origioal drawing and photographs

IN the delightful little gardener's cottage at St. Martins, Pennsylvania,
can readily be seen the underlying principles of good butding design and
the straightforward use of honest material. It is built of rough stone
heavily coated with stucco, and has a walled garden with pathway and
steps leading down by easy stages to a deep and irregular ravine. It is
located in a thickly wooded section through which runs one of those fas-
cinating brooks for which Pennsylvania is noted.

GARDENER'S COTTAGE AT ST. MARTINS, PA.

149

Into this house has gone much that is very pleasing and that appeals
alike to the painter, the poet, the writer and the traveler in foreign parts
who is accustomed to find in buildings a certain quality of charm and ro-
mance. For instance, here is a conspicuous absence of frivolous self-con-
scious detail, of false construction and of false accent. Circular headed
arches carry the gable over the entrance porch. The eaves are well con-
trived. The dormers are content to give light and are able to do so
without disturbing the skyline. The window sills are of brick or moulded
wood. The walls are thick, giving a good liberal reveal. Here are piers that
batter and hardware that recalls once aofain the heat of the anvil and bears
upon itself testi-
mony to the di-
rectness of the
hammer. This
technical detail is
well; still the eve
of the domestic
person will turn
with pleasure to
the large kitchen
fireplace with
boiler, movable
iron griddle sock-
eted to the hob
with hook above
for roasting, to
the broad fender
on which stand
kettle and plate
of buttered toast,
to the big oak
press of the

neighboring room for daily use and storage rather than ornamental, to the
long, comfortable sofa under the low, latticed window, and smile compla-
cently. The lettering on plan shows A to be living-room, B entrance hall
with open stairway leading to rooms above, and C kitchen. D denotes
position of fence line from which ground suddenly falls away, and E stone
porch with archway and room above, and gabling, an agreeable and pleas-
ing picture, all must surely admit.

SKETCH OF COTTAGE, GARDEN AND RUSTIC PATH TO WOOD

Walled enclosure and rustic steps leading down to stream hidden in
underbrush. The flagging to entry testifies upon its broad face to the
activity of the tireless stream, the melodious prattle of which makes
merry in the ravine. Only the hard stones survive the ceaseless wear

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Estate of Mr. J. B. Coryell, Menlo Park, Gal.

Willis Polk, architect

Illustrations from photojSrfiphs by Gabriel Moulin

S not the Calif ornian a great rogue ? . He is a lover of ro-
mance, and yet one of the most up-to-date utilitarians of our
continent. We are proud of him. Look at his power of
assimilation, his adaptability. He is an optimist. Not con-
tent with stealing our hearts by setting a new pace, a new
standard, he declines to accept seriously this life as the ulti-
mate end of things and insists upoA smiling at the vexatious problems of the
hour, while we of the East pause to analyze and reconsider. He enriches
the home with the timely addition of fruits and flowers, defying time, sea-
son, distance, and places within reach of our women folk jewels of peculiar
chai-m. He arouses Dame Architecture so to transmit ideas of building
as to produce at a reasonable expense a maximum of beauty and romance.
The Easterner must, perforce, brave the dangers of the northern Atlantic
to get from afar architectural inspiration; the Calif ornian is more fortu-
nate. Can he not glean inspiration from the missions, from heroic workers
who, in their tireless zeal for religious life, erected of the common clay and
an occasional bough of a tree a temple of great charm? Enshrined in the
missions of California are lessons, even in building, lessons in tabloid form
that a child might learn, exhibiting many subtle methods of using local ma-
terials to exalted ends, and of adapting them to the ever-varying demands
of the individual and the occasion.

The accompanying views of an interesting group of buildings at Lloy-
den, the estate of Mr. Joseph B. Coryell, at Menlo Park, about thirty miles
from San Francisco, on the old Spanish highway known as El Camino Real,
illustrate graphically one of the many methods by which the story of the
missions is re-translated into every-day requirements. Here, also, is a
whisper from the four great continents. The group reveals in its long,
open shed of the primitive, an adaptation of the Cliffdwellers. The square
enclosed court of the fighter recalls the days of the Middle Ages. The
two-storied house of the lover of domesticity is, as it were, a contribution
from many lands and many ages, adapted to suit all, expressing all, -and
ever improving, and crowning the group is the gable suggesting the spiri-

151

ESTATE OF. MR. J. B. CORYELL, MENLO PARK, CAL. 158

tual impress of the Church. The group also gives something of the cul-
ture of Europe, the skilful craftsmanship of Asia, the imagination of Africa
— shall we ever forget the solemn seriousness and poise of an Egyptian
statue, or solve satisfactorily the mighty mystery of the Sphinx? — and the
progressiveness of America.

This glimpse through the veiling of history and romance does not dull
for an instant, but quickens, somewhat, our sensibilities to the many attrac-
tions of the scheme before us. It is a setting for the picture.

This low, broad, red-tiled, wide-gabled group, partly covered with
Virginia creepers, is a picturesque solution of an every-day problem, a col-
lection of buildings, independent in themselves, and yet forming a part of
the general plan. To the right of the central court, as we enter, is the lodge
with its lounging room for the coachman and chauffeur and its sleeping
rooms above, and in the rear, loose boxes and other stabling for horses.
To the left is the vaulted carriage house, some thirty-four feet long by
twenty-two feet wide, the side walling of which is subdivided by recesses
extending into the vaulting overhead. Beyond this and having its own en-
trance is the gardener's cottage, with kitchen and bedrooms on the same
floor. Immediatelv behind the central court and on the same axial line is the
garage, with its work bench and two counter-sunken pits, bordered by a
well-contrived curbing leading to a convenient position for examining, clean-
ing and repairing. One of the most engaging and satisfactory features of
the composition is the naive manner in which it is constructed. Although
modern in conveniences, it is old in spirit. The walls are so thickened as
to give a deep reveal to all windows and doors. Piers are resorted to to
invite arched entrances in the rear walling of the open shed, to the wall con-
necting the central court with the garage and to the little arcading or loggia
and elsewhere. All piers are superimposed at corners by the addition of
metal beads of cast iron. They are also buttfessed in places. Stepped or
weathered buttresses give, not alone a satisfactory structural quality, but a
very pleasing reminiscence of the nissions. The circular window in the
gable of the carriage house is of an interesting outline, a square and circle
interchanging, with splayed jamb.

The stable is a cement concrete building of parchment-like tone, rough
in texture. From this wall the bay of the lodge projects slightly and is
ver)^ effective. It is so contrived as to find in the overhanging roof an agree-
able and welcome shelter. The low-arched entrances are accented by moulded
string courses which return upon themselves. The gabled termination of
the chimney is distinctly Oriental in spirit. The color accent of the group
is, naturally, upon the every-day clay roof -tiling, which consists of a series

MASSIVE PIERS AND WROUGHT-IBON GATES— A STATELY ENTRANCE

Here, on the old Spanish highway known as El Camino Real, trodden by gentle Creole
or crafty robber, we are welcomed to a vast woodland garden rich with delicately Interlacing
foliage of the majestic eucalyptus. Occasionally a stalwart oak reaches forth its great
motherly anus, extending to all comers the protection we all love at times

of alternating ridges and furrows running continuously from ridge to eaves.
The tlesign also provides for a cresting of the same character. The tiles
vary in color, texture, and in the way they transmit, absorb or reflect light.
They are arrogant, independent, little particles of inanimate absurdity, more
fantastically human than anything yet devised by man as a roof covering.
They love their own way. They wind and twist in the drying and vary in
thickness, in their manner of holding weather markings and incrustations,
moss and lichens.

The setting to the group is diversified in outline and ever beautiful.
The lordly eucalyptus of great height, the spreading limbs of the live oak,
force into contrast the stern, rectangular lines of the building. The livfe oak
is an evergreen. The boughs are curiously gnarled and twisted. They are
low and spreading, casting a graceful shade over everything. In the sun-
light the leaves and twigs diaper the wall, humanizing it as the canvas of a
painter.

By a sort of spontaneous instinct does the architect reverence and en-

ESTATE OF. MR. J. B. CORYELL, MENLO PARK, CAL. 155

courage in others incense-burning to the mission style of building, the style
transmitting to us some of the best of the ancient Spanish civilization and
that of the Orient, as they see it and assimiliate it in their own way. It has,
as it were, an emotional quality, appealing to the comprehension of the man
of the street. Has it not shaped and inspired our furniture and decoration
by teaching us to be direct and reasonable in our desires? We do not need
to be skilled archeologists or earnest seekers of the delicate differences of
architectural periods of France, in order to grasp the strange significance
of the missions, the message of which is not only spiritual, but intensely prac-
tical, concerning itself with the very habitations of man. They were re-
sourceful workers. In a subtle manner these enthusiasts dwelt among us,
and of local materials built houses, as well as cloisters and churches, of a
vigorous and wholesome fashion full of poetic ideals, original in transmis-
sion of Oriental themes, so that to us modems there is verily a magpie in the
name we voice with reverence.

Yes, the Califomian is a great rogue. We of the East love his big-
hearted method of treating things, making of the most humble buildings
something which invites thought as well as admiration.

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The North Carolina Estate of Mr. Pembroke Jones

J. Stewart Barney, architect of Bungalow
John Russell Pope, architect of Temple of Love and Entrance to Park

niustrations from original drawing and photographs by W. H. Kirk and others

ORTUNATELY an ideal has many aspects and interpreta-
tions. Otherwise the ideal home, once discovered, would be
duplicated all over the country and we should be reduced to
one size of house and one style of arcshitecture. There is only
one permanent feature of all ideal homes, and that is ex-
actly the fact that they cannot be duplicated. The most
delightful homes are those that have been lived in by a number of generations
of one family. They become then a composite expression of a section of the
race. But a home which has only recently been created may very soon pos-
sess that wonderful quality of appropriateness, if the creator be a person
of strong individuality with a love of the coimtry.

In the second place, the best kind of home is one which has its roots in
the soil, which grows into the landscape as if it had always been there. Your
architect may gather his ideas all the world over. He may borrow from
the English Gothic or the French Renaissance. Any good artist is a plagia-
rist. But he must make his knowledge of styles subordinate to the nature
of the country he is building in and to the character of the person he is
building for ; otherwise he produces merely a house, and not a home.

The wooden Colonial style of country house has one advantage over all
others. It is distinctly American and natural to the country. You may not
like it as well as some others, but you can never feel that it is inappropriate.
It harmonizes with nearly every kind of American landscape. Such a house
is Airlie, in North Carolina, the home of Mr. and Mrs. Pembroke Jones. A
mere glance at the picture of the long white structure brings up memories
of old Colonial days when all men were gallant and all women were beautiful.
Obviously it has been lived in for a long time and has been required to meet
the needs and tastes of succeeding years ; for additions have been made and
wings thrown out here and there until it is a house of many mansions.
There is a peculiar fascination about these old family dwellings that have
taken on the varied accretions of time. Outwardly they grow into the land-
scape to a far greater extent than a house that has never been altered; for

167

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THE NORTH CAROLINA ESTATE OF MR. PEMBROKE JONES 159

the alterations and additions are necessarily made to conform to the land-
scape. When you build a new house you can more or less mould your land to
your ideas of architecture, but once the house is built it is impossible to do
very much with the land, and you have to make your additions to fit into the
general scheme of things. Internally also a house with added wings has
nearly always the effect of being thoroughly livable, for the additions have
been made by people who knew the house by experience and know what is
needed to make it complete.

The roofs of Airlie, with their many angles and comers, suggest all man-
ner of surprises and ramblings, and the interior does not belie the promise.
You never get to the end of such a house. There is always a new room, or
a passage leading to unknown territory. One might live there for a week
and never guess that there was a covered tennis court right in the middle
of the house just off the breakfast room.

In outward appearance the house has the effect of being thoroughly
rooted there for all time, and you come upon it standing in the open after a
drive of three-quarters of a mile or so through woods of magnificent pines
and live oak. It is a splendid plan to have an approach that winds in long
curves through trees, so that one is constantly getting new vistas with a
glimpse or two of the house itself towards the end. This particular ap-
proach is perfect in that respect, for it bridges a considerable inlet of the
Sound when one has no idea that the sea is anywhere in the neighborhood,
and then passing through isles of live oak with the drooping festoons of moss
which are so characteristic of the South, it makes a great sweep round the
open expanse of lawn up to the pillared entrance which faces the open
water. In that way a double surprise is arranged, since one discovers the
house and the arm of the sea at the same time.

The climate of North Carolina lends itself to manv beautiful effects,
of color at times of the year when there is no color elsewhere. The live oaks
give a constant background of green, and even in March there is plenty
of blossom. Camellias bloom out of doors ; the beech trees are a mass of pink
blossoms and the jasmine shows its white stars against shiny green leaves.
Then there is "pettisporum," the most fragrant flowering shrub in all the
Southern land. They call it Daphne on the Riviera, and the smell of it
brings memories of warm evenings on the Calif ornie hill at Cannes. Spiraea,
too, is out in March, to say nothing of the magnificent magnolia. Later on
the roses make Airlie a paradise of pink and white and yellow. But it is in
the earlier spring that the frozen Northerners are fascinated with the flowers
of North Carolina.

One of the most delightful features of Airlie is Pembroke Park, which

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THE NORTH CAROLINA ESTATE OF MR. PEMBROKE JONES 161

adjoins the property. That is a stretch of three thousand acres of woodland
which Mr. Pembroke Jones has acquired in recent years as a pleasure
ground for his family and his friends ; and all of North Carolina seems to be
included in the category. The difference between a park and nature's for-
est is simply that the owner has made twenty-eight miles of road good
enough for horse and buggy through his property, so that now it is easy to
enjoy nature's beauties.

Also, he has built for himself a Bungalow of which pictures are here
shown. Wishing to have a little rest house in the Park, Mr. Pembroke
Jones turned to one of those charming books issued by popular firms of house-
constructors wherein the reader is taught how to build a simple house with
all the requirements of home for the modest sum of fifteen hundred dol-
lars. He was interrupted, however, by an artistic architect friend called
Stewart Barney, who assured him that he was losing a great opportunity for
getting something just a little more expensive but ever so much more beau-
tiful. The friend drew the plans, and the result was a wonderful French
pavilion with a large living room in the center, three or four perfectly ap-
pointed bedrooms in one wing and a kitchen fit to cater to twenty guests in
the other. The doorknobs alone probably cost more than the bungalow of the
book. But the result was all that could be desired. For this French archi-
tecture curiously suits the groves of wonderful live oaks in which it is
placed. And the name of the Bungalow has been preserved to indicate the
rural simplicity of the life which can still be led there if one wishes to lead it.

Near the Bungalow the road crosses a little stream which is bridged in
the same style of architecture. And one might sw.ear that it was just there
that Melisande sat and dropped her ring into the water. Indeed, the whole
effect of the oaks with their drooping moss looking like trees in a dream is
that of a Maeterlinck drama. After a visit to the Bungalow, one's opinion
of Oscar Hammerstein goes up several points; for in his production of "Pel-
leas et Melisande" he created so exactly the atmosphere of these mysterious
southern woods.

The Bungalow is not always Maeterlinckian. Occasionally the pavilion
is alight with the glow of modern electricity and a fair portion of North
Carolina society is gathered there to discuss true Carolina cooking in prepa-
ration for a coon hunt. The guests ride or drive through the woods after
the dogs, while an army of negroes run ahead carrying torches, the horses
in galloping confusion after them. If the moon is shining and there is just
a touch of frost in the air so much the better. You will never forget such a
night in the dream forest of North Carolina.

THE NORTH CAROLINA ESTATE OF MR. PEMBROKE JONES 163

The estate is about nine miles from Wilmington. It is very large. The
frontage upon Wrightsville Beach is thickly wooded with live oak, magnolia
trees, Norway pine and fir. Deep in this forest grove is a bronze figure of
Cupid, the God of Love, recalling very graphically the outline of the temple
in the old garden of. Villa Borghe§e, the Italian home of Cardinal Scipone,
who was popularly known as the "delight of Rome" and one of the earliest
and most generous patrons of Bernini.

PLAN WITH BUNGALOW, COURT, TERRACE, POOL AND PROMINENT VIEWS

The sketch gives the roadway with outer and inner court and approach with steps to upper
level. To the right is the long terrace facing the shore; to the left, the circular pool with its
square island, in the center of which tenderly shaded is the white-pillared Temple of Love

Drawing an imaginary axial line through the center of the Bungalow
and its accompanying terrace scheme, it will be found that the opening of the
woods upon the northern side has been utilized for a large circular pool in
which upon a square island has been erected the temple of love. Of course,
the temple is white, but not the white of Italy's statuary marble nor the
polished equivalent from some neighboring state, but following the prece-
dent of the great craft workers of the Renaissance, local materials have been
exclusively used. It is of concrete. Not the grim, prehistoric monster charged
with the responsibility of maintaining within its grasp millions of gallons of
water or of conveying thousands safely over a deep abyss, but a concrete

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THE NORTH CAROLINA ESTATE OF MR. PEMBROKE JONES 165

made purposely for the occasion. And, if you please, held here in suspension,
as it were, by a skilfully fired clay — ^known as cement — is a collection of peb-
bles and shells from the seashore and the gravel pit, full of color. True,
they have been so knocked about under the stress of things that their edges
are rounded and they know neither shape nor size, but the texture of a col-
umn cast with this material is exceedingly interesting and is no little of
a challenge to the imagination. Here is once again the oldest and the newest
form of building material and when made in this peculiar manner one of the
most winsome and pleasing, having much of the color and open grain of
travertine and affording a splendid lodgment for lichen and moss.

In many ways the gardener and engineer have come to our rescue. For-
merly we cut down our trees, now we move and replant them.- On many
occasions we leveled our site to an artificial platform and now we glory
in the various little differences and frankly acknowledge them. Formerly
we dammed our water courses and filled or removed our tiny lakes, now
we embody them in the scheme, cleansing them and reimposing the stone
where necessary with cement concrete to offset the inclemency of the
weather. This interesting park solves for us many perplexing problems in
a manner that is new to many.

Many of the live oaks attain considerable height, others are low and
broad, their horizontal limbs of an incredible length, reaching out in every
direction. Their dome-like heads contrast pleasingly with the pyramid out-
line of the Norway pine and fir. The grove near the house and the sister
grove near the Bungalow are enriched by the addition of magnolia trees, the
blossom of the camellia and peach trees. It is a place of astounding natural
beauty. There is not here, however, any topiary garden, set serious and
content, a law unto itself, nor is there any subdivision of a grove which
can be classified as a pleach alley-way, neither is there any small, stately par-
terre nor quaint arabesque of box, and yet, taking a view of the park as
a whole, there is all of these rolled into one magnificent picture. The place
is neither spoiled nor belittled by foolish subdivisions. It is picturesquely
irregular with a charm as of a fairy land, and yet by no means without its
majesty when viewed in a certain light. The decorative elements which
have been added to the scene are doubtless of Greek origin, though they
show obviously the influence of the translation of the Renaissance.

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THE HOUSE OF MR. A. W. MARKWALL AT SHORT HILLS. N. J.

The pride of this little knoll Is a well-designed homestead far removed from the rest of the
world. Some people would be tempted to add a formal garden to go with the formalit)- of central
feature, endangering Its character. Is It not better an it is, with the superb trees as comrades?

A Collection of Six Interesting Houses

Illuitrationi from photograph* by TehbS'Hyinani, Ltd., and othen

THE six unusual designs here shown, closing the chapter upon stucco
houses, have been built during the last year or so and are well worthy
a more extended notice than the brief caption appearing at the foot
of each illustration. They have been selected as indicative of a class wherein
men of prominence and good judgment have sought to serve the occasion
rather than merely express themselves. They must appeal to the student of
interesting things because of their appropriateness to the ground of which
they have practically become a part as well as to their originality.

We are indebted to the following architects: to Albro& Lindeberg for
the unusual house at the head of this page and the one opposite; to Bates &
How for the pleasing house depicted on page 168; to Robert R. McGood-
win for the attractive view of the house he designed for his own occupation
on page 169 ; to Davis, McGrath & Kiessling for the house with twin porches
on page 170; and lastly to Abram Garfield, the son of the martyred Presi-
dent, for a portion of an interesting house at Cleveland upon page 171.

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A COLLECTION OF SIX INTERESTING HOUSES

The stucco house is for well-bred people to whom the habitation is often
but an attractive incident in the landscape rather than a thing set apart, glo-
rious in its own grandeur, brave in its architectural importance as a superb
creation. The plea for the stucco house recalls the gracious tribute recently
paid to Auatole France, of whom it is said that he maintains with singular
adroitness and deliberation the emphasis of under-statement. He is content
to speak of things in a moderate and reasonable fashion. The stucco house
is one that is rarely burdened with detail, with ornament as such of any
description, everlastingly beautiful, eternally young. With a certain naive
economy of emphasis it seems to exhibit an overwhelming desire to do hom-
age to the landscape and to other building materials. The popularity of the
stucco house owes nmch of its attraction to this one virtue. It has a way
of adding light to the
picture. A critic says:
"Commend me to the
house of stucco because it
resembles some of the
most hideous men of mod-
em times who forget
themselves and who
charm by the self-en-
forced elimination of their
own preferences and who,
declining to take life too
seriously, find virtue in
the opinions and ambi-
tions of others. Such
men are valued as com-
rades in this workaday
world. They shine among
their fellows not for their
countenance perhaps, but
for their tender courtesy,
the deity within." Is not
the mountain top often
brightened by a few
square feet of lime white,
mere whitewash, which the ci.evee.and home of mr. a. s. chisholm

shines like a morning star '^"'^'" shows casement openings of sun parlor adjoining

flower garden. They are semicircular headed. The beauty of the

m the great firmament? comUe is enhanced greatly bv translucent shadows of the foliage

A GltACEFUL CONTltlBUTlON TO TUB PltOBLEM OF LIFE IN THE COUNTRY
I'pon the liroiLtl Hiig^cinfr. of Chk'ugii's disrnrdril puvL'inrnt, tiilis of olcundrrs stand {frre p«gr 23T)

CHAPTER II

THE BRICK HOUSE

The JVaahington house of Mr. Henry White — The country home of Mr. C. B.
Macdonald, Sovthamplon, L. I. — The eitntc of Mr. W. B. Ongood Field, Lenox, Mass.
— The property of Mr. Thomat Hastingi,, Hoslyn, L. I. — Mr. Jameg Parmelee's
Washington home — The home of Mr. Herbert L. Pratt, Glen Cove, L. I.-^Har-
lakenden House, the home of Mr. Winston Churchill, Cornish, N. H. — The Lake
Forest home of Mr. Finley Barrell-^Mr. P. S. Thciirer's house, Kenilworth, Hi. —
Home of Mr. H. M. EUis, Great Neck. L. L—Home of Miss Emily Watson, Wliite
Plains, N. Y. — Attractive stables on the estates of Mr. WiUard D. Straight at West-
bury, L. I., and Mrs. L. Z. Letter at Beverly Farms, Mass.

IN coiiiinon with men and women, the brick
house is seen at its Iwst when the sun shines
upon it ! We are attracted by its jjflorious
color, by the rich purple and hlaek headers, by
the orange and browny yellow, the dark sienna
and vermilion stretchers, by the lace-like di-
vision of the jointing, by the brilliant light on
the moulding, pillar or broad hand of Bath,
Caen or Indiana limestone. We love it when
we see it in contrast with a stern academic ac-
cent, a pediment or door head.

To say a few words on its behalf is like

trying to do justice to your family. Those

who know anything about brick, the servant

of mankind in the building work!, are as much

embarrassed in their search for the proper

commencement of a description as they are

to put a tune limit to the stuff they write. I say this advisedly in view of.

the fact that almost every house is a brick house. True, we do not think of

this valuable agent as others do: that it were better when viewed l)ehind

a screen of some description, and that a thin veneer of marble or stone were

an admirable veiling to its countenance. We are thankful to realize that,

like the best people, it bears more than its share of the burdens of life. We

have until lately denie<i it the center of the stage. We frankly restore to its

sovereignty this valued material, honoring ourselves in thp restoration.

173

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The Washington House of Mr. Henry White

John Russell Pope, architect

Illustrations from original drawing and photographs by Wurts Bros.

VISITOR writes: "Washington is beautiful!" Yes! like
Paris, where beauty is demanded as a national necessity, a
stimulus realized by everyone, the citizen of the New World
responds to the charms of the goddess and is not at all times
dominated by the scramble for wealth. Washington has been
classified as the picture city of the future. It is a picture
to-day. L'Enfant's century-old dream has in the main proved a reality
and the capital is famous the world over for its wide avenues, dignified and
stately buildings, wherein the architects of this favored land have assimi-
lated thoughtfully the best of the English and French versions of the Pal-
ladian so that new Washington is in a way superior to Paris, London,
Berlin and Petrograd, which are merely seats of government. Washington
is to-day entrusted, as it were, with a new ideal, something intensely practi-
cal and which involves not simply architecture but ethics of a high order.
We are told that the private residences in the capital of the New World
are exhibiting signs of a moral improvement. This may be a surprise to some
who know Washington for its cool, calm, majestic Capitol, its monument,
its freely-acknowledged ofiicial style of architecture. It is not simply famous
for its wonderful layout, Its academic plan, its remarkable views, its mag-
nificent distances and its conspicuous freedom from commercial buildings
and conditions that disturb. As though by common consent, many worthy
citiezns have of late for their private residences avoided adding to the white
buildings. They still build small palaces, very beautiful, very comfortable,
very well proportioned, but they do not stick out or speak too loudly among
the congregations crowding the grand avenues. Rather do they frame offi-
cialdom, forming, as it were, a ring round the city, a ring of rich, low-toned
red, buff, dull yellow or orange. At the moment there are houses of this
type, completed or under way, after the fashion of the Florentine palaces
in the great century of the Renaissance. In plan and in general detail they
resemble greatly the Genoese palaces of the hillside, the Venetian palaces at
the water's edge. In those days the personal equation was big and we natu-
rally recall with pleasure those most intensely connected with the building,

175

s i

i i

THE WASHINGTON HOUSE OF MR. HENRY WHITE 177

Peruzzi, Sanmichele, Sansovino, Palladio, and Michael Angelo. And to
Rome, the Eternal City, we look because of its majestic scale, the bigness
of her buldings, the remarkable reticence and sobriety of their outlines.
Here was — and many of them remain — a singular absence of external orna-
ment but wonderful plans. Her palaces and villas were often frankly built
of brick, red, yellow, orange, brick that was both narrow and thin and brick
that was short and wide. Like the all-conquering' Romans they reverence
the common material, handling it superbly, restoring it to its sovereignty
in the great realm of the builder. At present there are in Washington a
number of admirable houses, palaces within and red brick without, very hu-
man, very unobstructive. They set a pace, marking a new era, showing that
those who have lived abroad have, from the land of ancient courtesies, re-
acquired good manners in matters architectural. And they owe their exist-
ence to the energy of our wide-awake, up-to-date architects, to those who are
known as Beaux Arts men. A few years ago they also, with others, crowded
the architectural schools of Paris. Why? Why? Why? It may well be
asked. And yet the answer is obvious. They were there to learn what is
good and worth having in architecture. In other words, they were qualifying
to help the wealthy who have formed the habit of spending a portion of each
year abroad or of living abroad.

"Professor, after two years in the Paris school, two years working in
your private office, two years traveling and sketching under your direction,
I am going home. What have you to say?" said a student, thinking that
possibly there was reserved to the last some little secret, some combination,
some re-presentation of the old classic formulae to be vouchsafed as a parting
gift. The old professor astounded him by replying: "Forget all that you
have learned, all that you have seen, all that you have heard. Attack, when
you return to your own land, the problems as they arise, viewing them from
your own standpoint. Use your lessons as equipment, not models. Your
country is wealthy, but it flings its wealth too freely in the face of the pub-
lic. Not content with a palace within, it would have a palace without, piling
up. So misplaced, wealth is despised and architecture too often ridiculed.
In the best of the minor palaces and villas of Rome is there a standard by
which you can go? Beauty resides there. Many of the little places are small
in their inches, mellowed in their appearance, but ever worthy of sincere
regard. They are like a beautiful woman known for her charm, not for
the style of her head-dress. Styles in head-dress change over night;
houses live forever and the man is known by the house as he is by the com-
pany he keeps."

As everyone realizes, there are just two things to consider in the build-

; 6

o -^

E I

9. I

THE WASHINGTON HOUSE OF MR. HENRY WHITE 179

ing of a country house, the site and the architect. Of course money is de-
sirable, not too much of it nor too evident, and the personahty of the owner
has been known to transmit qualities unattainable by architectural propor-
tions.

It is as a setting for the Henry White house at Washington that I
have ventured to speak in this way. It is just the kind of house we need as
a standard. To the full surely has money been expended upon the exteriors
of private residences in New York and elsewhere. There are some horrors
in this city of towers and bridges, where, by virtue of its prominence as a
utilitarian metropolis, a palace should stand for high thinking and be unas-
suming in general appearance. So say the sociologists. It is delightful to
feel that the picture city sets a new pace, is more conscious of the modern
appeal. The White house has been forced into prominence by an unusually
attractive site of which the most has been made. Topographically it is of pe-
culiar interest. Part of it is twenty feet above the level of the city streets.
There is, in the approach, a certain dignity and well-ordered artificiality
which is inevitable and desirable. In general the house and the site resem-
ble greatly the town houses of many of the aristocracy of Italy and France.
It varies but little in its inches from a portion of ground set apart by Louis
XV for the Petit Trianon. It resembles in many ways the Florentine pal-
aces. The plan is excellent in measurement and general arrangement of
rooms. It appears to be somewhat of a reminiscence of Villa Farnesina,
built on the outskirts of Rome from the designs of Peruzzi for a Roman
banker. The detail recalls much of the delicacy and charm of the palace
Massimi, also in the Eternal City. The White house is located well at the far
side of the property, permitting a dignified aproach by means of a circui-
tous driveway cut deeply into the bank. This plan permits a fore-court, a
stately element of aristocratic luxury. The natural level remains undis-
turbed ; the big trees are in no way damaged. The central portion is let se-
verely alone, bordered with hedging. The roadway is very effective. It is a
stately entrance though exceedingly quiet in detail, with just sufficient accent
to add interest to vouchsafe personality and distinction. On the southern
side of the house there is an equally notable feature, an exalted terrace held
in place by a high retaining wall. Here the great panorama of Washington
unfolds, a splendid picture. Surely this walled garden is enjoyed to the full.
Upon it stands the long southern loggia from which the dining-room and li-
brary open. Ruskin wrote that the finest decoration for a dining-room was a
well-cooked dinner. Here is a feast for the gods, day or night, forever
changing, ever stimulating, forever satisfying. What a place for a prome-
nade, for conversation, for a siesta 1 The accent to the northern frontage, the

THE WASHINGTON HOUSE OF MR. HENRY WHITE 181

entrance side, is the portico, which is classic in a way and yet which might
well have been designed by Gabriel, the architect of the Petit Trianon.
Whether viewed in plan, in elevation or perspective it is full of subtle charm
and little surprises. Delightfully does it open into the central hall and
well does it stand free and clear from the frontage, an accent of peculiar
interest.

Within, the spirit of restraint is very obvious. The plan is direct, the
circulation excellent, the scheming satisfactory. From the entrance hall the
house opens up well, direct, and the color sense is entertained by the general
melodious palette in which no particular tone has the ascendancy. Of course
the salon and the little green parlor are distinctly feminine with furniture
that is usually found in the minor palaces of the French kings and yet very
unassuming in its arrangement.

As a whole, taking the inside and the outside of the house, its first and
its last appearance, its color note, its plan, its detail, its view from the front,
from a distance or from nearby, it is the house of a man primarily, distinctly,
unmistakably a man of this world, conscious of its limitations, its ambitions,
its triumphs. In no sense is it a reproduction. Rather is it a type of modern
reassimilation of the good which has gone before. So adroit is this reassimila-
tion that no one can say where one incentive begins or the other leaves off.
Like a piece of literature or a beautiful musical cadence no one can tell the
source of the inspiration, and he is the wisest who takes it as a whole and is
glad to have so excellent a standard by which to measure himself and the
houses around him.

Xot onlv is the White house built of brick well and trulv laid with stone
trimmings and enrichments, but brick is also the interlacing decorative accent
as well as the structural material of the George H. Meyers and the John
R. McLean residences as it is of the house of Thomas Nelson Page, the new
Ambassador to Italy. Yes, as the visitor writes, Washington is beautiful.
Possibly one of the great agents for its beauty is the consistency which is so
melodious a keynote among the recent buildings of that city of pictures. "I
like to think," writes this visitor who speaks of Washington as a beautiful
city, "that in this ever-broadening of the great spirit of public service and
private worth he is the best citizen who realizes to the full the possibilities of
the common, everyday material, the material at hand. It is of this that the
greatest buildings and the greatest characters of the Renaissance were cre-
ated by men whom we to-day classify as architects or ambassadors. They
gloried in the commonplace! They ennobled it in their naive transforma-
tion."

182 AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

The accompanying plan of the property cannot fail to interest because
it is so unusual in outline, in outlook and in approach. It is one of those
properties that stand high ; which tower over the neighborhood, in a measure.

THE SKETCH PLAN OF PROPERTY IS BOTH INTERESTING AND INFORMING

It shows th? rlUptlcEil driveway to entrance, rising many fprt atrav? main road and givrs some-
thing of the treatment of Belmont Street frontage with the terrace from which so much of the
city is visible, the planting scheme and location of some i.f the ])rincipBl rooms of the house

The elevated position has much to do with the whole scheme. Slay I ask
you to examine the plan? Examine it from the north and the south; think
of its varying level. There is an ele^'ation of some twenty-odd feet between
the porch and the roadway. The sketch shows the central axe of the house
and also gives no little explanation of the view from the terrace, and taken
with the other picture it reveals many little things hard to explain in the

THE WASHINGTON HOUSE OF MR. HENRY WHITE 188

ordinary way. From it we learn that A indicates the central hall and B the
little reception room. C is the drawing room and D that center of things
hospitable and convivial which is generally understood by the magic word —
dining-room. Opening upon the loggia and terrace, it permits a splendid
view of the city. E is the study or library and F the inner staircase hall,
set apart, out of sight, away from the entrance, yet ever convenient. G is

THE RFXEPTION ROOM OPENS FROM HALL AND LIBRARY

An engaging center of things feminine with
furniture so unmistakably French, and wall eovei
damask, a cool tone of which, like forest green, '

the entrance porch and H the long loggia. This many-colunmed loggia is
a picture gallery, showing the city and its life from a new vantage ground.
The plan also shows the service quarters — essential and ever-important con-
trivances that add so much to our comfort but that are too often left to our
imagination, where they hold, indeed, a large place; too often, however, they
are conspicuous by their absence in real life.

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Mr. G. B. Macdonald's Home, Southampton, L. L

F. Burrall Hoffman, Jr., architect
Rose Standish Nichols, garden architect

Illustrations from original drawing and photographs by Floyd Baker

UST now the Georgian style is very much in vogue and
this period of the latter Renaissance, the Renaissance of
England, is indeed welcome here. Within its make-up is
something more potent than the rebirth, the reassimilation of
classic proportions as translated by France, Italy, or any
section of Southern Europe, for into the Renaissance of
England went the clarifying influence of English opinion and of English re-
straint as well as the obvious realization of the daily requirements of the
English. In other words, the Reformation left its mark across the face of
every house or hall, church or palace built at that time. It is primarily a
common-sense style of a self-respecting people. Much of the culture, the
refinement of the Italian as generally understood, with its stateliness, quiet
dignity, breadth and repose, is preserved, as also is the personal note of the
great architects of the English, who benefited by Continental study. The
personality of Inigo Jones and Sir Christopher Wren and their school is
obvious. An informal copartnership of owners and architect has done much
to spell wholesomeness and to induce the architect to extract more character
from his material, giving more homage and attention to outline, proportion
and workmanship than to ornament. This led to an extended study of plain
spaces as well as of carving, such as the work of Grinling Gibbons, Ripley
and their school — a splendid school of craftsmanship, proud of their individ-
ual trade. And more potent than this skill in wood-carving was the atten-
tion bestowed upon plastering, upon the manipulation of iron and upon
brickwork. Enforced economy made the frequent use of marble difficult,
at times impossible, and it improved greatly the manufacture of brick,
which was so made that it could be carved, rubbed, and moulded. In a word,
the quickening and vitalizing influence of the Georgian style which is in
vogue just now is welcome because it exhibits so splendidly the right use
of plain, everyday materials.

Mr. C. B. Macdonald's house at Southampton, standing on an elevated
site overlooking Peconic Bay and the National Golf Course, owes much of

185

MR. C. B. MACDONALD'S HOME, SOUTHAMPTON, L. I. 187

its general proportion and idea to one of the English halls built in the
time of the first George and there is documentary evidence that the owner
of Groombridge Place, Kent, consulted Wren regarding the design, and
consulted him at a time when he was at the height of his career.

The house is well planned to fit the site. It is one of those long, low,
red brick houses which open up well from a central hall. The hall in this
case is a room, big and comfortable. It gives to the visitor a hearty wel-
come and splendid impression. Probably few people realize the force of this
Georgian planning, this liberal treatment of spaces subdividing the block
of the house into big, square rooms rather than passageways. It is so
adjusted to the site as to invite, from its many windows, a frequent view of
the distance, a stimulating enjoyment of the landscape. From the hall the
library is reached with its segmental bay. Casements open upon the grass
terrace, a splendid open area as deep as the house is wide and which is united
with the house by a long, low, stone-capped wall. This, in varying heights,
also encircles the gardens, tying everything together. It is from this westerly
terrace, down a flight of semicircular steps, that the meadow is reached,
from which the most satisfactory view of the western frontage is possible.
It is indeed a long, low house, with all its exalted roof and its massive, well-
formed chimneys and its dormers. The idea of length is increased greatly
by its projecting cornice and eaves and by the deep band of stone which runs
the entire length as if noting the height of the principal rooms. Here also
in the center of the gable is a segmental iron balcony reached by the case-
ments of the principal chambers. The length is also greatly increased by the
coping and base to the terrace wall, long horizontal lines which count for
much. The brick rusticated quoins at the corners add interest, as do the
white window frames, which are unusually wide, another Georgian accent.

Returning to the central hall, it will be noted that the upper section of
the house is reached by a liberal, well-proportioned stairway with iron
balustrading, delicate, thin, yet strong and sufficient. There is here a stimu-
lating seriousness. A faint memory of the Ionic order projects slightly
from the wall with its entablature, cap and base and the memory of Italy's
cool and calm pavement. The design is excellent. Alternating squares of
black and white marble are in themselves an essay on gentility. It is by
no means grand or forbidding, for, as the view shows, across its checkered
countenance rugs extend a wealth of color.

The drawing-room is the big room of the house. It runs east and west,
opening directly from the entrance hall and from the grass terrace. It is
also reached from the sun-parlor, which, in turn, centers with and is
practically a part of the garden. The panelling is of birch stained a red-

8 I

MR. C. B. MACDONALD'S HOME, SOUTHAMPTON, L. I. 189

dish brown and the windows are draped with taffeta of a color not unhke
the red of the tomato or old-rose. Reheving the formality of the panelling,
mirrors are hung, the frames of which are diversified in outline and very in-
teresting. Slirrors have also proved of service in the hall, but the frames in
this ease are even more free in their drawing, bearing as they do a festive
air as if conscious of the vanities and frivolities of the age.

Considerable attention is given to the underlying spirit of the English

THE PRINCIPAL ACCENT OF THE HOUSE IS THE HALL
With Its Ionic pilasters, wrought-tron balustraded staircase and black and white marble paving

form of country house. It is to be seen not only in the selection of marble
as the pavement of the hall, one of the most eflfective, satisfactory and
serviceable forms of interior decorations the Georgian period devised, but
will also he be recognized in the design of the drawing room, which by its
broad, wholesome wainscoting, its liberal hearth and its rich color, discloses
the keen appreciation of the cool evenings of the autumn, when an open
fire is a delight. In other words, this drawing room is not a toy parlor
for the frivolities of city life, looking to an apartment as a setting for fan-
tastic costumes, singularly out of place in the country. Xo. This is a
Long Island parlor, open to the vicissitudes of that ever-changing and law-

190 AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

defying weather characteristic of its position overlooking the bay, influenced
directly by the salt-laden air, which, as everyone knows, plays havoc with
delicate decorations. The sun-parlor is an interesting apartment with its
pavement of EngUsh tiles of a mottled brown tone, having upon the east-
em and western sides large casements opening to the floor and yet larger
windows overlooking the garden. The only wall surface is accented by a
recessed fountain, prettily schemed and very active in its effort to cool the

PLAN OF PART OF PROPERTY WITH DRIVEWAY TO CIRCULAR ENTRANCE COURT

air, adding to the scene a delicate sense of movement and sparkling light.
It is well named. Literally, it is dedicated to the fullest enjoyment of the
sun. It is, so to speak, an outdoor room, and yet but a step from the broad
open hearth, which cannot fail to be the center of attraction when the au-
tumnal storms are driving everyone indoors.

The study of the original plan and accompanying sketch shows A to
indicate the position of the library, opening upon terrace, from which we get
an engaging view across the valley over the sand dunes to the sea, stretch-

MR. C. B. MACDONALD'S HOME, SOUTHAMPTON, L. I. 191

ing even to the distant horizon. This view is facilitated greatly by the broad
segmental bay with its three wide easements opening to the floor. B shows
the position of the large drawing-room leading into the sun-parlor, marked
C, opening upon the southern end of terrace approach to the walled garden.
D is the entrance hall, the general center and important axis of the house as
schemed, while E is the dining room. F is the little reception room opening
from a private hallway, with G, the golf room, adjoining. The cross-hatched
section indicates the service quarters. H is the garage and stable almost out
of sight among the trees and well below the broad shoulder of the hill, yet
reachable by a service roadway of its own.

From the terrace we descend into the walled garden. It is in two
sections, with a variation of a few feet. The wall is not only for seclusion,
but for shelter from the wind. The upper garden is planted almost entirely
with evergreens, except for a belt of herbaceous plants bordering the wall, so
that this section appears equally interesting in winter and in summer. The
lower section, or flower garden proper, approached by a number of broad
steps, would be entirely open to the sun were it not surrounded by an old-
fashioned English arbor, covered with grapevine, which furnishes shade to
the walk on all four sides. The planting consists mainly of old-fashioned
annuals and perennials, accented by standard roses and lilacs, but without
bedding plants, which require the protection of a green-house.

Yes, just now the Georgian style is very much in vogue and this
period of the later Renaissance of England is indeed welcome. It appeals
to our robust citizens by the sturdiness, the wholesomeness of its make-up. It
is a man's style, that is, a man's conception of a house far and above the
frivolities of fashion, the mere fantastic encasement of fancies which change
overnight! It is a style, that is, which while permitting certain feminine in-
dulgences is forever observant of essentials, splendidly dictatorial, excel-
lent to live with, superbly indifferent to trivialities, assigning to inanimate
objects human emotions and appearing at times to be jealous of inane
foibles, bric-a-brac. The welcome of this style is hearty, coming about as it
does in the ordinary course of things, when the American citizen has at last
realized that in order to make real and healthy progress in the world of
affairs social or financial, he must assign to each day something for the wel-
fare of his body. So it is contrived and planned, fitting not alone the site
but the life of the owner who loves games and who enjoys sports.

This Southampton house, overlooking Peconic Bay and far beyond, is
of the style adopted by a good healthy man who knows what he likes, who
does not change, who realizes slowly, perhaps, but definitely the style of house
he wants for the woman he loves.

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Mr. W. B. Osgood Field's Home, Lenox, Mass.

Delano & Aldrich, architects

Illustrations from original drawing and photographs by Thomas Ellison

ONDNESS for large schemes, whether in the field of politics
or finance, the world of industrial triumphs or social vic-
tories, is one of the characteristics of America's endeavors.
It is in the air. Our canvas must be large, yes, but it must
be clean. We like to bite off big pieces. The susceptible
worth-while worker is gloriously entertained by tasks that
challenge his skill, be it the composing of a madrigal or the locating of a
staircase or a main axis to an architectural theme, the telling of a simple
story in a direct, wholesome fashion, or the adjustment of levels, the selec-
tion of a healthy position for a garden, or the rendering of a sonata. The
up-to-date architect realizes to the full the danger of overdoing things, the
importance of accent and of self -elimination. This is one of the promising
signs of the times, for about all of this work there is to-day a brightness
and delicacy of touch, a gaiety of expression which savors somewhat of an
older civilization on which has been grafted the demands of our time and
age. Laok, for instance, at Newport and Washington, at the suburbs of
Chicago and of San Francisco, and remember the stimulating lesson which
lingers still in New England among the larger properties in the vicinity of
Lenox, where the moral leaven of the localitv exercises influence.

The problem confronting the architects, Delano & Aldrich, in planning
the home of Mr. W. B. Osgood Field at Lenox, Mass., crystallized into a
brief sentence, was how best to make the most of the site. I can well im-
agine owner and architect standing on the elevated plateau which for j^ears
has been visited by thousands for its peculiar charm and its remarkable
beauty. Here the long valley towards Stockbridge, and the other equally
prominent approach to Tyringham, could be enjoyed to the full. Of course
the view must be preserved. I can hear the owner's stimulating insistence
for the preservation of this center of his picture. It might be framed, art-
fully led up to by long avenues of trees, but it must not be encroached
upon ruthlessly, nor must the house be so added to the property as to be
a challenge to the landscape. Those who cherish among their personal
qualifications so intimate and creditable an element as the appreciation and

198

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196

AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

fondness for the designs of Italy's big garden schemes and for those of
England, which have been founded upon the same general ideals, will real-
ize just how hard a task this was.

The picturesque little sketch plan shows how faithfully the architects

have worked to one defi-
nite end, how artfully they
have heshadowed a portion
of the great field by the
proper planting in stately
rows of elm trees very
much after the fashion of
the stately avenues of
France which have out-
lived a thousand political
vicissitudes and still domi-
nate the main axis of the
noble chateau. In other
words, they have done ex-
actly what Le Notre and
Le Brun or any other of
the fine French designers
would have done. And
then they have left a whole
lot of property severely
alone. In the central
formal court has been
placed an ornamental take,
or swimming pool, outlined
with flowers and balustrad-
ing of marble and enriched
at the far end with a
fountain approached by
bridges, somewhat after
the fashion of Ranieri's
hunting lodge at Bagnaia,
known as Villa Lante. The house is set back somewhat at the other end
of the court and is approached through native woods which are thick and
diversified in outline. It is somewhat stately in mien, just a little remind-
ing us of England's best period of domestic architecture, thoughtfully ad-
justed to the immediate needs of the family. Look, for an instance, at the

SKETCH PLAN OF A PART OF THE PKOPERTV

The genrral arrangement of thinfts Is here very vividly
rfd. Perhaps the most striking feature is the remarkable
riveway approach to the terracr main entrance

MR. W. B. OSGOOD FIELD'S HOME, LENOX, MASS. 197

location of the main room, marked in the plan by the letter B, with its accom-
panying terrace ( E ) . D locates the library and C the dining-room. F desig-
nates the little antechamber through which the flower garden is reached, with
its sheltered arbor (K) . The entrance court has been well contrived. On the
left is the playhouse for the children ( H ) , on the right will be seen a cor-
responding building also flanking the main drive and part of the service
wing, the laundry ( I ) , with its drying yard, hidden behind a semicircular
wall. The service court is well concealed with its own entrance drive. At
the termination of the long pergola is a very original tea-house, the canopy
of which rises from a dome, circular in plan, carried by good liberal posts,
a fantastic memory of classic times.

To say the house is of brick with stone dressings would be superfluous
did we not see on examining closely other testimonies to the peculiar charm
of the building, for stone also appears as the material expression of certain
agricultural scenes over the window openings, paying their liberal homage to
the neighborhood. In low relief panels appear over the window heads to
the main rooms.

Here the laborer will be seen toiling industriously. Severe of outline,
the scene is full of grandeur and serenity. The haymaker is disclosed as,
wearied with work accomplished under the ardent sun, he rests momentarily.
Other workers portray other phases of modern farm life in which oxen ap-
pear. The woodsman is grubbing up roots of the forest. For the composing
of these pastoral panels the owner is indebted to the inventive genius of Mrs.
Harry Payne Whitney. Yes, the realm of architecture has its wonderful
friendships, its golden opportunities for neighborly kindliness and good feel-
ing. The whimsical dame demands forever allegiance from the most exalted
and the most humble.

Now that there is so much pleading for education through work by
means of actual illustration, many people will doubtless strive to acquire
information of the way of doing things, in a large fashion, by seeing what
their friends do. Look at this plan of the layout of a property. It is not
an academic thesis, but a practical presentation of one method of enriching,
we may say ennobling, a property that has recently been referred to as one
of the most satisfactory schemes yet carried out in our neighborhood and
day. On many occasions does the architect have setting ready made for him.
He simply ejects, as it were, his new building into an old setting, with a re-
sult that is highly satisfactory and cannot very well be anything else. On
this occasion, however, the architects have had to make their own background,
be their own planter, dealing with the estate as a whole. In a word, they
have had to concern themselves with many things difficult to classify.

THE DETAIL OF THE FRONT EXTRAN'CE WITH ITS INTERESTING DECORATION
The portal is graceful. An interliicing arabesque decoration in color adds interest to vault overhead

Mr, Thomas Hastings' Home at Roslyn, L. I.

Thomas Hastings, architect

Illustrations from original drawing and photographs by William H. Crocker and Aime Dupont

ERE, in the birthplace of William CuUen Bryant's "Thana-
topsis," we find the home of another, swayed by the love of
the beautiful, the ideal. So closely is the house of Mr.
Thomas Hastings snuggled up to the native woods near
Roslyn, L. L, that it is well-nigh impossible to get an unin-
terrupted view of the southern frontage. We have to dodge
under the great oaks on the terrace to see it at all in certain lights. It is
some few years since Mr. Hastings built his first house in the woods of Roslyn.
It was destroyed by fire two years ago and the present house is a rebuild-
ing with some slight changes, but the original plan remains intact. The
house is made a little longer by the addition of two porches, one on the
east and the other on the west side. The long alley-way of linden trees,
possibly the most successfully trimmed linden alley-way in this section of
the country, the ivy-covered walling upon the other side of the court and the
big oaks on the terrace fortunately remain unimpaired by the fire. The loggia
decorations have been changed and repainted. The walls, seriously dam-
aged, had to be pulled down and rebuilt. It is interesting to see that there
is not any serious change. The plan remains. It was found to be workable
and comfortable. It will always be remembered as the house which an archi-
tect built for himself. It is built in the woods without any remarkable
view of the distance. The house is adapted to the trees. It is found, by
careful study of the property, that a long, open vista opens through the center
of the estate. It is this natural opening which has been accepted as the
axial line. In a general way, the court runs northeast and southwest, and
along that exposure, the outline of which the setting sun illumines so won-
derfully, is a retaining wall, some eighteen feet in height.

"The appropriation for a house should be divided into two equal parts,
one-half for the house, the other for the gardens, pathways, court, approach^
terrace and the rest of it, or, as it might be termed, one-half for the pud-
ding, the other for the sauce," as the architect facetiously said some time
ago. Indeed, it seems to have been accepted as the general aim of the archi-
tect's office.

199

THE COURT IS CLOSED AT THE SOUTHERN END BY THE STABLES
The main entrHnre is In the far corner, and is ]>artly concealed by tall cedars

It is somewliat foolish to speak of it as a French, English or Italian
house. It is a little of each. English, possibly in its enrichment within. The
underside of the loggia has the decorative painting, which is French in de-
tail. But the general plan is undoubtedly the product of American needs,
American requirements. You feel that as you enter; you feel it as you
examine the blue print plan, or as you study it in detail or mass. It is dif-
ficult to look at this very delightful entrance, with its central arch, its deli-
cately painted barrel vaulting and slender marble columns, without recall-
ing vividly the loggia to the Pazzi chapel at Santa Croce, Florence, by that
indomitable little personality, Fiiippo Brunelleschi, the enthusiastic comrade

200

THERE IS A DELIGHTFfL AIR OF PRIVACY AND PROTECTION IN THE COIRT
The white light of the picture Is the marble fountain, and the arched entrance bejond it

of Donatello and, for a time, of Ghiberti. In its graceful proportion, it re-
calls not a little the arcade of the portico of Saint Annunziata and Spedale
degli Innocenti. There is an Etrurian influence to be seen in the cap and
elsewhere. This house is the work of a man who determined to indulge him-
self in just one little architectural note, and that as infinitely beautiful as
he could possibly make it. It is of white marble, an exquisite detail like the
little Saint Ambrose chapel of the Cathedral of Saint John the Divine, but
recently completed and dedicated to daily service. It is the accent of the
house. The rest of the house is fearlessly, deliciously, almost impertinently
bereft of the usual, I might almost say, the too usual trimmings, thought

201

t s

ONE OF THE DIFFICULT THINGS TO TREAT IN A HOUSE IS THE STAIRCASE
The nroiight-iron lialustrading la introdui^ed from an interesting old European fragment

essential to an architectural composition of any moment. It is of hard, well-
bumt brick.

Within, it is full of color. The wall of the hall is blue. It is by means
of a red-tile staircase that we climb to the upper story. The balustrading
is of wrought-iron, taken from a fragment of old work which Mr. Hastings
fortunately found in Europe. The ceiling is an old Italian painter's work
of considerable merit, and very beautiful and low in tone. The dining-room
is an English example of wall panelling of the eighteenth century. The
painting of the ceiling is of a religious significance of the same period. The
library, the largest room in the house, is a portion of the original building.

SHOW ME THE HOUSE AND 1 WH.L INFORM YOU OF THE MAN
The library of a .student, alive to the imjKirtanci; of practical affairs, and a luver of beautT

which survived the fire. It was rebuilt in part. The owner is fond, among
other things, of maps, charts, plans and surveys. Above the books are lock-
ers, an ingenious contrivance whereby the maps may be hauled down or
rolled up, as you will, out of sight but forever within reach.

The unfortunate fire, which destroyed so much of the house that it had
to be rebuilt from start to finish, gives us a very pleasing side-light upon
the skill of the distinguislied owner, who happens to have been his own archi-
tect. To me it is interesting to see that it was rebuilt, not redesigned, be-
cause it shows a confidence in the former judgment and that the house had
been excellent, gratifying all expectations. Tliere is a subtle satisfaction
in this when we realize how few houses survive the intimate relation of daily
life ! Do they not too often resemble people, in that while our friendship
may be delightful and satisfying for a time, a protracted acquaintance might
pro^■e fatal i The qualities that win, sometimes fail to hold. Very prettily do

THIS SUGGESTS THE COMFORT AND RESTRAINT OF AN ENGLISH DINING-ROOM
The accent \s the (lecoratioii of the celling and the painting of Augustus St. Gaudens near window

certain people attract by the bright sparkle of their wit, oft basking in the
sunshine of their own verbosity, as Beaconsfield used to say, while the audi-
ence applauds in the offing and things go well and the goose hangs high!
But they tire, they weary and even applause bores. Yes, many houses are
verj' much like people of whom we experience sad disappointment.

The accompanying sketch shows that a large portion of the Roslyn estate
remains practically in its original condition. Much of it is not even enclosed
with a fence. So insidiously has the architect added to the scene a well-
devised house with accompanying outbuildings and garden that the romance
and beauty of the property is unimpaired. The building stands on a small
ele . ated plateau surrounded by dense woods. Look at the sketch. The house
court with barn, gardener's cottage and garage are enclosed with a high
wall. By the planting of a long pleached avenue of linden trees additional
shelter and a strong decorative accent has been given, forming the westerly

SKETCH PLAN OF PORTION OF PROPF.RTY

MR. THOMAS HASTINGS' HOME AT ROSLYN, L. I. 207

side of the court. Beyond the terrace pavement, descending some thirty
feet or more, are the meadow and vegetable garden you passed as you arrived
from the station, only so entertained were you by the extended grapevine-
covered pergola skirting the roadway that you failed to see it all. Even the
observant fail to catch some of the beautiful green things such as the dwarf
mountain mugho pine bushes which cover in an irregular fashion the surface
of the slope. These effective little evergreens from the mountains of Switz-
erland are very serviceable, being of the type which clings to the ground, re-
sembling somewhat juniper and enriching without darkening.

The principal rooms are indicated upon the plan. A is the entrance
hall, B the living room, C the dining room, D the library. There are two
mentions of the letter E, which mark the little loggia at each end of the house.
The sketch also shows the southern and westerly terrace and the hedging of
box or privet which accents desirable boundaries. Here is the green of the
forest, that is, of the natural Long Island woods, plus the acquired green
bushes of varying kinds jplanted between the larger oaks as seemed essential
to intensify a certain well-defined climax. It is very peaceful; in color it
is green, the green of a thousand palettes, with all the modifications the Orien-
tal mind can conceive, and it is a sunshiny place.

Vases, and wide, open-mouthed pots, low squat tubs with sturdy box,
laurel and magnolia trees, jars reminding us of the famous Arabian Nights
storv of The Fortv Thieves, a well head, sedilia and fountain from one of
the southern principalities of the energetic King Rene, who strove in the
good Renaissance days to restore to art and letters some semblance of tlie
regard in which the ancients had held them, occupy prominent places in
the court. Thev assail our hearts with a thousand memories. Some will re-
call with delight the Oriental prince who, among many other occupations,
was enamoured of the gentle art of gardening, and who, while enjoying the
designing of large places whose dignity and inches required the larger frame
of nature, clung tenaciously to little inanimate things which to him were ever
alive. He treasured these for the messages they whispered to him of old
civilizations never far distant. The earthen jar into wich Marjaneh poured
the boiling oil so thoughtlessly upon the forty thieves is not only a nursery
romance but a decorative note. It strikes a key in the kingdom of the painter
as inspiringly as a dandelion-bestarred meadow or the fugitive smile on the
countenance of his fair mistress.

In a whimsical mood, Mr. Hastings named the house "Bagatelle," an
Italian word absorbed by the French, the true meaning of which is "a thing
of trifling importance." And, architect-like, he supplements with a motto
— Parva sed apta, "small but fit."

THE MAIN ENTRANCE PORCH WITH ITS STATELY COLUMNS AND PEDIMENT
Roadway passes under a grove of trees to which rhododendrons and box-wood bushes hare been added

Mr. James Parmelee's Washington Home

Charles A. Piatt, architect

Illuitrations from origiDal drawing and photographs by Julian Buckly

p|HE property of Mr. James Parmelee adjoins Rock Creek
Park on the northern side of the romantic city of Wash-
ington. It is but two miles from the White House, and
while, without any definitely connected view of that engag-
ing center of things political and social, the property, being
densely wooded, is still in full enjoyment of the panorama
from the upper windows during certain seasons of the year. There is an
Old World serenity, a sense of seclusion, we may say, in the way in which
the house stands some forty feet above the roadway, in the heart of a well-
shaped grove of oak trees backed by hickories, chestnuts and beech which
form so dense a wood round the property. It is of the style selected by
Washington for the official home of the executive of the nation, the style
familiar with and favored by the aristocracy of that period and forever asso-
ciated intimately with the struggle of certain enthusiasts who endeavored to
transmit to the wealthy of England some such stately homes as were then
in vogue in Italy.

The Causeway is well named. It is approached by means of a well-
constructed road, a bridge in fact, which is built quadrant-fashion, span-
ning the brook near the entrance. This roadway has been so skilfully con-
trived that while it passes through the wood, giving delightful little surprises
at unexpected angles, it has not entailed the sacrifice of any of the trees and
it reaches the highest part of the property without any obvious cutting of
importance. In other words, the visitor climbs some forty or more feet
without knowing it, so subtle is the accent. The parapet wall bordering
the roadway and bridge is built of trap-rock quarried in the neighborhood,
and certain huge boulders found upon the site. While this construction is
an engineering scheme of some importance, it is exceedingly picturesque
with heavily buttressed and battered piers at intervals.

The Causeway is interesting also as a complete and well-studied house
of a definite architectural style. It is Georgian throughout. The northern
frontage, the main entrance, is accented by a portico of unusual dignity,
the pediment of which is supported by four slender columns. Like the

209

THE LONG BALUSTBADED TERRACE AN'D SOUTHERN APPROACH
This Is reached also by some of the minor foot-paths through the thick grove of oak and chestnut

210

MR. JAMES PARMELEE'S WASHINGTON HOME 211

dressings, cornice, sills and panels, pilasters and string-course, these columns
with their broad, stately steps, are of limestone. It is a red brick house.
A long stone terrace with heavy hand-rail and moulded pillars and square
piers parallels the southern frontage with its accompanying broad steps
leading direct to the meadow. The composition recalls much of the work
of James Paine and Robert Adam at a time when the Italian period was
broadly accepted by English people of means and refinement and was no
longer merely an architectural expression for the Court. It resembles not
a little the splendid work of Robert Grumbold in his design for Clare Col-
lege at Cambridge. There is an eclecticism about the whole composition
which is agreeable. Broadly speaking, the initial impulse of the Italian as
a phase of fashion ran itself out in England prior to the end of the eigh-
teenth century and the Georgian style began. Thanks to Wren, to the es-
sential and self-imposed economies of the time, Georgian architecture re-
ceived a splendid impetus, particularly adapted to the new republic. Its
true value as domestic architecture for the White House was obvious to
Washington and Jefferson. For, while being a cultivated form of archi-
tecture imbued at all times with a spirit of romanticism, it had a certain
intuitive cosmopolitanism which made it popular, within reach of people of
moderate means, and capable of being expressed in a hundred ways. It is
interesting to recall that the White House was designed by Dr. William
Thornton, an intimate friend of Thomas Jefferson and one of the best
known amateurs of the time. Dr. Thornton took as his model Stourton
House, Wiltshire. We are, however, indebted to Hallet, an English archi-
tect and a pupil of John Nash, for the general supervision of the building.

The Causeway is of value in the main by virtue of its placement. It
might have been built a hundred years ago. Even now the lichen and moss,
the weather staining is tying it to the ground. Splendidly has the archi-
tect taken advantage of the grove and accompanying underbrush, and he has
remembered the importance of green and rich, full colors for the winter
season of Washington. Rhododendrons have been planted here and huge box
plants from Brazil. Many of these are very large and well shaped. Some
are at least one hundred and fifty years old. They border the steps at the
entrance. They fill in the vacant gaps under the trees and form a broad
margin of color along the edge of the driveway. This woody undergrowth is
very delightful. Preference has been shown for the type of plant which
maintains clusters of berries during the winter and which develops, as it
were, a fascinating color change from light green to red, at times often bril-
liant scarlet, and on to purple as the season progresses. Again, there is
the inevitable perfume as of a pot-pourri of sun-warmed cedar wood, box

THE DINISG-ROOM ENTRANCE GIVKS A GLIMPSE OK THE MAIN HALL
It deptnils u|)on the subtleties of CHrving, panelling and slightly projecting mouldings for its interest

MR. JAMES PARMELEE'S WASHINGTON HOME 213

and rhododendrons; the pungent perfume of wayward under bush, moist
shrubberies, unlike pastoral Germany or Switzerland, characteristic rather
of England. Through the foliage of the lower branches near the entrance
we get the glint of the tall piers revealing the arched gateway to the walled
garden, and beyond the flash of a vivid light upon the curved roofing of the
greenhouses — that nursery for tender plants and exotics, which plays so
important a part in furnishing the house. This enclosure of great promise
will doubtless shelter many plants of more than ordinary interest because
of its protected position. A walled garden under the shade of the oak grove
is a delight. It is serious in line and rather stately in arrangement but
promises to be gorgeously diversified in color and wilful with its fragrance.
A fountain will be the central feature. The visitor will find in the capricious
outline of the brook much pleasure and he will doubtless be attracted
greatly by the broad meadowland left between the driveway and the woods.

Within the house the white note has been maintained throughout. The
entrance hall and stairway detail is very pleasing, the interlacing balustrad-
ing unusual. In the library an attempt has been made to design up to the
old marble mantelpiece, a treasure of the Adam period, which the archi-
tect was so fortunate as to discover among the curios of an interesting gal-
lery. The authentic spirit of Chippendale and Sheraton, thanks to the in-
defatigable enterprise of the owner, pervades some of the furniture. This
is the all-important room of the house, adjoinirfg the semicircular conserv-
ator)^ and being well lighted from three sides. There are many things to
entertain in the dining-room with its vigorous panelling to side wall and
ceiling. A tapestry of unusual interest covers the westerly wall. It is a
tapestry with curiously interwoven mottoes in quaint French phraseology —
a little of a challenge to most of us. The Chippendale furniture is of the
period when that resourceful craftsman was looking to China for some of
his motifs. The decorative sense of that lordly country dominates the rugs
which have been specially woven for the principal rooms. The weaving was
undertaken in Persia. The rug of the dining-room is charged with Ori-
ental arabesques, a diaper of stately regularity and voluptuous color of
which red is the prevailing note. The rug of the library is golden in tone
with a dull blue border. The rug of the parlor is a study in blue.

For many years the property was known as Twin Oaks, having within
its boundary a frame farm-house of no particular merit, situated between
the new house and the present garage. The roads on the upper northwest
corner remain as originally laid out, running through the rich underbrush in
a very natural fashion. The great thing, of course, the one thing which en-
gaged the attention of Mr. Piatt, was to so locate the new house as to

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THE SKETCH PLAN OF PROPERTY DISCLOSES STORY IN GRAPHIC FORM

MR. JAMES PARMELEE'S WASHINGTON HOME 217

make the best of everything. After careful examination and study he decided
to recommend the brow of the hill as the best position, because, with a little
cutting, a broad open vista would extend over the valley and far beyond
the property line. The house is approached from Klingle Road by a bridge
spanning the brook. The visitor ascends forty feet above the house by that
serpentine roadway, segmental in plan, with retaining walls on both sides, a
portion of the way. The accompanying plan shows main rooms lettered re-
spectively. A indicates drawing room and D entrance hall ; C dining room,
conveniently near the service quarters; E is the little study connecting
drawing room and dining room, a room set apart complete within itself, still,
scarcely so independent as the library, which occupies the entire easterly end
of house and which is here designated by letter B, with conservatory F.
There are many delightful vistas in the place, some that are accidental and
others that are deliberately constructed for various practical and obvious
reasons. Standing under the main portico looking westerly we find our-
selves entertained first by a walled garden, beyond that again the long vista
planted with evergreens leading to a little figure, marked M, which is not
only an agreeable academic line but also of some little domestic importance,
giving a relief to the wild foliage and access to domestic quarters such as
drying yard, vegetable garden, gardener's cottage and the rest of it. L indi-
cates the lake in the valley.

The Causeway is indicative once again of the exalted spirit which
makes for good domestic architecture of the highest order, being singularly
free from lavish display, yet having assuredly a quality of stateliness which
is omnipresent whithersoever we look. It has that subtle charm of hanging
together, that completeness which is agreeable. A house of this type is not
simply one more solution of the perplexing, yet ever-engaging problem of
building homes, the fulfilment of a specification requiring furniture and
scenery to correspond, but rather is it an essay which invites a certain kind
of life. In a word, the architect is sociologist as well as painter. The house
has the ever-engaging sense of seclusion, of protection. It is a little realm
of its own without vistas cutting through the woods to bring from foreign
parts a diverting picture. Has it not scenery of its own sufficient to satisfy
the most exacting, and with which it is good to live ?

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VERY EFFECTIVE IS THE STATELY SCREEN OF RED CEDARS

The formal gnrden in connection with a natural setting is here shown. The water for
the pools is used continuously, being pumped into reservoirs on d very much higher level.
The accent of the central pool is a large bntnze bowl supported by four figures

Home of Mr. H. L. Pratt, Glen Cove, L. I.

James Brite, architect
James Greenteaf, landscape architect

IlloMralioiu (rom photographt by The Wallace Phololraph Co.

NOW that the ever-engaging problem of the American country liome
is drawing to itself so much of the attention of the man of affairs, we
are profoundly grateful that care and judgment is bestowed not only
upon architectural detail, structural integrity, the adjustment of the plan to
suit the garden and the view, but also upon the arrangement of the imme-
diate boundary, so that the whole design makes a unit, complete and satis-
factory within itself. And when, in addition to all this, the scheme takes so
prominent a place in the neighborhood as to make a beautiful picture, wherein
the natural grove with its rich diversity of outline and color forms a setting
for the dignified composition, it is so much the better.

A notable example of this is splendidly shown in the views before us,
relating as they do to the last of the big houses overlooking Long Island

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HOME OF MR. H. L. PRATT, GLEN COVE, L. I. 221

Sound in the vicinity of Glen Cove, the property of Mr. Herbert L. Pratt,
a portion of the original family estate. It is interesting to note that a part
of the grove of remarkable trees forming a boundary to the adjoining prop-
erties belongs to Mr. George D. and Mr. John T. Piatt, respectively, and it
is instructive to examine carefully the way in which these very attractive
houses have been skilfully wedded to the setting. Here in our own country
is a splendid illustration of the type of work valued so keenly by Ameri-
cans during their numerous trips abroad. "Yes," says a visitor, "the halls
of England are pretty, their gardens delightful, but" — to quote the inevitable
but, the spoiler of day dreams, the assassin of romance — "how will it all look
under the shining sun of America?" Judge for yourself.

The house of Mr. Pratt is a graceful tribute to the versatility and
architectural equipment of the designer. While he has frankly, and with
no little care, reproduced in the elevation much of the detail of Bramshill,
a well-known English house of the first quarter of the seventeenth century,
intended for the amiable and accomplished prince, Henry Frederick, the
eldest son of King James I, he has wisely omitted a prominent part as being
undesirable and, to put it mildly, somewhat pretentious. In vain we look
for a counterpart of that pedantic entrance to the Manor of Hampshire
with its projecting oriel, its too busy and aggressive ornamentation, crowned
with the Elizabethan interpretation of the feathers of the Prince of Wales.
The house of Mr. Pratt is quiet in detail, pleasing in proportion and delight-
fully devoid of irritating features foreign to our civilization. It starts right
with an excellent plan which embraces the gardens, and provides for the
varying levels of the property and for a proper disposition of the encircling
w^all, so that while it is an unmistakable demarcation of that portion of
the property belonging intimately to the house, it is in no sense a barrier
to the wholesome enjoyment of the rest of it. In a word, the wall encircles
in an unobtrusive and natural way without trespassing at all upon our en-
joyment of the superb setting beyond. To-day we lose the wall here and
there among the shadow and outline of the screen of lordly cedars and do-
mestic box, and later still more will be forgotten when the wistaria and
grapevine climb the pergola and with their rich mantling play friendly
havoc with their* quaint formality. There is no vine-covered walling equal
in a decorative wav to the loftv cedars, which make so calm and statelv a
screen standing as a silent retinue before an ever-smiling queen. They
shade the way from one terrace to another, bringing into prominence the
tender grayish green of the woods beyond.

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224 AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

It is comforting to realize that wliile the wood and plaster work has
been so contrived as to permit the natural expansion and contraction en-
tailed by our own climate the underlying spirit of the Elizabethan work
has been preserved. This is saying a great deal when we know what this
means and how exacting this form of design really is. There is a certain
strenuosity about it. It has its own severity in outline and proportion as well

THE DINING-RCXJM IS NOT WITHOUT ITS DIGNITY AND REPOSE

Characteristic of the period, the accent is upon two fine portraits of the Dutch school,
and upon the oak panelling, carved fireplace and interlacing strap ornament of ceiling

as riclmess in color. It typifies the period which encourages contrast of color,
moulding and carving, but insists upon breadth ; hence, it is a difficult style
in which to get the effect the present restless age demands. This has
been very skilfully adhered to in that portion of the house which may be
spoken of as completed and studied to the full. Although we do not have
the gorgeous silk and satin costmning of the Elizabethan or Tudor days,
to which interiors of this type were a natural background, we have color in
other ways. It is here to be seen in the worthy portraits upon the walls, the
rugs so full of rare tones, vivid at times, the glint of the silver sliining

HOME OF MR. H. L. PRATT, GLEN COVE, L. I. 225

against the broad oak panelling and the embroidered hangings, which,
thanks to the brilhancy of our light, shine wonderfully throughout the year.
We are a little apt to forget this quality of light in the general scheming
of our houses. Again, here is the delicate subject of reflected light, the ceru-
lean overhead and the ever-present green, man's tireless mentor, at our feet.
During the last few weeks the planting scheme of the fountain court

HERE THE GREAT PANORAMA OF THE SOUND IS EVER-ENGAGING

has been developed further, and the broad bordering of herbaceous plants,
such as hollyhock, delphiniimi, phlox, and of course dahlia, glorious in their
glad raiments, vigorous in growth, enrich the scene. These darlings have
been assigned a prominent place at each end of the court at the foot of the
tall cedar screens. The mirror pools change every hour of the day, following
capricious meanderings of the clouds. At times the coping is scarcely visible,
hidden by the spreading border of yew and the accompanying procession of
water lilies which skirt the edge of the pools. Bronze figures of center
fountain and lesser ones in niches near runways are oxidizing dehghtfully.

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FROM THE BOULEVARD THE ENTRANCE IS BOTH CONVENIENT AND IMPRESSIVE
A well-worked-out plan with much of the energy of the Tudor and the convenience of modern time

The Home of Mr. Finley Barrell, Lake Forest, III.

Howard Sbaw, architect

Illuirratioai from pholo|raphi by H. Fuermaon

ALTHOUGH, of course, the full enjoyment of this very remarkable
home is reserved for the favored few, the rest of us get from the
views a very fair idea of the source of its popularity. It is a home
of surprises, the general scheming of which must have been a delight to the
architect as it is still, to-day, a challenge to the visitor. There are so many
fountains and pools, such arbors and bowers, pergolas and terraces, and
pockets for water-loving plants that it would seem that somehow or other
the fairies had been at work, as if jealous of the wild abandon of the forest
alongside, some fine trees of which remain standing on the terraces.

Arriving at the fore-court, we pass through the loggia into the gallery
and the long living-room, which opens on the main terrace and which is
flanked by porches at each end.

Says a friend of the family : "It's a bully good plan and simplicity itself,
with no foolishness by way of borrowed lights. Every foot of the outside
is utilized for the lighting and the views, which are beautiful. The help
have their own wing connecting with a corner of the dining room. The
plan reminds me of some of the minor palaces of Verona."

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Home of Miss E. A. Watson, White Plains, N. Y.

Delano & Aldrich, architects

IllustratioDS from original drawing and photographs by Edward R. Senn

IX placing the house — always a difficult thing to do — advantage has here
been taken of the two splendid elms, so that the building stands equally
between them, seeming to receive gratefully the air of romance as
well as shelter they bring to the scene. The accompanying plan shows
very well what is meant,
though the spread of the elms
is much greater than here indi-
cated. Admirably contrived is
this little place wherein the
best is made of* everything.
The student recalls the coun-
sel of the old Oriental profes-
sor who contended that in ap-
pearance the worth-while citi-
zen of the world resembles the
rest of the crowd, and onlv
when we become acquainted
with him do we speedily find
the difference. This cottage
with its old-fashioned air in-
vites and baffles. But for the
plan it might escape the notice
of some of us. A casement at
the end of the living room,
reaching to the floor, permits
us to step to the veranda and
out upon the lawn. The ve-
randa is of wrought iron, slen-
der in line. It furnishes an
admirable balcony to the two the plan tells the whole story

bedrooms above, and from it The flower garden is shown continuing the longest

• J J ^^^^ ^^ house, having intimate relation with living room,

the awnmg descends. of which it seems a part. The pavement is serviceable

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STATELY LOCUSTS. FLAKKIN'G THE MAIN ENTRAN'CE OF COURT, ADD DIGNITY
Under the octagonal clock tower Is the gara)^; to the right are three eonifortable cottages for
help, and to the left stables for polo ponies. Th; court is paved with Belgian cobbles laid in sand

Stable on Estate of Mr. W. D. Straight, Westbury, L. I.

Delano & Aldrich, architects

Illudratiofi from photofraph by Edward R. Senn

THERE is something very entertaining about the arrangement of build-
ings which border the new court to Mr. Straight's property, the ac-
cent of which is naturally upon the garage which unites the two wings
and is the center of things generally. It is an interesting picture; also it
is a stimulating lesson in sociologj' and a revelation of the modern idea where
attention to the most trivial as well as important demands are given to the
requirements of our friend and comrade, the horse. And it is a decorative
picture, thanks to the locust trees and oaks planted at set intervals round
the court, to the arrangement of the roofing in so subtle a fashion as to per-
mit hooded entrances to the cottages, and gabling to garage entrance.

THE FRONT KXTRAN'CE TO THE LONG ISLAND HOME OF MR. F. G. BOURNE
It resembles a Geurginn mansion uf the later Renaissance. The extending wings are a recent addition

The Brick House

OF course, if we want color in the building, there is nothing like brick.
Brick is so warm, so rich, so full of color. See what the English do
with brick and how fine it looks in that cold, grim, inhospitable
climate of theirs ? I note, by the way, how well it looks here when snow is
on the ground.

The brick which was so valuable when moulded and used in the fair days
of Renaissance Italy became serviceable for the twisted chimneys of the
same period when used by Thorpe and others for the stately English halls.
Was it not brick that gave prominence to the bay windows which swung out
so gracefully upon the upper terraces and which gave full flavor to
the curved gables, not to speak of the carved arabesque ornament which
characterizes so many of the window heads and panels of that same service-
able period ^ Brick gives a sense of security and comfort to the tall octag-
onal chimneys that twist and wind corkscrew fashion, making a prominent
accent of great charm. It is moulded in divers quaint outlines for cap and
weathered base, and brick again lives in our romantic memories and in the
present as the material of the pavement, of the terraces, garden paths, ar-
bors and the rest of it, where it is seen in friendly competition with flowers
— with hollyhock, delphinium, dahlias, and the alyssum whose grayish-white

THE BRICK HOUSE 237

plumage unites with the mortar joints. Thanks to the metallic oxides of
our clays, the fierceness of our fired clay in the form of brick and thin tile
adds prreatly to the beauty of our landscape. It wears everlastingly.

An enthusiast said, sitting on the drawing table of his ofiice and swing-
ing his legs; "You have all heard the story of an architect in search of
brick in Chicago. He found something more than brick; he found a splen-
did reminder of the Oriental and Flemish manner of laying it. They have
a remarkable brick in the windy city, full of color, wonderful in texture and
intensely hard. Some of the stuff is moulded, making vitreous pavement;
some is used for chimneys. How many realize that the English are in-
debted to Sir Christopher Wren, or was it to the workers he brought
over from Italy, for the soft red brick known as the rubber? It was a
brick which could readily be cut, and so we have not only modelled plaster-
work but modelled brickwork in the panels of the Georgian days." Exam-
ine Hampton Court, if you will, to see the dark headers of purpUsh red,
which is almost black, and the stretchers of tan, russet, brown, brilliant ver-
milion of a Chinese orange cast and vitrified yellow enlightening the red.
Look at the brick mullions, elhptical window heads and labels of the Eliza-
bethan and Jacobean buildings, at the moulded brick copings to gables
and ornamental detail which
has been cut from the softest
but most richly colored brick,
in which the craftsmen have
permitted the joints to play
their part. Where would the
Georgian carvers be without
this material for their sunken
panels enriching chimney
breasts ? Of course, in England,
as in these United States, brick
is largely used for its economy
as well as its beauty.

Mr. Ernest Flagg was archi-
tect of the house on page 236;
Mr. Howard Shaw of the house
at foot of page 287. We are
indebted to Albro & Lindeberg
for view of house of Mr. Orville

■n , 1 , . , , CHICAGO HOME OF MR. E. MORRIS

UabcocK which we have ven-
tured to present as frontispiece.

A PILTLRESQfE REMINDER OF THE HALF-TIMBER METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION'
In an ingenious fashion the architect has permitted the upper floors to overhang. [3»e pogt SSI)

CHAPTER III

THE HAI.F-TIMBER AND THE FRAMED HOUSE

The property of Mr, E. L, Winthrop^ Jr., Syosset, L, L — The interesting little
residence of Mrs, Peter F, Collier at Southampton, L. I. — Mr. Robert J. ColUer^s
estate at Wicatunky N. J. — The home of Mr. Emerson R. Newell, Greenwich, Conn.
— The Vermont home of Mr. Philip B. Jennings at Bennington — Stable on estate of
Mr. Oreille Babcock at Lake Forest, III. — The residence of Mr. E. D. Adler, Ocono-
mowoc Lake, Wis. — The home of Mr. J. M. Townsend, Jr., Mill Neck, L. L

HE tenacity of old traditions is shown viv-
idly in the occasional use of half -timber
as an element of modern design. It is
romantic in spirit, sound and direct in structure
and within certain limitations as to locality, and
in view of the effect produced, it is economical.
For the moment, this latter claim will seem er-
roneous when we remember the price of lumber,
vet some architects have shown such wisdom in
their use of this serviceable method of building
where it appears as a structural feature of their
work that it has also become highly decorative.
There are so many ways of using wood which
at various stages of our history has become of
added interest. Its use can be confined to the
gables, as in the medieval times, where it appeared in connection with brick
laid herringbone pattern between the framing. That practice obtains favor
to-day and is found very satisfactory. The space also is filled with stucco
bearing upon its surface frankly the marks of the trowel, or with added orna-
ment pressed in or raised. One of the most satisfactory uses of this engag-
ing agent has recently been adopted by the English, who get from Russia split
staving of oak, which they use for the pike of the gable, spiking it over the
frame and treating the surface with boiled oil or creosote, or possibly white-
wash, as the occasion invites.

In the hands of some enthusiasts half -timber has become of decorative

value with great success for wings, bays, loggias and porches. The accom-
panying illustrations show various instances of this. Half -timber is used in
connection with the framed house regarding which we continue on page 280.

289

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Home of Mr. E. L. Winthrop, Jr., Syosset, L. I.

Delano & Aldrich, architects

Illustrations from original drawing and photographs by Edward R. Senn

JERHAPS it was the beauty of the setting which prompted
Mr. Egerton L. Winthrop, Jr., to select the Colonial style
for his house. To all intents and purposes it is an old place,
ready planted. It has a beautiful grove of locust trees. It
has also pines and spruces, an occasional round-topped
maple and cedars, bushes of lilac and hedging of privet and
hemlock, which show that for years the little property was cherished by
someone for its own intrinsic beauty or association of some other kind. It
is so evidently a property with a personality. The apple orchard appears
to have been planted some seventy-five years ago, which would be about the
time when Rufus King, who was twice minister to the court of St. James
in the time of Washington, settled in Jamaica, a few miles away, and Elias
Hicks, the Quaker preacher, worked on his farm on the outskirts of Jericho.
To add to so unusual a site a house colonial in idea without disturbing
things too much, to add what planting was necessary to develop further the
changes essential to the building entailing the loss of the Old World charm
of the place was part only of the problem confronting the architects. In a
skilful manner the house has been so located as to take advantage of the
trees. It was found on careful examination that by building in a certain
position a long, continuous line of lordly locusts could be made, as it were, to
form a setting for the southern frontage. While two others equally promin-
ent determined the angle of the servants' wing. Nor was this all. A careful
examination with theodolite and level disclosed a possible location for a
flower garden on the western extension of the central axial line and an in-
viting place for an evergreen garden within a sunken court on the southern
axis. Many of the grand old locust trees still remain, trees that were doubt-
less standing when Washington visited Jamaica, lodging over night at
Wame's Tavern, described by him in his diary as "a good and decent
house." The following day he passed on to Oyster Bay, through Brook-
ville, East Norwich and on to Huntington. It is said that some of these
trees are two hundred years old and sixty to seventy feet in height.

The house stands among the locusts, calm and complacent, as of a

241

S2 i-

HOME OF MR. E. L. WINTHROP, Jr., SYOSSET, L. I. 248

form of colonial architecture associated with the time of George Ily.and is
singularly free from any affectation or enrichment that could well be escaped.
It is not by any means a large house, though it is big in idea, well propor-
tioned, recalling in many ways the dignified outline of houses built in Vir-
ginia and New England in the early days. There is to-day in Rhode Island,
not far from Pawtucket and well within sight of the picturesque river
which for a long time was the theater of discussion regarding the state boun-
darj'^ of Connecticut, a building of this character known as Starkweather
House. The graceful door-head at the entrance resembles a delightful lit-
tle house built in the County of Kent, England, for a venerable physician
during the time when George was King, and some of the detail here speaks
eloquently of the conscientious study of the carpentry work of the period.
For, of course, we must remember that as wood was the logical and histor-
ical predecessor of architecture in stone the student of classic orders would
not find much difiiculty in adjusting his projections and structure to forms
derived from early buildings.

Mr. Winthrop's house is built of wood and brick. The illustrations
show the northern and southern frontage, a picturesque corner of the upper
terrace and the irregular outline of the rugged old apple trees which bring
into prominence the stately proportions of the doors and windows. The
house stands upon a broad terrace paved with brick set upon edge in her-
ring-bone pattern. It has among other attractive features an interesting
five-sided porch at the easterly end and a sunken court which opens direct
from the central hall on the southerlv side.

The walls of the library, drawing and dining rooms are panelled in wood
which has been painted a dull, warm gray with a little tendency towards
apple green and white, which goes so delightfully with the old eighteenth
century English mahogany furniture. The floors are of oak and the man-
telpieces are old -examples of good work which have been incorporated in
the general scheme in an unaffected manner.

In an ingenious way and somewhat unusual, the service drive passes
directly from the highway under the stable to the rear entrance of the house
and is screened by old cherry and cedar trees and in places by a long privet
hedging which runs between the locust trees and shares also the shade with
the spice bush. White lilacs line the main roadway to the front door. They
in turn are backed by pine, cedar and dogwood. Care has been taken to piece
out and restore what little damage has occurred from locating the flower gar-
den at the far end of the apple orchard, and to the locust trees on the south-
ern terrace have been added two others, lining up carefully with the rest of
them. The transplanting is of itself an important part of the scheme.

244 AMERICAX COUNTRY HOUSES OF TODAY

Sketch shows, kindergarten fashion, principal rooms by letters. A is
library, B drawing room, C dining room, and D entrance hall. E is the

SKETCH PLAN OF PROPERTY, WITH HOUSE, ORCHARD AND DRIVEWAY

little room in line with central hall which by its very name and association
is prominent to every house lover and known as morning room. F is porch
on same axial center as flower garden in middle of old orchard.

HOME OF MR. E. L. WINTHROP, Jr., SYOSSET, L. I. 245

The flower garden consists of roses and perennials. The evergreen gar-
den within the sunken court, the banks of which are covered with ivy, is
accented by a fountain. It is a fountain with three overflows extending
into half circular saucer-like depressions sunken into the lawn. Following
the outer line of the court is a broad border of hibiscus, rose of Sharon and
at stated intervals bushes of honeysuckle and locust trees some thirty feet
in height, indicated on plan by letters L.T.

The architect, painter-like, has here remembered the value of so repeat-
ing certain plants, shrubs and trees as to form a link-like connection running
through the various decorative shapings of the property, unifying and hold-
ing everything together. Painter-like he has realized the importance of green
of varying textures and tones as a setting for white. This is to be seen in
the designing of the fountain where the thin stream is encouraged to bubble
over the central bowl, running down into the saucers sunken into the lawn.
This little movement of crystal is of service to the birds, giving them a de-
lightful surprise at times in the freshet season of the year and is a pleasing
climax glistening brilliantly when the sun shines upon it. The general
scheme is also clever be-
cause it shows the value
of a few splashes of bril-
liant color among the old
apple trees, giving the
visitor something to look
at under the low shadows
cast by the branches which
unite overhead. And of
course the green brings
out the white of the house
itself. Garter-fashion
does the brick paving
run round the house, ap-
pearing as a parapet wall-
mg to the front terrace
and again to the flight of
steps descending into the
court. This valuable note
of red, dull and low in
tone, always beautiful
among the green, appears ^ pleasing corneu on the upper terrace

as pavement of the porch. ^he mgged apple trw emphasises the stateliness of the house

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Mrs. P. F. Collier's Home, Southampton, L. L

Warren & Clark, architects

Illustrations from original drawing and photographs by Floyd Baker

ERE, again, in the home of Mrs. P. F.
Collier, at Southampton, L. I., is a
house that is distinctly American in idea.
That is, it fits in with the landscape, growing
from the ground up. Yet, in its contriving and
general manipulation, it is rich with traditions
and memories of former methods of designing.
So it is old, even venerable, as well as distinctly
new in that it fits not alone with this particular
section of the countryside, but has a personal
flavor as well. It recalls the delightful old houses
and cottages of the early Colonial days and their
graceful personality of which no one ever wearies.
It is, if it be classed appreciatively, the warmly
human style of a period in the history of this country which, above all things,
dealt with a veneration for frankness, simplicity, wholesomeness of ideal and
a remarkable love for the great outdoors and the ability to reach the very
heart of things.

In many ways does this property recall the New Jersey home of Mrs.
Collier's son. Mr. Robert J. Collier has recentlv built a house that is the
product of the ever-timely love of the country for its own sake. This Long
Island house of Mrs. Collier is compact and low. It is kept close to the
ground. It is well built and well drained. It has a good foundation and cel-
lar and outside porch at the level of the ground leading to a pergola. Shelter-
ing the windows of the kitchen a covered lean-to trellis extends from the
dining-room through a gateway into the service yard. It is claimed by the
tendrils and flowers of the wistaria. There are many unexpected little contri-
vances for the enjoyment of quiet luxury. Tucked away, somewhat out of
sight, protected by a low walling, is a grandmotherly enclosure which opens
into the reception-room and, at the other end, opens into the porchway and
again into the meadow. It is well sheltered and full of sunlight. On the far
side of the house there is also an outdoor breakfast loggia which leads from

247

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MRS. P. F. COLLIER'S HOME, SOUTHAMPTON, L. I. 249

the dining-room and from the rose garden now being planted and is also
reached from the rear hallway. It is a comfortable little home, extravagant
in open fireplaces and bathrooms. An open fire is enjoyed in the living-room,
hall and dining-room. In each case the fire opening is lined with terra cotta, a
decorative contribution from Renaissance Italy. Indeed, they are replicas.
Vases of the same tone and material flank the entrance and appear as a deco-
rative note in the garden. The house opens up well. The first impression
is pleasing. A venerable form of planning has been followed. The hall-
way extends through the house. The main rooms open right and left and
the stairway entrance to the rooms above and to the steps into the rear gar-
den pass under archways on each side of the fireplace. The archways are
free from any serious architectural note, as indeed is the interior throughout.
The floors are hardwood, covered with rugs. The spirit which inspired the
designing of the house has evidently been accepted as good and sufiicient
for the furnishing, for it is quiet, wholesome in idea and free from any for-
mality. Here are rich rugs of the Orient, full of color, and domestic rugs
woven bv the wives of the farmers.

And as white is the general tone of the outside, so is it prominent
within. The ceilings are lime-whited. Light color of a cool tone is also
the note of the walling. That of the rugs is green, which recalls in its vel-
vety texture something of the quality of the lawn. The cunning of the
French is shown once again in their subtle printing of cretonne and in the
weaving of the covering to the large settee and the armchair. The body
of the draperies to the casement windows is biscuit-color — ^technically it is
taffeta, a material well woven and lasting. Here, diaper fashion, is a bou-
quet of foliage and flowers bright, cheerful in color and sufficiently conven-
tional in drawing to justify its use and make it available as a decoration.
It has a piquancy and charm that are very acceptable. Of course mahog-
any appears for the tables, smaller chairs and the little womanly acces-
sories for books and low stands for plants. It is a rich dark mahogany, a con-
tribution from Honduras or Cuba. The electric lighting appears in the
ceiling by indirect rays through inverted saucer-like domes.

Grapevines trail over old-fashioned rail hurdles which border the nar-
row path to the front door. It is the old-fashioned method of shingling,
doing its best to spell the magic word — domesticity. It is a covering which
seems to endure. There is an old-time grace about honesty of construction
and of association with which it is good to live.

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Mr. R. J. Collier's Home, Wicatunk, N. J.

John Russell Pope, architect

Illustrations from original drawing and photographs by Joseph Hall

HE CoUier house, illustrated, or, possibly we should say, the
idea which prompted it, comes to us here in America at the
moment when just such a presentation is urgently needed.
It is so evidently the work of a man realizing to the full the
great value of opportunity. We are perpetually talking
about "exquisite simplicity," "largeness," "repose and whole-
someness," at the same time are we lavishing our money on house building
schemes, expensive plannings, bespangled, belittled and so often overfed
with both attention and embellishment, and yet those who think, realize that,
after all, the house is identified closely with the owner, so that when one is seen
the world gets a fairly close view of the other, and that the architect has been,
as it were, momentarily entrusted with the personality of the owner. Cer-
tainly there is personality everywhere, but in the home, which stands in the
open, is the man very much in view of the world. It has been the privilege
of the magazines on more than one occasion to point with some little regret
at the over-decorated abiding places of our citizens. Here, to-day, are we
privileged to present an admirable essay without words which reveals a cul-
tivated mind and a reasonableness in so adjusting a house to a fine old hill-
side property as to give, with all the unconscious charm of a likely lesson,
an illustration of just how the province of the architect is related to our
daily life. It goes without saying that in his tiny princedom the architect
is the "whole thing," but at best he is the servant to all, certainly servant
to the living more than the dead, and to the sunshine more than the gloom of
ancient proportions, ancient traditions. To him the needs of a living fam-
ily are more potent than the proportions of a venerable tomb. It is de-
lightful to find this proper assignment of building elements and propor-
tions wherein shelter for the family, pleasingly arranged, has been given
prominence over academic ideals.

At first sight this interesting home recalls something of Mount Vernon,
and recalls it because of the underlying spirit of good, wholesome planning
and building. Here, unmistakably, is much of the method by which the
best of the early settlers attacked the country house problem. The ques-

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MR. R. J. COLLIER'S HOME, WICATUNK, N. J. 258

tion was one of housing comfortably a large family in a quiet, reasonable,
unobtrusive manner, where protection from climatic changes played an im-
portant part, where building materials were somewhat limited in variety
and where architectural traditions were held somewhat in check. In other
words, the Robert J. Collier house recalls much of the terse, direct schem-
ing and building to be still seen in some of the older sections of our land.
This State has, in its old manor houses, much of the proportion and direct
simplicity of the Old World. The courtyards of Louisiana, the convents and
other church houses of St. Louis, also echo the unconscious charm of the
early Colonial times, wherein the idea of '^getting ahead of the other fel-
low" and of making the house a show-place, did not seem to form part of
the ambitions of the time. Their thoughts were given to more important
matters.

The frame of the house is constructed verv much after the old fashion,
in that it is well braced and stiffened in places. It is also built in between
uprights and deadened between floors. Joists are well bridged, and for
spaces where bearings are longer than usual, iron or rather rolled steel girders
are used. Xoticeable is this in the span over the court. Here a large girder
carries the floor of the attic, bearing its share of the roof timbers. Advan-
tage is taken of the elevation of the roof and its length and prominence to
make of it a "lookout." This, however, is railed round in an unassuming
manner, making it amply secure, but not as if trying to "do stunts." The
pillars in front of the house are simply square box shafts, forming a part
of the framework of the whole. They are well contrived, well braced, and
they occupy a very prominent and important part of the scheme. In size
they are not unlike the pillars at Mount Vernon. They stand upon good,
up-to-date foundation — indeed, foundation is a word which is respected here
in its healthiest sense. The house has liberal cellarage, which in turn is
concreted and serviceable. The rooms are heated by indirect radiation, which
avoids pipes — an eyesore to every cultivated mind. And electric light is
switched on from convenient places. The walling of many of the vestibules
is lined with cypress wainscoting. White wood wainscots the smoking-room
from floor to ceiling, which is subdivided and made useful by the adroit addi-
tion of cupboards and shelving where likely to be of value. The panelling
is painted with light gray color, a mixture of oil and varnish, and has a gen-
eral tendency towards the green of which none of us ever tire. Regarding
the mouldings of the rooms, the triumph alike of the architect and as a rule
no little pride for the housekeeper, there is and there is not very much to
say. Not that they are conspicuous by their size or their outline, by their
material or color, but that they are good and sufiicient and are so evidently

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MR. R. J. COLLIER'S HOME, WICATUNK, N. J. 255

designed with regard to the peculiar function of their daily purpose. There
is and always will be about wall mouldings of this type and character a close
affinity with the very chairs, tables generally classified as furniture. In a
word, one of the great secrets of the Colonial heritage is the sacredness of the
material employed. From start to finish, Colonial homes are primarily of
wood, and as such are treated frankly, freely, without affectation. And when
once in a while some one ventures a momentary reproduction of marble by
the broad-minded, he is not taken too seriously! It is this comradeship be-
tween surface wall treatment and isolated furniture, so generally called,
that makes us so much at home in a house of this period. Of course, in our
modern civilization and extravagance, chairs and tables have become isolated,
expensive, highly finished, highly polished, generally overdone. They have
run away from the walling, and both have suffered gi*eatly in consequence.
The Collier house is also to be congratulated on its electric light fittings,
in that they give light, yet are practically out of sight and very apt to es-
cape notice. They are small, usually of glass. The mountings are incon-
spicuous and do not "count." The color scheme is rich and fulsome. It is
well selected and well placed and well restrained. For instance, the chair
seating to the smoking-room — a big, liberally drawn China rose, rich and red,
is to be seen with its wonderful green leaves upon a black ground. The
prevailing color note of the drawing-room is green, with tones of "old rose,"
while that of the hall, with its quaint French forest scenery, printed upon
paper, smiles upon the visitor in tones of green, low in color and beautifully
mellowed. This green of the apple appears in many parts of the house arid
seems to have a sort of partnership with the creamy white of the woodwork
to the chambers. The walls of the bedrooms are papered each after a certain
set idea and each with cretonne draperies to match, or, at any rate, to har-
monize. The charming days of our grandmothers are in no way forgotten,
and many of their admirable schemes are here visible in the bedspreads,
counterpanes, trunmings generally. The materials are full of color. The
patterns occasionally large, vigorous ; the color of the French confectionary
certainly has but little place. The wall surfaces are restrained and quiet,
but color is everywhere else and it appears possible more than in most places
in the rag carpets of the floor — a commodity, by the way, which used to
drive Morris to distraction!

The plan shows vividly the original orchard and, with but slight modi-
fication, the house has been added and certain roads laid out. The plan indi-
cates the fence line also and the outline of the apple trees and the portion
which remains green lawn or meadow land. It gives, briefly, what little
additional planting has been undertaken. On each side of the southern porch

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258 AMERICAN COVNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

a large elm tree has been set. Letter K indicates the brow of the hill,
from which the ground runs rapidly down into the valley. A shows the main
hall, B the drawing room and C the room set apart for dining. Letter D
denotes the center of the man's domestic activities and is relegated by him

ROUGH SKETCH OF PART OF HILL ON WHICH HOUSE AND ORCHARD STAND

It should l)c noted that the old apple trees remain undisturhed and that the road cuts in between
theiii. The lofty eltiis. Ilankinc the southerly porch and thr box bushes at the head of the entrance
roadway have been replanted. Some of them have endured the varying seasons for three generations

to the dreaiiiiand of smoke. It is panelled from floor to ceiling, with closets
and shelving. E and F denote guest-rooms and G is for them a private hall
and entrance. H marks the center of the cook's domain, the kitchen, and I
of the hall for the servants. Stepping outside again for a moment we are
not surprised to learn of the rose garden now being completed in a sheltered

MR. R. J. COLLIER'S HOME, WICATUNK, N. J. 259

portion of the property, visible at a distance and hedged around and set
out academically. Those who do not have the privilege of visiting here may
have the pleasure of knowing that the adjoining hill husbands the grave of
the father of Mr. Collier. It also is a beautiful site, and here the tomb ven-
erates also the serious architectural proportions of the classic times. I doubt
very much if up-to-date methods could improve the classic method of re-
cording the departed.

Primarily it is the country house of a man big enough to be simple and
reasonable in his taste and superbly indifferent to what the fashionable world
may say. Hence much of its charm. It stands here high on the wind-swept
bluff, overlooking the surrounding country, partly concealed by stunted
apple trees which lean over just a little in one definite direction, a mute
testimony to the industry of the prevailing wind. These apple trees do
much to tie the place to the ground. They are not like some of the mountain
pines, spruce or hemlock or other majestic monarchs that look up, superior
to all that transpire below, regarding apparently only the limitless reaches
of the eternal sky, but they are more human-like, bringing into the scene
not only shade and fruit, but a singular charm discernible alike in their
drawing, their leafage, their quiet murmur when fretted by a passing breeze,
wherein they occasionally tap against the window pane. They do many
other things to spell the magic word domesticity.

The directness of the planning is shown also in the ball, with its double
stairway — note in passing the impertinence of the circular handrailing balus-
trading and the rest of it without a single moulding of any description. The
ceilings are surrounded by a margin more than a moulding, the windows are
well proportioned and well spaced; of course they are ! Was not proportion
the dominating text of the colonists' philosophy? The arched entrances to
the principal rooms would drive the ordinary architect furious, because they
are "too squat" and don't carry anything in his sense. The rugs follow the
old rag-carpet idea without deceiving anyone. The entrances from the hall
into the family rooms are decorated, or rather treated or reduced if you will,
humanized or softened should you prefer, by plain valences and draperies
of good woven linen on which quaint patterns, French in origin, but Oriental
in a measure, have been carefully printed in divers well-arranged colors.
The original floor of this house, good enough for any king in any land, re-
mains frankly the background for the rugs. There is here no parquet, no
false-fronted thin slivering of veneer. But it is a furnished house, and
there is the whole story. It is a furnished house, not a collection of furni-
ture that compels or challenges comparison with an assemblage of fur-
niture of the store. I doubt very much if any enterprising merchant

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MR. R. J. COLLIER'S HOME, WICATUNK, N. J. 261

"unloaded" many of his showrooms upon the distinguished owner of this
hospitable home on the hillside.

In the building there is not a single feature spelling architecture alone
as such and nothing more. The accent is rather upon the life of the coun-
try and the principle that homes are built to be lived in and in no sense an
excuse for display or a furtherance of any particular style or school. All of
which means that here there is to be seen more man and less architect
than is usual, and creditable it is to feel how splendidly this particularly val-
ued citizen has kept in abeyance the stern rules of his training and tradi-
tions. It will always be remembered by the visitor as a home for a lover
of the country, and he will recall with pleasure and astonishment possibly
the long boxed pillars, piers, imposts, what you will, which are so much
in evidence at the northern and southern frontages usually occupied by mas-
sive columns and heavy entablature which cast too often an overwhelming
shadow over everything, setting the pace, and owning the house and the
people within and around. Was it not the purifying influence of Colonial
days that cleansed our architectural ambitions, relegating to the tombs and
city halls the dignified column with its court of uncompromising members and
preserving intact the pier — a portion only of the main framing — and ad-
mitting the sunshine, the brightness, the air, preferring, in a word, men and
women, not architectural elements as accents ? This is a Colonial house, freed
from technical mysteries. There is about the roof lines as about the liberal
porch and corridor a simplicity and marked air of refinement which comes
from using the natural speech, as it were, of the countryside. It must not
be taken from this that there is in this composition any superior air which
acclaims itself a thing apart from other houses or other ideals. There is not
anything here which says "Yea, verily behold, I am greater than many
others."

It is, of course, generally acknowledged that the home is the theater
of man's hospitality. It sounds trite, but it isn't ; it's the whole thing. The
home is a kind of private princedom, an epitome of the whole world, of
which he is a part and in which he reflects himself as he essays to entertain
his guests. He is not asked to lecture practically upon architecture; he is
a citizen of the world and steward of the Father, engaged in nobler things.

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PROM A NEAR-BY FENCE THE MOST ENGAGING PICTURE CAN BE ENJOYED
With much of the old-time flavor of a former generation, u hajihiizurd usseitiblagie of outlines

Mr. E. R. NeweU*s Home, Greenwich, Conn.

Warren & Clark, architects

IlluitratioDs from original drawio| and pbolojrapiii by Floyd Baker

IT is from the edge of a neighboring boundary that the most engaging pic-
ture of the Httle place is to be enjoyed. It is best seen looking from a
shght elevation even if you have to push aside the rose bushes to get a
peep, catching an outline of the roof, noting the silver gray of the shingling,
the way it overlaps the rough stone of the walling and the delightful man-
ner in which the garage is added to the house, built on, as it were, at an
angle extending the line of the kitchen. All this is very beautiful and
might well be the home of a former generation, bringing as it does an old-
time flavor to everything. The windows are delightfully haphazard, permit-
ting a view of the long wooded roads and the hills of the neighborhood.
At times the chilly mist blows in from the Sound. The property is in the
best section of Greenwich, Conn., fronting Riverside Drive and but a mile
from salt water.

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MR. E. R. NEWELL'S HOME, GREENWICH, CONN. 265

And not a little does it recall the wayside hostelries, the little inns in
unfrequented sections of the valley of the Thames. We remember instinc-
tively Folly Bridge and Marlow, Mapledurham, Pangbourne and the vicin-
ity of Henley and Sonning. It is a shrimp of a place, small in its inches,
big in its comfort and hospitality. There is a cozy feeling about everything
as the work of a man big enough to forget purposely the rules of serious
architectural customs and traditions. Here they have certainly been defined
in a glorious manner. The site is unusual, the opportunity fit for a poet.
It is no place for a prosaic person. It is somewhat hilly and beautifully
wooded. Through the locality a brook winds which has been spanned by a
bridge, hooded after an ancient custom. The southern entrance is long and
narrow, and it will be remembered for its venerable oak tree, the lower
branches of which give, as it were, a gracious benediction to the passerby, for
they extend almost to the ground. The house stands upon a ridge or ledge ;
the foundations have been blasted out of the solid rock and the stone used
for the building of the lower story, the chimneys, the walling surrounding
the garden and the approach to the garage, which, by the way, is proof
against fire — a commendable caution.

The entrance has the stone-pillared and stone-floored porch with the
long deep bench of the wayside inn character, and in the veranda and at the
end, which embraces the big chimneys of the living-room, there is an open
roofing, the rafters of which will shortly become a rich canopy of color
owned by the creepers. Rough stones from the original ledge have also
been used as pavement elsewhere, and the various levels of the property
reached by means of steps, wide and liberal in their inches. The mason
fomid in this an interesting material of considerable value, making an admir-
able bond.

The plan of the house, as well as of the garden, is the logical outcome
of the site in that it has had to be adjusted to the varying levels. It might
be known as the site with a ledge of rock and a forty-five degree angle slope.
Upon the ledge the house stands and the slope has been "taken care of" by
skilful planning in a picturesque fashion; that is, the house, the terrace, the
walling unite. They establish in a way a certain definite level wherein part
of the circular walling of the garden appears some six feet or more in
height and again it runs out flush with the ground.

It is by means of a number of steps from the circular entrance court
that the hall is reached, extending through the little place and out into the
northern porch, down additional steps .to the lower terrace and so down the
sloping lawn to the valley crossing the brook to the lower road. The large
living-room and little dining-room open from the hall. The former has the

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MR. E. R. NEWELL'S HOME, GREENWICH, CONN.

267

square, old-fashioned fireplace capable of burning whole logs. The mantel-
shelf is supported by four grotesquely carved brackets gargoyle fashion,
which turn their ape-like heads so as to carry the weight. Here pewter
porringers and beakers and quaintly contrived vases find temporary lodg-
ment, and a clock, Dutch-like in its decoration and outline. Under the win-
dow a huge mahogany sofa is seen ; we are tempted to drop into a seat and
listen to the brook. It is a place to brood over things. The picture is un-
usual both within and without; it is tempting. The frank acceptance of
varying levels, the charm of looking down upon an undulating lawn is very
pleasing when viewed from the window, as it was from the neighboring ter-
race. Here, between the chestnuts, rock maples and red oaks, the roadway
is seen. Planted by nature or sympathetically by the gardener is the red-
berried elder, the sugar maple and bushes of rhododendron which border
the brook.

Within, the picture is interesting. The living-room is well placed and
of goodly size. In a way it is a shelter from the storm, from the heat of
the sun, from severely searching wind, and is so built into the ground as
to be verily a portion of the rocky ledge. There is a strange fascination
of being under ground !

The southern side of the room is several feet below the level, the
northern side is an exalted balcony from which a whole panorama opens
up. We look down upon the world from the north. Considerable atten-
tion has been given to the ceiling of the room; it is, in the parlance of the
workshop, "laid off" in panels countersunk in some way after an ancient
method of the craft, and into the plaster color has been added. The texture
is very rough and free, going admirably with the general scheme of things.

The upper floor is very comfortable
with its liberal accommodation for the
family and service. The space is ad-
mirably subdivided and includes among
other things four bathrooms and rooms
in the attic and a sleeping porch. The
property has the rare quality of bright-
ness and gladness, the feeling of seclu-
sion when so desired, and yet, of seeing
far-off vistas of great charm. This ro-
mantic hostelry stands back from the
roadside. Still, it is an inn, the charges
of which are reasonable, the payment
but a smile from Dame Hostess.

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ROUGH SKETCH PLAN OF HOUSE

It is a good little place to live in. The
house is so adjusted to the site as to bring
into the picture views from various angles.
The sketch shows only a portion of property

DETAIL OF DINING-ROOM BAY AND PORCH

At the thrpshold are apple trees from the original orchard. They bring to
scene shade and a, singular thami in their drawing, leafage, and quiet
when fretted by a passing breeze. The elapboardlng is old-fashioned

Home of Mr. P. B. Jennings, Bennington, Vt.

Albro & Lindeberg, architects

Illuitraiiont from origiotil dracing and pholojraphi by Julian Buckly

THIS Bennington homestead has many surprises. It is unusual. This
is to be seen at a glance. It is a clever house and well worthy of re-
gard. Not simply because it is more formal than the Colonial "roof-
trees" of Revolutionary days, which were so persistently defended by the
Green Mountain boys and the New Hampshire minute-men, fighting val-
iantly for their liberty, for the privilege of self-government and for political
independence, but because of its up-to-date ideas and method of construction.

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HOME OF MR. P. B. JENNINGS, BENNINGTON, VT. 271

The frame of this type of house is usually of heavy timbers, oak, chestnut
or birch, with the space between the frame filled with brickwork or some
primitive form of concrete, covered with clapboarding or shingling.

In this Vermont home of Mr. Philip B. Jennings the frame is of steel.
So it could be re-clapboarded one hundred years hence and still again at
the end of the next century. It is known technically as a semi-fireproof
building. As a tribute to the traditional method of the locality, wherein a
white house has been found to express satisfactorily the spirit of happiness
and contentment of New England, this form of covering has been accepted.
While it is Colonial in general idea, the loggia at each end of the house,
the position of the entrance, the service wing and the rest of it, speak well
for modernity. The bays are medieval. It was through the open case-
ments of this form of window that "bluff King Hal," the most conspicuous
figure in England's history, is said to have continued his numerous flirta-
tions. For in the summer the window was the center of attraction, as was
the fireplace in the winter. Are we not also indebted to France for the ex-
tension of the casement to the level of the floor, making the garden more
easy of access? And so the composition is indeed eclectic. The house is
good in appearance, utilitarian and very practical.

In plan the building is L-shaped, with the entrance upon the northern
side, through an open court. The family assembled upon the southern ter-
race is, therefore, undisturbed by any arriving or departing guests. The
dining-room is on the easterly end, connecting with the service wing di-
rectly. It has also an interesting vista through the various rooms. The
morning-room, library and the loggia at each end of the house are all open
and directly connected.

The same spirit of the early colonies has been preserved in the interior
in the decorations and the furnishing in that the tables and chairs are re-
produced from well-known examples and a certain stateliness secured by the
elimination of extravagant ideas, so frequently affected in more costly
buildings. There are no hea^y brocaded lambrequins, no costly upholstery
to window or door openings. Remembering the long winters, considerable
care has been bestowed upon the method of heating. The radiators are
concealed; that is, they are built behind gratings, forming a deep recess in
the wall, and are often embodied in the window sills. The general tone
within is cool green and white, and warm gray and white, with an occasional
accent of full-toned rose, violet and heliotrope.

The Bennington property has belonged to the family for many years.
The former homestead was destroyed by fire a long time ago. A portion of
the original apple orchard and the big elm trees remain. The historical set-

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HOME OF MR. P. B. JENNINGS, BENNINGTON, VT. 278

ting of the place is very interesting, situated as it is, some thirty miles from
Fort Edward, on the western slope of the Green Mountains. The house is
but a few hundred feet from the site of the spirited encounter, known well

THE SKETCH PLAN SHOWS THE GENERAL ARRANGEMENT OF THINGS

In graphic form are the principal rooms indicated by letters. L marks the loggia at each end
of Ihe house; DR is the family dining room; LR the living room, and the one between the two, indi-
cated by the letters MR, is die parlor; H the entrance hall; K the kitchen. The sketch also shows
the entrance court and garden, enclosed with bushes bearing flowers or berries as season invites

in Revolutionary history as the Battle of Bennington, followed immediately
by the Battle of Bunker Hill. During the night of the fifteenth of August,
1777, General Stark, the stalwart hero of the little community, was joined

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HOME OF MR. P. B. JENNINGS, BENNINGTON, VT. 275

by a detachment of militia from the Berkshires, including the male parish-
ioners of Pittsfield, with a parson at their head. That reverend gentleman
said that while his congregation had often been called to war, they had in-
variably been disappointed in a fight. To which Stark replied that, as they
could scarcely commence business in the dark, they must be patient till the
good Lord would allow another day to break, when everyone should have all
the fighting his heart could well desire. Of course, we are not concerned
here with the fact that the sun rose at the usual hour the following morning
upon a little knot of farmers in blue frocks and shirt sleeves, or with the
way in which the zealots stole quietly around towards the rear of the hostile
position; but this little bit of history serves to render us still more apprecia-
tive of the wholesome character of the picture before us.

It is interesting to remember that Vermont, the Green Mountain State,
was the first to declare itself against slavery. It still declares itself free
from slavery of any form of building. It resents shackles. The citizens,
having outgrown the severity and deprivations of their frame buildings, and
having traveled sufficiently to see the beauties of other countries, have re-
turned with renewed pleasure to their former type of building, with certain
modifications and conveniences. In other words, they have proceeded to
modernize an old idea. Houses of this character show that, as a nation, we
are entering a phase more favorable to our better and calmer notions of what
a house should be. We are more reasonable, more restrained, and more
easilv satisfied.

Someone has facetiously spoken of this type of building as a glorified
farmhouse, a sort of farmhouse de luxe. It is not a satisfactorv classifica-
tion, for it fails to give credit to owner or architect for their skilful avoid-
ance of the conventional. Certainly these gentlemen believe in the whole-
some influence of sunlight, desiring that luminary as a permanent, rather
than an occasional visitor to every room. Most of the doors are treated as
casements, opening to the floor, yet the privacy of the bay is preserved. The
house does not stand upon any artificial elevation, but upon the natural
level of the meadow. Manv of the old box trees remain and some ven-
erable wild grapevines and a mulberry, cherished by the owner and by the
urchins of the district.

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FROM THE LAKE AT A DISTANCE, THIS IS VERY MUCH THE VIEW WE GET
Is not this an occasion where it is wise to leuve well enough alone, without further planting?

Home of Mr. E. D. Adler, Oconomowoc Lake, Wis.

Brust & Philipp, architects

THE living-room is flooded with sunshine in the cheerful Httle cottage
recently built hy Mr. E. D. Adler on the broad shore of I^ake Ocono-
mowoc. It is so deep in the woods as to be practically out of sight
to the casual ^'isitor. Yet there are many such in the energetic state of Wis-
consin, and serviceable they are for week-ends. The long, gracefully pillared
colonnading spells character, bringing once again a whisper from the days
of the classics, when philosophies, ambitions and temples were intimately
associated. It exercises a singular charm in- so small a place, broadening it,
and increasing the importance of its position immediately abo\'e the lawn-like
meadow which extends to the water's edge. The roof of the corridor becomes
a series of balconies for the bedrooms overhead. The house is well schemed,
having a square central hall from which the living and dining-rooms open.
It has also a double staircase and porches that extend in tliree directions, so
that they may woo the breeze from every side as well as the sunshine. Is it
not because of the perfume as well as the moA'ement of these giant trees that
people build so frequently in the wood?

277

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AN INTERESTING INTERIOK IS THIS OF THE DRAWINC;-K(K)M

Much of the furniture is very quaint in line, all iiieliow in tone and su§:)[rstive of the unobtrusive
character of early times. Is n<it this type of interior a timely standard of fcood taslei'

The Home of Mr. J. M. Townsend, Jr., Mill Neck, L. I.

Hewitt & Bottomley, architects

IlluitratlODS from photo gn phi by Julian Buckly

THE home of Mr. J. M. Townsend, Jr., is not very far from the inter-
esting old house depicted on the adjoining page, which to-day is the
property of Mrs. James M. Townsend, the mother of Mr. Town-
send. The house was built quite recently, but it is decidedly old in spirit,
following conscientiously the underlying severity which prompted so nmch
of the best work of Colonial days. It is refreshing to see it and once again
acknowledge with gratitude this standard of excellence and to note the stern
compromise effected between the furniture that to-day follows so wilfully the
extravagance of our time and that which characterized so vividly the lofty
ideals of the Colonials. The wall panelling of the withdrawing room above
is well proportioned and interesting in detail, as is the framing of the chairs
and side table, the quaint chintz of the sofa and cushions.

THE ATTRACTIVE HOME OF MR. G. W. BACON AT ST. JAMES, L. I.
Thi.s little homestead with its swell -fronted poroh has the tranquillity and restraint of a Quaker dwtrlling

The Half-timber and the Framed House

THE frame house takes a prominent i>art in the comedy of our daily
life, and is classed, in the main, by the character of its trimming. Yes.
the frame house, like the woman of fashion, is often known by its cos-
tmne. At times, it is individual; again, it is spectacular; too ofteii, alas,
deadly monotonous. Of late, this is changed, and the change is due not a
little to the fact that the frame house is handled frankly and freely as a
foimdation for trimmings. The trimmings are studied! And studied in
relation to a definite style. So, to-day, we have the Colonial in its many
phases — a Colonial prompted by the English, the Dutch and the French rep-
resentations of classic form, and the frame houses of a more recent idea, in
which the material has been permitted to play a prominent part. We have
also houses introducing many features of the Swiss chalet, and some embody-
ing the projwrtions of the recent cottages for the French and Italian peas-
antry. Recently the influence of the newly-horn impulse to devote fiu-ther
study to the claim of the material rather than to center the attention exclu-
sively upon the ornament has led to a house of a more wholesome character.

THE HALF-TIMBER AND THE FRAMED HOUSE

During the last few years considerable improvement has been effected
in the construction of the frame liouse, and while it is now rarely built of
heavj' timbers, mortised and tenoned together, it is improved in many other
ways. True, the framing is lighter. Still, it is strengthened by diagonal
ties, and often rests upon a substantial foundation of stone, concrete or
brick. The frame is well secured to a good heavy sill, and the space be-
tween the quarterings is filled with fire and weather proof material. This
means that the frame house no longer tops over in a way that is picturesque
to the obser\'er but distracting to the owner, and which is very costly to re-
erect or shore-up, as the builders say.

To many the frame house means a stucco liouse. The stucco, thanks
to wire lath of some description or other, covers the frame. Still others know
it for the shingling or weather boarding with which the frame is concealed,
and they have admriable authority for the service this form of home renders
to a family, for was not "Uncle Tom's Cabin" written in a house of this de-
scription? We can but respect a building which has afforded shelter to a
bright mind, or in which our children first saw the light.

Charity Ferris, who upset Lord Howe's plans and helped save the day
for the Americans, enjoyed for years the hospitality of a frame house. At
Wiscasset, Maine, a few devotees of the Royalist cause of France built for
Marie Antoinette a small fraiue house, still treasured in her name, though
without the privilege of her magnetic personality. An eloquent reply as
to the enduring qual-
ity of wood is seen in
the toys of the Egyp-
tian queens in our
museums.

The half-timber
studio appearing on
page 238, as frontis-
piece for this chap-
ter, was designed by
Bates &t How, archi-
tects. We are in-
debted to Peabody,
Wilson & Brown for
view on page 280,

and to L. is. Keen ^^^ Saratoga home of mr. cHArNCEV olcott

for the illustration at „. , j , u, j , .1. j * .u, 1 .^ u ..

Wf get nn adinirabli^ idea of the garden from this slietcn, show-
the foot of page 281. ing dramatic nature i>f the setting ami vpnerahie sfte of the idea

A GRACEFUL LESSON IN ACADEMIC PROPORTION FINDING FAVOR WITH MANY

It U enoini raffing to Kee this bruiitiful palace in the glorious sunshine of our land. {See page 318)

CHAPTER IV

THE STOXE HOUSE

The estate of Mr. E. W. Russell, Gnenwich, Conn. — The country home of Mr.
Franklin Murphy, Memlhum, A'. J.— The home of Mr. William J. McCahan, Jr.,
Moorestomn, ,V. J.—Hunton Old Hall. Xorfolk. EngUiml—The property of Mr. W.
Warner Harper, Chestnut Hill, Pa.— The greatly admired Washington house, so
prominent in the social and architectural Korld, helonging to Mrs. Robert R. Hitt.

THERE is a peculiar significance about
the house which is built of stone. Like
many houses of brick or stucco, it is a
mirror reflecting the ambitions of the owner,
the architect, the times. It is all this and much
]iiore. "Oh! that mine enemy would write a
book!" is a bromide. "Give an architect a stone
house to design and he will advance in the es-
teem of his township or be busy explaining how
he happened to fail," says a cynic, and cynics
generally know. Though the physic they ad-
minister be neither palatable nor timely, it has
the fatal knack of accuracy.

The stone house! What of it? Are not we

of this favored country blest with stone from

the deep bosom of many a rugged state, ^'ary-

ing greatlj' in its color and texture, and yet

of so soft a grain as to receive readily the most

delicate detail, and with it all retain the ability

to harden upon exposure to the air? As it is

costly, we build of such stone less frequently than formerly. As testimony

to our wit, it confronts us for many years and is before the world as witness

to our skill or to the poverty of our ideas. Thanks to the glorious sunshine,

this valued tenant of the quarry smiles upon the least provocation. The

smile illuminates the outline of m'lord's conception of what his house should

be, whether it be prompted bj' a loggia or an oriel, fashioned from some

palace of the magic Isle of the Sea, the silhouette of a Highland castle or

the manor in a fertile valley, or a little idea of his own. {See page 312.)

J^i

THE VERANDA CAN BE ENTIRELY ENCLOSED WHEN DESIRED

Estate of Mr. E, W. Russell^ Greenwich, Conn.

Frank E. Newmao, architect

a Irom original drawing* and photograph!

THE liouse recently built by Mr. E. W. Russell at Greenwich, Connec-
ticut, from the design of Mr. Frank E. Newman, architect, stands
upon a property of some ninety or more acres. In a thoughtful
manner the house has been located upon a knoll by the side of a splendid
old elm tree. It is one of those trees, the lower branches of which have
been cut away in the earlier portion of its life, making it unusually tall,
even majestic in appearance, and possibly doing a little to thicken the trunk,
equipping it as an accent to the hillside. The tree becomes, as it were, a
huge exalted tower, charged with an architectural commission of consider-
able importance. It practically forms part of the group of gables, being
intermarried, so to speak, with the roof line. This is very noticeable when
the house is viewed from the distance, looking towards the entrance. The
house is long and low, vigorous in outline, resembling the upland, the hilly
district, where the soil is rich in color, the foliage deeply tinted and the hills
in the distance are purple.

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ESTATE OF MR. E. W. RUSSELL, GREENWICH, CONN.

287

Encouraging is it to find that in the dehghtful search for a serviceable
form of architecture, the architect turned to the lowlands, which lies be-
tween the Thames and the Severn, and which is known far and wide as the
Cotswold. This engaging little Connecticut house resembles closely many
of the handsome two-storied Gothic houses to be found to-day in Glouces-
tershire and in the County of Northampton. Some of them were built in
the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. They are vigorous little buildings,
strongly individualistic, the logical outcome of the needs of the shepherd

SKETCH OF GROUND PLAN SHOWING GENERAL POSITION OF ROOMS
This is taken from the architect's sketch, which has been followed and enriched in manv ways

farmers of the district. They are built of stone, quarried in the neighbor-
hood. Their well-cut lintels and string courses, porches, dormers and square
muUioned windows are well known. These little towns are Elizabethan in
their seriousness, resembling not a little the colleges of Oxford, particularly
New College, which was new when England and France in the day of
Froissart fought Crecy and Agincourt. These delightful little buildings gave
an individual note to the hamlets and market towns, such as Stowe-on-
on-the-Wold, Houghton-on-the-Hill, Chipping Hampton, Weston-sub-
Edge, Bourton-on-the- Water, the very nomenclature of which is suggestive
of the localitv and its chamber. The houses are roofed with thick slate or
thin stone slabs resting upon verge boards and rafters, roughly hewn and
stained a dark brown.

Mr. Russell's house at Greenwich is built of stone of the localitv, for
which purpose many of the stone fences have been removed, so that the
walling is ever varying in color as well as texture and outline. For years
the stone has been exposed to the weather and has become warm in tone,

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ESTATE OF MR. E. W. RUSSELL, GREENWICH, CONN.

291

thanks to the encrustation, the moss and lichen, the metallic nature of the
traprock. The stone is diapered with bronze and blackened with a rust.
Time has also removed the sharp edges and has eliminated the soft places.
What better material for the mason? These stone hedges, as they were
called in England, are equally plentiful in Connecticut. By permitting the
garage to share the same roof tree the length of the ridge has been ex-
tended so as to increase the importance of the building, keeping it long and
low and adding greatly to the comfort of everyone. The shingling is lajd
in uneven courses, weather-stained an agreeable tone.

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THE ARCHITECrS ORIGINAL SKETCH FOR FIRST FLOOR PLAN OF HOUSE
Here will be seen economy of space and many contrivances for convenience of the family

The living-room is spacious, sturdily beamed, rather low as becomes
the character of the building. Thick heavy boards take the place of the
usual plaster ceiling and are of a mellow brown color which is very delight-
ful. The stairway is broad, the tread easy, the detail serious. It rises in
an alcove opening from the living-room, a memory of a medieval method
of planning. Hea\y stone piers give line to the veranda, or sun-parlor, as
it might be called, the floor of which is of dull red brick, laid herring-bone
pattern. It is ceiled with a scratch coating of mortar between heavily boxed
beams. The easterly entrance is a reproduction of an old doorway in Glou-
cestershire, in the little town of Iccomb.

Although the wool industry in the Cotswold may be but a memory,
many of the old barns empty and the buildings decrepit, there are still sta-
plers who to-day make their living by shipping wool to Flanders. It is in-
teresting to realize that the architect has been so fortunate as to be able to
present in this country so graceful an adaptation of these sturdy little
houses, the gables of which were so often covered with honeysuckle or pink
roses and arrogant darlings — popular decorations of the lapel— rtlie fuchsia.

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Home of Mr. Franklin Murphy, Mendham, N, J.

H. Van Buren Magonigle, architect
Olmsted Brothers, landscape architects

T is no easy matter to be an architect in these days and win
out. He is often like the physician, the lawyer, or the musi-
cian. Given an opportunity, what will he do with it ? Here,
in this property at Mendham, N. J., is a superb grove of
trees. It is the highest point among the several hundred
acres that comprise the estate. The knoll is densely wooded.
Pine, oak and chestnut lift their proud heads high. In some places they
are so close together as to compete for sunshine and acceptable rootage.
They are diversified in foliage and singularly beautiful. From the center of
this grove owner and architect decided to remove the old house and substi-
tute a new one, but it was to be done adroitly and skilfully, without disturb-
ing things. The old site with its numerous advantages, its views, its dis-
tances, its glimpses through the underbrush must be fostered. Perhaps two
or three trees might be sacrificed in the general comfort of things, but the rest
must be preserved. The illustrations show the result — a picture.

Not only is this interesting property worthy of regard because of its
gi'ove, it is also notable because of its sunken garden, its gradual slope
towards the south which provides amply for farm buildings, its roadway
running gently downhill and its stimulating view beyond. It is well con-
trived. It has undoubtedly been planned thoughtfully. It has not been a
matter of accident but of able adjustment, of skilful contrivance and sym-
pathetic arrangement. The property is sufficiently large to admit giving in-
dividual treatment to garden as well as house, to approach as well as farm
buildings, reserving a large, open area for meadow-land. This^ great sun-
spot is, in its own way, an accent and gives value to the rich detail at one side
of the property. In other words, the house, garden and barns are unified
by thoughtfully contrived roadways and fences. The planning of property
like this is as much what we avoid doing as what we do. Architect and owner
have shown their realization of some of the difficulties by avoiding many of
the pitfalls of younger and less experienced men.

Of course the grove dominates everything. It is the setting, the oppor-
tunity. It plays up splendidly to the house which, with its long, serious

298

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HOME OF MR. FRANKLIN MURPHY, MENDHAM, N. J. 296

outline, gracefully occupies the place of honor. It is not belittled or bef rilled
with fussy outlining. It is very big in idea, large in its inches and looks com-
paratively unimportant. That is, it looks quiet, dignified, serious, sober,
calm, what you will, among the trees. The trees have set a pace. Their
exalted limbs are unusually stimulating and the house does not compete with
their superb outlines. It falls in quietly and in good order so that it spells
homestead. It will age in a very short while. The traprock of which it is
built was brought here from a short distance. It is a local stone full of color
whose texture will take on its own peculiar tone, a tone governed not a little
by the trees and as much a part of the landscape as the trees.

The roof is red, good, rich Indian red. I saw it on a windy morning in
June when the sun shone brightly on it. The big trees cut a shadow right
across it and the foliage played a sort of infantile network upon the wall-
ing, mellowing things together delightfully. Shadows were everywhere, but
they were translucent, full of color and wonderfully alive. It was a satisfy-
ing picture, comforting, inviting, wistful. In time the iron will come out of
the rock and it will oxidize in many ways. Moss and lichens will grow in the
joints, making a mosaic of their own within the outer network provided by
the mason. It is an unassuming house. Hence its dignity. It depends
upon its plan. The house extends east and west, having a big open terrace
on the northern and southern sides. The plan is the quality which determines
its value in the domestic as well as the architectural kingdom. "Show me
the plan," says the critic. Any youngster can put up a false frontage that
looks .pretty, but the quality of the house in the kingdom of the woman is
governed by the arrangement of the rooms, which here is admirable. The
gallery is long, very unusual. It is well named. From out to out it is some-
thing like one hundred feet in length, having an organ at one end, a grand
staircase at the other, two fire openings and five large casements by which
access can be had to the northern terrace. It opens up well. Hence the
living-room, dining-room, reception-room and the rest of it are each ap-
proachable in proper sequence. The circulation is good. Many lessons have
been learned from the old house, things not to do ! And here the plan pro-
vides good, common-sense comforts for the family and the visitor who will
live out of doors. Mr. Murphy's room is a very individual place. He can
sit here literally among the trees. There is no veranda or loggia or pergola
to overshadow the terrace or cast a complete shade over things. The rooms
are so large and open that trellis protection is neither necessary nor desir-
able. The grove takes care of that. The lordly trees with their natural can-
opy provide sufficient shelter from the burning sun. Trellis, however, is pro-
vided over the gables for creepers that will give color to the walling.

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HOME OF MR. FRANKLIN MURPHY, MENDHAM, N. J. 297

It is a very much larger house tlian it at first appears, because so much
is taken up by the trees and their shadows. As a matter of fact, it has a
frontage of nearly one hundred and sixty feet and a depth of nearly ninety
feet including the wings. The central portion, comprising the long gal-
lery, dining and living rooms, needs the daylight, so that the more usual
veranda is omitted. We are tempted to ask, when is it necessary in a de-
sign of this character? The pleasing but too often neglected element of re-
pose is here very evident. Not only do the northern and southern elevations
agree in detail and balance, but there is a delightful uniformity of drawing
elsewhere. The same thoughtful observance is to be seen within — closets
abound. The westerly front is accented agreeably by the large entrance
porch.

It is astonishing what admirable building material the stone quarried in
the district becomes in the hands of a skilful designer. By the way, what
would become of us were we to lose the Italian mason, a very serviceable
citizen? His love of stone has endeared to the hearts of most of us many
places of this kind. To the sons of sunny Italy the stone is a plajTnate; he
fondles it amusingly and seeming to be able to do anything with it in the
building world.

It is a properly of several hundred acres with its farm buildings, serv-
ice court and entrance, its gardener's cottage, piggeries, poultry houses,
laundry and the rest of it, all placed sympathetically out of sight but within
reach. In proper, logical sequence the buildings are connected by a well-
thought-out road plan which is in itself creditable. A great deal of the prop-
erty is let severely alone. The meadow-land with its beautiful sunshine area
is without any artificial adornment, unassuming, natural. And that has been
largely the text of the place as it is the ideal of our best, wide-awake archi-
tects doing excellent things, working with old sites, old settings, old farms,
content to realize to the full that great as architecture is, he is the best man
who serves the family and who relegates the grand dame a little, just a
little, to one side, remembering that service, especially service to the living,
before everything else in the world is the text for him who is worthy of the
world;

MANY OF THE FARMHOUSES IN NORMANDY HAVE MUCH OF THIS GENIAL AIR
Or with its domestic wing tt might be classed as a traditional minor manor of the En^ish Midlands

Home of Mr. W. J. McCahan, Jr., Moorestown, N. J.

J. Fletcher Street, architect

Illultralionl from orifiiifll drawing and photofraph

IT is in a thickly wooded section- around Moorestown, New Jersey, that
this unusual house has been built. It is something of an oasis in the
great desert of formality. It has considerable architectural import-
ance, and might well be spoken of as designed in a lighter vein but not
recklessly. Still there is something audacious about it ; as we look at it we
would be willing to swear that academic lines fail to exist, that there was no
Academy! From every view comes a fresh picture. I defy you to see it
all at once! It is as human as a house fronting on the canals of Holland,
the great valleys of the Tyrol, the chateau land of France, the quaint little
cottages of rustic England, or maybe, and in certain lights, a portion of
it resembles the colleges on the banks of the sleepy Cam axid Isis. Barrie,
the elusive, as he has been called, lived for a summer season in just such
a house, overlooking the Pass at Killiecrankie. Here is a transformation
from the more usual house, that is all frontage with a commonplace side

HOME OF MR. W. J. McCAHAN, Jr., MOORESTOWN, N. J.

299

and an unspeakable rear. Strong is it and subtle, ingratiating and skilful
as to its adjustment of rooms, outlook and general arrangement. This
house accepts the natural slope of the ground with its richly wooded back-
ground just as it is and with
but little supplementary
planting of any account.
Indeed, its outline is so di-
versified, so picturesque as
to be its own frame, its own
setting.

It is very refreshing to
find in these days this de-
scription of building resem-
bling somewhat the tradi-
tional minor manors of the
hospitable Midlands or the
farmhouses of Normandy,
which have much this genial
air, for so few architects
sin by originality that a
timely hint of this nature is
acceptable. We can be eclec-
tic in our methods without
being philosophers, and our
eclecticism does not limit us
to the geography of our lay-
out or material of our ex-
pression any more than it
does in the detail of our
daily lives.

Once again is this a house
in which local color abounds
literally. A stony neighbor-
hood has many compensa-
tions. Surely no material is
so convenient and altogether
satisfactory. Nature has
been very generous with her rocky particles, her silicas and oxides in this
section of a friendly state. This is a happy and healthy-looking house.

PLAN SHOWING HOUSE AND TERRACES

A pergola of unusual interest closes the southern end
of terrace. Entrance is marked by letter A, B is living
room, C den, D hall, £ dining room and H kitchen. An
unusual feature is the elliptical pool and steps to meadow

FRONT ENTRANCF. AND COURTYARD WITH ARCHWAY LEADING TO GARDEN

The courtyard at the rntrancf Is particularly skilful in its contrivance. Here will be noted flagging
of York stone with small kldnry-shuped cobbles, said by the local gossip to be petrified, bordered in
places with brick ujion edge. The flagging is occasionally depressed or countersunk in places, forming
a panel which seems to balance the trunk of a tree, acknouiedging the accent in its own peculiarlv
attractive manner. And when it Is added that the color sdteme of the planting has been arranged
by Miss Jekyli, we can well understand that, while it may have but few of the roses growing like
little trees with stems an Inch or more in diameter, or tulips said to be black in their intensity,
or other priceless bulbs of romantic history, it is well contrived, for it has scarlet poppies and ox-eyed
daisies, gorgeous yellow flags and white and yellow water lilies and pinks and buttercups and badtelor
buttons which spangle the scene, and which In turn lift their beautiful heads over the flagging which
■vorders their kingdom. These rich colors are brought Into prominence and yet mellowed hy the grays
of the Rint. Still the pavements are cruel, resemliling those of Holland. Arnold Bennett writes of
Amsterdam that it is a paradise for stomachs but a hell for feet. At any rate, the Hollander
works for a sort of moral comeliness of l)eing neat and clean, which in the main is responsible for
much of the human side of their architecture, even if It Ive denied the characterisation of charm

THE GARDEN EI,EVATION' SHOWS THE STORY IN A STRAIGHTFORWARD MANNER

nterchange of squares, b, checkerboard effeet is produced in one port
. seen in alternnKon with the brick. The pantiling of the house is of

Runton Old Hall, Norfolk, England

M. H. Baillie Scott, architect of additions

Illuitration* from photograph! by Thomai Lewia

RUNTON OLD HALL, Norfolk, England, as it is to-day is very well
illustrated in the views before us. It is simply astonishing to realize
what can be done with the homely cobblestone and well-burnt brick.
The views show the old and the new, the addition and the original portion, in
one picture. The architect transmogrified the old place, rebuilding here
and there, restoring it in part and in part adding features of his own which
followed once again the spirit of the original designers. It is a house built
doubtless many years ago by the industrious Hollanders, and built of the
cobblestones taken from the deep chalk strata through which the Knglish
Channel has formed so tempestuous a sea and which is known as flint.

The old ball here shown exhibits frankly the influence of the worthies who
built with flint, using brick for dressings. We see the gray of the walling,
cool, purple in places, and in places almost pearly white.

The Hollanders invited the world to pay more attention to the glorifi-
cation of the home. They were believers in the gospel of doing things well.

301

THE ARCHITECT HAS RECALLED SOMETHING OF THE DETAIL OF MOUNT VERNON'

The masonry Is Fxcellent Look at semicircular heads to windows. The loggia is shelteriMl by
big trees and graceful evergreens. It ia stiil further ennobled by asscfoiatlon with events pratential

Mr. W. Warner Harper's Home, Chestnut Hill, Pa.

McGoodwin & Hawley, architects
Olmsted Brothers, landscape architects

llluslrationi irom original draning and photograph

WE cannot wonder at the suggestion of Washington that this beauti-
ful locality become the site of the Capitol, and it is interesting to re-
call that this preference received at the hands of the Senate an over-
whehning vote, though the selection was overuled finally by influence in
other directions.

At the first glance we recognize in the vigorous loggia a close resemblance
toMount Vernon, and yet those who study architecture for the love of the
thing find themselves without much effort in the days of the Byzantines, when
this type and proportion of house was common. To imderstand the place it
were wise to turn to the accompanying plan, wherein is disclosed the detail
of the design, the intimate relation the house has to the view of the valley.

MR. W. WARNER HARPER'S HOME, CHESTNUT HILL, PA. 308

the entrance roadway, and the manner in which the scheme connects with that
prominent and ever-to-be-treasured park across the road, which is admired
far and wide for its beautv. To be within a few feet of Fairmount Park is
indeed a privilege reserved for the favored few. The house has been so con-
trived as to make possible a full enjoyment of a remarkable view across the

— IT ■! ■ •

PLAN OF PORTION OF PROPERTY WITH HOUSE AND GARDEN

The drawing shows the entrance from main road and subsidiary paths. It also indicates the
position of the most favored views and the manner in which they are so framed by means of
well-selected trees as to add to the scene an agreeable picture extending a considerable distance

valley at a distance, with an engaging picture of a lovely park as the
objective point. It can be enjoyed by the rooms as indicated on the sketch.
A is the dining-room and B the central hall ; C is an important room in the
comedy of daily life ; D, the den at the side. E and F mark the loggias, the
former making a breakfast room gladdened by the morning sunlight.

Andorra, the name prompted by the little republic of the Pyrenees, is
noted for its beautiful trees, shrubs and plants. The walled garden is from
the designs by Duhring & Howe, landscape architects.

IS NOT THIS HOUSE ON NEW HAMPSHIKE AVENUE GOOD TO LOOK UPON?
A character study, revealing infinite care bestowed on projections, fine as profile of a rare cai

THE GRAND STAIRWAY OPENS UPON A NEW ORDER OP THINGS

The Washington Home of Mrs. Robert R. Hitt

John Russell Pope, architect

llluttration* from oti^oal dnwinf aiid photo|rapha by Wurt* Bros.

THE home of Sirs. Robert R. Hitt stands upon New Hampshire Ave-
nue, facing Roodway Park, and also having a liberal frontage upon
Dupont Circle. As in the house of Jlr. Henry White, the architect
seems to have invested the work with a romantic setting. A Western archi-
tect engaged in active practice and familiar with the best of this world's
architectural themes recently said, in addressing a society of cultivated peo-
ple, that whenever in your wanderings through the fashionable section of
Washington you pass this house you find some conscientious admirer upon
his knees, figuratively speaking, so great is the reverence for this recent con-
tribution to the great realm of domestic architecture. After this eulogy by

O i

THE WASHINGTON HOME OF MRS. ROBERT R. HITT 807

John Galen Howard, it is a little difficult to know just what to say lest in
our effort to do justice we overdo the occasion.

At first sight, it will be classed by some as a modern illustration of the
Adam period with certain modifications. But this in no way does justice
to the building, for it is much more robust in character than anything at-
tempted by Mr. Robert Adam, the energetic Scotchman who spent so much
time in France and Italy and whose career was so successful during the mid-
dle portion of the eighteenth century, that age of princely patronage for
England's architects. It is conspicuous in that impressive section of Wash-
ington which is famous for its fine residences. The accent is upon the upper
floor, and here the architect has again assumed the proud position of leader
by giving us a well-planned house which compares favorably with anything
undertaken by Paine, Taylor, Gwilt, Carr, or Sir William Chambers. The
lower portion of the house is reserved for the entrance and the big library
and the grand stairway by means of which the upper section or the soul of
the house is reached without any apparent effort. Again this method makes
admirable provision for the domestic offices, the utilitarian portion which
adds so greatly to the comfort of everyone. Surely no palace of the proud
Bourbons has a more chaste or pleasing countenance, and that is saying a
great deal when we realize the infinite care with which the French under-
take matters esthetic. Naturally, Washington is proud of this as of other
buildings of much the same character. The house recently built for Mr.
Robert S. McCormick has practically the same arrangement of rooms
wherein the accent is given to the second floor. Of course, in the case of the
house for Mr. Henry White this planning was not convenient.

Washington gives homage to personal achievement in every field, en-
joying the profundities of the philosophers, the effusions of the poets, and
the tireless energies of the resourceful politician who endeavors to maintain
an equilibrium among the pitiless kaleidoscopic transformations of an adven-
turous career, Washington delights itself alike with the foibles of fashion and
the much deeper significance of the arts, without entirely surrendering to any
of these things. Hence it is delightful and encouraging to find here some-
thing so eminently worthy of regard, something which has grown up in the
Metropolis of the New World, setting a new standard for excellence in
affairs architectural at a time when standards are revered.

Some time ago it was thought wise to create the exalted position of
Minister of Art. It is encouraging to think that while this matter is in abey-
ance, forgotten somewhat in the great struggle under way, there are men
among us who, without acclaim, are qualifying for the position. And such
men are building not only private residences which do much toward the man-

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THE WASHINGTON HOME OF MRS. ROBERT R. HITT

809

uf acture of character, but are also giving us a needed illustration of a proper
interpretation and retranslation of classic ideals and proportions adapted to
the ever- varying requirements of our own time and country.

The accompanying sketch plan gives an excellent idea of the general
arrangement of things. The property is situated upon Dupont Circle f ront-

SKETCH PLAN INDICATING THE GENERAL LAYOUT OF THE SCHEME

The house has a frontage upon Dupont Circle, with its picturesque park, and New Hampshire
Avenue. This plan of the ground floor shows the little octagonal vestibule with accompanying cloak
rooms on either side the grand staircase, the dignified approach to main rooms upon upper floor,
and great library from the casements of which an entertaining view of the city can be enjoyed

ing the park. The front entrance is upon Xew Hampshire Avenue. The
design provides for a double driveway, elliptical in outline, with an inde-
pendent footpath in the center. It also includes a service entrance 'at the
side running into a rear court. The sketch shows the elm-fringed ave-
nue, the evergreen garden with box bushes and privet hedging, its richly
carved monumental vases and stately cedars. A is the octagonal vestibule at
entrance with accompanying cloak rooms, D, G and E, on each side,

THE WASHINGTON HOME OF MRS. ROBERT R. HITT 811

serviceable at receptions. It is from the main stair hall, B, that the grand
staircase rises to the main rooms above. The hall has a semicircular ending
resembling somewhat the apse of a Byzantine basilica. C is the elevator, L
the library, F the butler's office, K the kitchen, that great center of things
culinary and mysterious, the kingdom of the chef ; J the servants' hall, H the
scullery, P the laundry and M the man-servant's room.

Arriving at the head of the stairs, we find the reception room inmie-
diately straight ahead over the vestibule below. The family living room on
the left is over the library, the dining room upon the right. Upon the same
floor is a guest chamber with dressing room and other acconmiodations
beyond. This method of centering the family upon the upper floor finds
favor in the central portion of Europe. There seems to be a sense of pri-
vacy about it that appeals to cultivated people preferring the seclusion and
protection which is only obtained in this way. From the windows we get an
excellent view of the elm-fringed avenue of the city with its tireless pageant
secure from the busy throng. There are many other advantages which com-
mend it as an agreeable setting of the comedy of daily life.

But it is not the seriousness of the architectural composition, the archae-
ological accuracy or the fact that the color is good and the comradeship be-
tween house and furniture excellent ; neither is it that the house has an indi-
viduality of its own with little surprises here and there, Adam mirrors and
antiques and tapestries which are almost beyond price, but the fact that
everyone of these inanimate treasures speaks eloquently of the problems of
the world of yesterday. Doubtless the world is still, to-day, concerned with
problems, with perplexities and ambitions, with triumphs and fickleness, with
childish simplicity and individual preference, for we are intensely human and
full of error. These inanimate treasures exercise a vitalizing and quickening
influence over a sensitive mind. Mediaevalism is a thing of the past. So is
palladianism. The thing worth having to-day, the thing beyond price is the
quality of repression, of service, which may be characterized in one word —
cosmopolitanism — the ism which prompts our practical belief in the whole-
someness of the human philosophy known as the great brotherhood of man.

Mr. Robert Hitt was the first secretary of the American Legation of
Paris, Assistant Secretarv of State for Illinois, and afterwards United
States Representative for that energetic commonwealth. He urged the im-
provement in the consular and diplomatic service and advocated reciprocity
with the American republics and Canada.

CASTLEGOULD, THE ESTATE OF MR. HOWARD GOULD, PORT WASHINGTON, L. I.
Like the keep of a Tudor castle Is this stately liuilding. Its interesting detail reveals the period

The Stone House

THE stone house resembles human society, with its ever-varying qualifi-
cations, perplexities and opportunities. It is sufficiently alert to accept
and record individual preference of the most potent and delicate de-
scription, transmitting it to the average or the sensitive person as he has the
ability to absorb. The mandarins of architecture may order to instant ex-
ecution the fool person who questions the authenticity of their rights as
interpreters of style, style, the tireless master to whose caprice society is
forever a slave, with a sensitive material like stone. Examine if you will
the work, say, of the Tudors or of that phase of the Renaissance of Italy
or France — ever associated with the high-water mark of human conception as
far as buildings go — of the simple village cliurches or houses of the average
person or the man of quiet demeanor to learn the essential difference in the
nature of the stone required to produce a given effect. You will be imme-

312

THE STONE HOUSE

diately struck with the fact that the plain run of the quarry is burdened with
the responsibility of the main walling, while the place of honor, the columned
or pedimented portico, the cornice or string course, sill, window or door head,
receiving the impress of the human hand, doing much to place the building in
its relation to other forms of intimate expression, characterizing it in the
great kingdom of man, is held by stone of a finer grade, of a whiter and
closer texture.

The rock face of the i-uder tenant of the quarry is often punctured
with a thousand markings of different degrees of hardness, a conglomerate
mass is it of quartz and spotted with iron, mica and other metals which glisten
in the light, which corrode and blacken, oxidizing in most engaging colors,
and this it is which gives to the so-called trimmings of the house so excellent
a contrast, so delightful a change, which by their verj' ruggedness invites.
We are told that carving gives this zest to a frontage, quickening the com-
position amazingly ; that carving without snap is one of the most banal occu-
pations, while that which bears upon its surface the unmistakable testimony
to conscientious study and is entrusted with an appropriate message is a
good thing. Ornament is the wine of architecture,; still, we need to keep
sober, valuing our plain surfaces in which lingers at least a moiety to com-
mon sense.

While we have acquired so much knowledge hy our study of the craft-
work of Italy, where marble is plentiful, and have absorbed, perhaps uncon-
sciously, the value of line, projection and the potency of the under-cut, we
have also acquired much practical knowledge from the rugged masonry of
our forefathers, who
toiled with traprock, pud-
ding stone, nigger heads,
to quote the nomenclature
of the mason.

We are indebted to
Carrere & Hastings for
the privilege of printing
as frontispiece the house
of Jlr. A. I. du Pont; to
Hunt & Hunt for the
view on page 812 ; to
Frank E. Newman for
the sketch of a gable of an unusual group of stone gables

an interesting house on ^ ***?■• * dormer, a window opening, even, a buttressed pier,

where the masonry is good is always a picture which improves

page 818. and enriches wherever it be. (For ilori/ of hove are /Miffi' 286)

A STATELY PERGOLA ADDING A PLEASING SHELTER TO A LONG WALL

Is not this graceful arbor very inviting for the gods of good time, music and dancing? {Ser page 337)

CHAPTER I

THE PROBLEM OF THE SETTING OF THE HOUSE

The estate of Mr, George R. White at M anchester-by-the-Sea, Mass. — The in-
teresting property of Mr. George Eastman at Rochester, X. Y. — The Berkshire
estates of Mr. William Hall Walker and of Mr. Warren Salisbury — The romantic
Brookline garden of Mrs. John S. Gardner — The home of Mr. James Rhodes at
Ardmore, Pa. — Th£ picturesque formal garden of Mr. Joseph Choate at Stockbridge,
Mass. — A scene on the estate of Mr. Chester Thome at Tacoma^ Wash. — The New-
port garden of Mr. Storrs Wells — The much-admired Tudor Hall on the estate of
Mr. Stuart Duncan at Newport — A group of suggestive treatments of the setting
of the house adaptable to small as well as large properties.

iROBABLY the one word "setting" has done
more to revolutionize the architectural outlook
than any other. It has, by its potency, recently
forced its way into prominence and practical recog-
nition. Lately the relation between the house, site
and outlook generally has been more or less haphaz-
ard. It was thought to be good and sufficient if the
architect designed a good-looking house with possibly
a little mental memorandum that some day or other
a garden might be planted here or there, that this or
that tree might possibly be removed and a little plant-
ing done elsewhere, all in good time. It was scarcely
thought desirable to concern oneself with problems of that kind. House
scheming was trouble enough ! The rest would follow in due course when the
place and neighborhood were understood a little and "we can see what the
house needs and what things go best together." But to-day all that is
changed. An up-to-date, live and vigorous personality, who happens to be
an architect, says to his client: "We divide your money into two parts. We
call one part the pudding, the other the sauce. The pudding is the house,
whatever style you desire ; the sauce is that which goes to make it palatable,
the little piquancy, the perfume, the immeasurable romance and the big sweep
of the thing, that is known as the setting." We must study the one at the
same time we are thinking of the other. Note at the same time. The set-
ting is not a thing apart ! In reality the scheming of the home begins with
the setting.

817

31 S I

a sfill

5 ilSir

Q ilpl

R —IE 5"?==

The Home of Mr. George R. White,
Manchester-by-the-sea, Mass,

Bigelow & Wadsworth, architects; R. H. Wambolt, associate

Olmsted Brothers, landscape architects

Illustrations from photographs by Thomas Ellison

HE silhouette outline of Lilliothea, with its splendid towers,
is the first thing we see as we look from Manchester out in
the direction of Smith's Point. It is the circular tower
which is the most prominent. This energetic accent is verih''
the Hallelujah Chorus of domestic architecture. The pic-
turesque property, which is on one of the most entertaining
sections of the Bay, finding its exit in the broad harbor of Manchester-by-
the-Sea, has been in the family of Mr. George R. White for many years.
Recently, from the Putnam family, he acquired adjoining acres, enabling him
to rebuild, adding greatly to the original house, and so entirely changing its
character and significance. The alteration entailed considerable engineering
skill. The old Putnam house had to be removed and the outline of the
ground changed somewhat. Then there were trees to lift from their original
anchorage that they might assume new importance as setting, facilitating
the view, boundaries to re-form following a new line and a new direction,
roads to rebuild, shrubbery to replant, to extend further the idea of the
French chateau type of architecture, wherein the building is enclosed within a
private park.

Lilliothea was named by an Indian chief, on the occasion of his visit to
the original house some time ago, because of the breadth and charm of its
wonderful view. It was a clear day, so clear that the chief could see, look-
ing south, much of the ragged outline of the coast, and, of course, the
beautiful homes of Beverly Farms and Marblehead, and beyond Massachu
setts Bay with many of its islands. Looking north as the fog lifted. Eastern
Point came into view, marking the entrance of Gloucester harbor.

That Mr. White selected for his residence that peculiar phase of the
architecture which is forever associated with the Renaissance of Francis I
is a source of congratulation by no means confined to the area worthily
known as the Athens of America. It is not surprising to find that this type

819

RECALLING THE CLOISTER OF CASTLE BLOIS, THE LOGGIA IS SIGNIFICANT

. The most rngaging view of the valley h the one obtained from the loggia upon the main axis of
the house, opening upon the lIvInK-room. The flat arches, caps and diapered pillars are interesting.
The balustrade is of bronie which is accepting tones .of emerald and russet iiii|Kised by the sea air

of building, wayward and charming, with picturesque grouping and wealth of
ornament, appeals, because it is magnetic. Of the grand manner we have
surely had more than enough. This school of architecture attracts by the
gaiety of its color — red, white, purple and green— the distinction of its out-
lines. Think for a moment of the silhouette, examine it and see how the
owner may have minaret or dormer adjoining that tall roof, balcony or loggia
almost wherever he likes. We of the new America who have always flirted
more with France than with England naturally prefer the French interpreta-
tion of this fascinating form of architectural independence to that more
sturdy work adopted by the Lone Isle. This house reminds those of us who
cherish such things seriously of an interesting but somewhat forgotten section
of French chateau building, which happens to be singularly adapted not only
to this property but to other properties belonging to other people along the
great coast line of New England.

Study has been made of the general lay of the land, which comprises a

320

HOME OF MR. G. R. WHITE, MANCHESTERBY-THE-SEA, MASS. 821

big hill on the broad shoulder of which the house stands. It has also a small
valley, where the garage and stable are comfortably located behind ever-
green plants. Here also are the yards, enclosed and concealed, but con-
venient for service. Every frontage has so well been studied that strictly
there is not any rear elevation. The building, having received study as a
unit, stands free and clear. Indeed, this was imperative, considering the prom-
inence of the site and the character of the design. We must remember that
the one thing which attracts as we examine closely the best houses of the old
country is the fact that they are a complete picture within themselves. What,
for instance, is more engaging than Azay-le-Rideau, engaging, if you please,
not for its magnitude nor startling cost nor indeed for its geographical posi-
tion, but for the picture it makes? It is a little gem within itself and every-
thing about it is beautiful. Lillio thea has this quality beyond a doubt.

The architect of Lilliotbea has ac-
cepted the circular tower as well as
the octagonal tower, making of it the
accent somewhat after the fashion of
that adopted in the Castle Azay-le-
Rideau, the Castle Chenonceaux and
Chateaudun. The monumental chim-
neys, exalted dormers and many-
membcred cornices recall Chambord,
the magnificent palace of the danc-
ing, rippling Loire, whose valley is
famous for its country houses.

Rambling through the chateau land
of France and remembering the op-
portunities of America with its rich
material and brilliant climate, it is
astonishing to realize that this style
of architecture has waited so long to
be acknowledged here, to be added to
the equipment of the architect! It
only requires to be known to be ap-
preciated, to be adapted. True, we
no longer have Leonardo, the mag-
nificent, the incomparable, but we
have splendid workers sensitive to the
finger tips, who can drink as deeply
of the spring which inspires.

THE ENTRANCE PORCH

It is of the typ* knuwn In Europe as way-
ward and- charming, characteriEcd by picturesque
f grouping and wealth of ornament. We are We-
ighted to welcome it heartily on our shores as
a hint to other wealthy citixens to build

THE SOUTHERN FRONTAGE IS IMPRESSIVE AND VERY BEAUTIFUL

The classic pediment of the main entrance is made to count, as a painter would say, In vivid con-
trast with the vine-clad walls; the four white pillars, standing free and clear of any mantling, add
interest to the ivy, and the ivy forces Into prominence the delicate flutings of the pillars

The Home of Mr. George Eastman, Rochester, N. Y,

J. Foster Warner, architect
Ailing DePorest, landscape architect

IlluitTatiooa from pbotofraphi by William Hale Kirk

THERE are many pleasing things to be said about the house and gar-
den of Mr. George Eastman, at Rochester; still, possibly the one
worthy of notice is that it has been so contrived as to make the most
of the site. By that I mean that the house has been located away from the
center of the property, within a short distance of the easterly boundary
hne. Behind this, following somewhat the same axial line, are the enclosed
garden, palm house, conservatory, garage, hothouses and the rest of it. Al-
most half of the property, running from East Avenue to University Ave-
nue, is left undisturbed, a free, open meadowland. This breathing space is,
indeed, priceless. It introduces the quality of scale. It permits interesting

AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

diagonal views and bestows a sense of the open country, which is, indeed, re-
markable when we remember that it is well within the limits of the city. Ex-
cellent use has been made of these ten acres, which form the last section of

the old Culver
farm. The gar-
den was plant-
ed and the
house built
some eight or
ten years ago.
The views
before us have
an engaging
quality of Old
World grace
which suggests
age — no little
tribute to
the planting
scheme — and to
the way in
which the right
creepers have
been selected
and fostered.
The creepers
have changed
the outline
of everything.
Look, for in-
stance, at the
southern front-
a g e , wherein
the classic ped-
iment of the
main entrance

is made to count, as a painter would say, in vivid contrast with the vine-
clad walls. The same graceful covering continues on the northern front,
mounting to the cornice, and bringing into notice the slightly projecting
bay-window of the living-room. It appears also on the wing of which the

THE PALM HOUSE IS PAHT OF THE GENERAL SCHEME

The palm hmisr Is connected with the house by means of a colonnade
of unusual richness in color, and so constructed as to shelter some rare
specimens of English ivj', which need pnitection from the severity of our
winter. It shelters also orchids of tender age and wondrous color

THE HOME OF MR. GEORGE EASTMAN, ROCHESTER, N. Y. 825

dining-room is a part. It embraces the palm house, changing entirely the
architectm^al composition of the colonnade, which connects the house with
that interesting home for tropical plants, so that no one asks if it hides a
pilaster or a column. The cap is out of sight and much of the entablature
is concealed from view. At its own sweet will it follows the outline of per-
gola on westerly side.

The original slope of the garden has been changed somewhat, so as to
give a more rounded surface to the lawn-like meadow. Along the boundary
line there is a border planting, the height of which varies in places. The cen-
ter of the garden court is accented by an oval lily pool approached by con-
crete steps. The air is fragrant with the glorious magnolia, a thriving plant,
very symmetrical, whose cuplike blossoms, edged with pink, are often filled
with early snow. It is interesting to note the way in which the greenhouses
are brought into the scheme. They open upon the long bowling green, ex-
tending to the old-fashioned rose garden with diagonal walks paved with
brick, edged with box and, in certain places, with turf. At the intersections
will be recognized well-curbs, or heads, from some ancient palace in Italy.
There are many advantages in this method of triangular bedding; one, the
plants are well within reach. The garden has been studied for a continuous
display of flowers throughout the year and so arranged as to produce, viv-
idly, an agreeable, harmonious picture. Taken haphazard and at a glance,
we recognize foxglove, larkspur, poppy and sunflower, pinks, bleeding heart
and tiger lilies. In certain places, more or less protected, will be seen nar-
cissus, golden Japanese cypress and forget-me-nots. English ivy is treasured
and sheltered. It has assigned to its own peculiar enjoyment the long colon-
nade connecting the dining-room with the palm house. For its special bene-
fit the colonnading is enclosed, during the winter, in glass. Iv}'- is to be
seen luxuriantly filling much of the space between the greenhouses. It also
forms an interesting wainscot around the foundation wall and bordering to
the edge of the path.

In plan the house is L-shaped. The roof is somewhat unusual and is
of the mansard type. It is a fireproof building, covered with spruce shin-
gles, split by hand from heavy logs brought from the Adirondack forest. It
is of the general character of the houses built in England during the time
of the Georges, and is constructed of dull, fawn-colored brick. The openings
are well placed, well proportioned; the chimneys are large and important.
The quoins, heads and sills of windows and doors and coping of the parapet
to the gables are of stone. A stone balustrade surrounds the garden, con-
necting it with the pergola. And of course stone is the material of the pedi-
ment of the entrance, with its Corinthian caps and fluted columns.

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THE MAIN APPROACH TO THE HOUSE FROM THE CIRCULAR COURT

The Home of Mr. William HaU Walker,
Great Barrington, Mass.

Carrere & Hastings, architects
Femiccio Vitale, landscape architect

Hlutlralioni from photograph* uid ori final draw in j

HERE is a surprise, a secret. In the Berkshires, the most romantic sec-
tion of western Massachusetts, in the fertile valley brought by the
poet Bryant into the world of things intimate and real, there is a
walled garden concealed by waving forests, ehn-shaded roads, exalted hill-
sides, gray precipices, deep shadows. It is a surprise even to those who know
well the beautiful round-topped hills of Great Barrington, where the Green
River runs swiftly over the shallows into the Housatonic.

Turning in from the southern entrance gate, the visitor to Brookside
passes through a double avenue of lofty elm trees nearly a century old, won-
derful in their majestic outUne, and beyond, across the circular fore-court,
catches the first glimpse of the gables of the Tudor hall, the present home

SKETCH PLAN REVEALING A PORTION OF THE PROPERTY

HOME OF MR. WM. HALL WALKER, GREAT BARRINGTON, MASS. 829

of the Walkers. An engaging vista is this, and no little tribute to the
thoughtful scheming of the landscape architect, who, by adroit replanting of
big trees and shrubs from an outlying section of the property, has brought
into academic prominence the terrace approach of the new hall and the
splendid long avenue. For years has this regal alley-way led up to a house
formerly standing upon this site, but which was, unfortunately, destroyed by
fire some j^ears ago. .Messrs. Carrere and Hastings are the architects of the
present interesting building with its stately terrace and dignified approach.
Fountains which spring literally from the ground in unexpected places
recall the Spanish gardens of Zoraya Generalife at Granada, and the secret
fountains and myrtle hedges of the Alhambra. Water is also used as a stim-
ulating element to the four decorative groups which appear in the alcove
of the walling flanking the arbors, giving the playful antics of two children.
The views give some idea of the serious architectural entrances, the massive-
ness of the piers, the delicacy of the wrought-iron gates from the land of the
Doges. Their delicately interlacing tracery of leaves, tendrils and fruit
recalls quaintly, conventionally, the vine of northern Italy as grown by the
peasants and as used by the craftsmen of the great Renaissance as a deco-
rative motive.

The garden is in two levels: the upper level planted with perennials,
great bushes of them, standing boldly against the walls forming a back-
ground, and the glorious boltonia, helenium and asters and hydrangeas. By
steps in the paths, which, by the way, are paved with red brick herring-bone
pattern, the roses are reached on the lower level. They have distinctly a king-
dom of their own splendidly contrived. There is about the whitish-gray
sweet alyssum which forms an outline to the violet heliotrope an effect of
snow — snow after several days lying upon the ground. It has here consider-
able dramatic value ; I say dramatic, because it seems to be strong and vigor-
ous and to introduce into the garden a quality unusual in the summer time,
in the spring, or in the fall. It is, as it were, a memorandum of the snows
of winter, of the wonderfully translucent hoar-frost of winter. It has a
nymphlike, coquettish and certain naive quality of its own ! It scarcely looks
like a flower! It certainly does not resemble snow. What is it? Is it a mould,
a plumage? It is pagan in its purity. And yet it is a quaint part of
the philosophy of color, the dramatic layout of a scheme wherein everyday
plants are utilized for a definite end. The sweet alyssum unites with the lace-
like joints of the pavement, unifies the mauve of the heliotrope with the
grayish green of the under side of the leaves and the buds, forming a deli-
cately woven tapestry on which the roses appear like rubies in a diadem. It
is all beautifully contrived, for the painter has here used living pigments for

AFTER ALL, A MERE THISTLE HOLDS ITS OWN IN THE REALM OF BEAUTY

HOME OF MR. WM. HALL WALKER, GREAT BARRINGTON, MASS. 881

his palette. This queen of flowers, the glory of the spring, once but a briar,
coloring the literature of the Orient and famous in medieval days, has be-
come a rare charmer, surpassing every other tenant of the garden, a tribute
alike to man's persistence and skill, his indomitable energy, his tender nurs-
ing. In classic Rome the rose was used as a symbol of secrecy and silence,
decorating the floors of the banqueting halls, a pretty, vivid request that all
things spoken therein were privileged, hence the saying "under the rose."

The designer is a sad rogue 1 Of course, like every other skilled profes-
sional man, he has studied thoroughly the Oriental method by which water be-
comes a decorative element, only with the utilitarianism of his age he has so
used this wonderful force that it is not only highly decorative but very serv-
iceable. By an ingenious device the garden is watered systematically and
equally all over. Spaced about fifteen feet apart, controlled by a concealed
outlet, tiny jets of water can be turned on, spreading an artificial rain over
the entire area. Of course, the pipes run underground and are hidden from
view. In the Second Empire of the French some such method was resorted
to as a trick played upon an unsuspecting visitor whereby in certain parts of
the garden he was suddenly confronted with an unexpected shower. They
were great times for the dandy and the giddy butterfly. Watteau reveals
it in his canvases, and Voltaire numbers it among the frivolities of that
childish age.

It is said to be the aim of the architect, as of the musician and poet, to
touch the heart of the public. Here there is much resembling the arrange-
ment of a beautiful sonata embodying a noble passion of vital interest, and
here in this locality may also be some potent power appealing to con-
scientious workers who entertain us with their skill. In this valley Bryant
wrote some of his best poems, immortalizing the neighborhood by his inspir-
ing pen. Here he wrote "The Yellow Violet," the poem "June," and the
most stern and stately blank verse poem, grand in its sweep and picturesque
in its grouping, for which he will ever be remembered. He told patheti-
cally and primitively the story of the poor Indian girl among the precipices ;
and here the shy poet met the sweet woman he married.

The secret of this romantic valley, the surprise in this utilitarian age,
is that from everyday materials such beautiful thoughts and such exquisite
places of retreat are bestowed upon our daily life, and that gardens walled
from the troubles of an exacting and never-satisfying life invite like the smile
of a superb personality by virtue of the charm hidden therein. A walled
garden is a delight.

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The Berkshire Estate of Mr. Warren M. Salisbury

Walker & Gillette, architects

IIluBtrfttiont from photographs and original drawings by Tebbs-Hymans, Ltd.

NTIL some three or four years ago Tor Court was a portion
of the old Valentine property, and Mr. Henry C. Valentine
still retains the peninsula of some three hundred acres jut-
ting out into the lake. The hilly section, with its enchanting
grove upon the eastern shore of the lake, is now the country
home of Mr. Warren M. Salisbury. The old house has been
removed and a new one built upon the original site, running east and west,
with a service wing at the east end extending in a northerly direction. It is a
mighty interesting building, constructed of concrete blocks reinforced in the
most up-to-date manner by the adroit use of steel beams, ties and girders.
The outer surface to the walling is floated with stucco, which, like the con-
crete blocks, is made from material quarried upon the site with the addition
of Portland cement. It might somewhat embarrass the contractor had the
architect specified any of the Roman varieties of "Opus Mixtum" or "Opus
Incertum," but the silica which forms so large a part of this twentieth cen-
tury mixture vouchsafes a surface surpassed by none and equalled by few
materials of ancient days.

Although the outside of the house recalls vividly Roman proportions,
within everything is indeed modern and up-to-date, being in every way
a country house for the enjoyment of the milder period of the year. The gen-
eral scheme provides for a large central hall which is reached on the northern
side direct from the porte-cochere, and from the southern side by means of
the large open portico under the pediment. The hall is two stories in height,
having a gallery running around the upper story, contributing to a whole-
some sense of space and of daylight. For the latter we are indebted to the
well-shaped lantern light overhead. At certain well-centered sections of the
walling large panels of pastoral scenes appear. They are painted some-
what after the fashion of the Watteau and Fragonard school, in soft tones
of silvery gray and translucent white, possessing somewhat the quality of the
pearl when viewed in a certain light.

From the central hall the house opens well. The easterly end accommo-
dates the dining-room and breakfast-room — casino it might well be called,

888

VIEWS RADIATE FROM THE UPPER TERRACE, DISCLOSING PICTfaE OF THE LAKE

And the oliji't't ol the vistas is tu bring in the outside wiirld. It is a sociological as well as a
landscape architectural device. Is not one of the objects of life In the country or elsewhere to develop
mankind throu)ch the amenities of the home by means nf lirondening and intensifying As well as exer-
cising the feelings and stimulating the imagination? It is the bright light «f the lake which illumines
the scene. It is towards this that the eye naturally turns. It is this which gives value to the dark
green of the jtine. the newer green of the chestnut and of the iTieadi)w upon which they stand

THE BERKSHIRE ESTATE OF MR. WARREN M. SALISBURY 885

for it is, in a way, detached from the architectural note of the house. Here is,
indeed, a romantic chamber, a little memorandum of outside, a delightful
place for the early morning meal. It is vaulted, and the vaulting is accented
in places by ceramic decoration, by tile inserts and soft coloring. The pave-
ment is unusual. The general

color note is that of autumnal fo-
liage. It is cool, quiet, subdued
and very engaging. The table is
practically a marble altar sup-
ported by legs, cut after the
manner of the bronze candela-
brum found in Pompeii.

The narrow panelling between
the wide open spaces of the oak,
wherein the exquisite marking of
the wood is the only enrichment,
is interestingly ornamented by
arrangements of fruit and leaves,
attached by ribbon-like ornament
carved out of the solid. The
mantel is of a highly polished
Italian marble of rare beauty.
And a word should be said about
the ceiling, which is particularly
noticeable, exciting admiration
for the wav in which the surface
is subdivided by means of mould-
ed ribs. This eighteenth century
composition is very effective.
Balancing this on the westerly
side of the central hall is the
living-room, connected with the
porch, from which center three
long vistas cut through the na-
tive woods, so that enjoyment of

the lake and distant hills is made possible, adding greatly to the pleasure of
the scene. The groves are of exquisite beauty, densely gi'een in places. Occa-
sionally an oak seems to defy its neighbor by lifting its exalted limbs high
overhead with strength and endurance, and the American elm gives a gra-
cious benediction, shaping the woods when viewed at a distance.

"Sfe^

]

SKETCH OF PORTIOX OF PROPERTY

The drawing gives general position of the house
in relation to the lal«e, the long garden with terraces
and continuous pergola with circular pool at far end.

lf.ll ^||-l

i < |i ^ "^ i -

||SI =
s " I tl

THE JAPANESE LILY POND, WITH WATER PLANTS

The tea-house Is constructed of cedar posts with marked indifference as to exact
girth, color or texture; plants are bedded in deep pots standing in water permitting
attention and enabling the removal of any plant or the substitution of others

The Brookline Garden of Mrs. John L. Gardner

IlluitratloDi from photographi by Thomai G. Marr

IT was recently said by a great writer that: "When you see the garden
you realize something of the gracious owner. You get, as it were, a
glimpse of the woman, and in classifying the whole delightful experience
you find yourself speaking more of the heart — yes, of the heart — than of
the skill of the designer." This means, if it means anything, that more care
and thought has been consciously, lovingly vouchsafed to living plants, to
the shrubs and trees than to stern proportions of some vogue, period or
style. Of course, the lover of nature is a willing slave, making to slavery
no objection, providing she can select her own taskmaster. A steadfast be-
liever ii) the character of the word "service," to her the requirements of the
plants entrusted to her keeping are paramount. Of course, she is by no
means blind to general academic rules. There came after a time, even in

888 AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

France, that headquarters of hereditary architecture, a certain revulsion of
feeling against the stern lines of academic proportion and a preference for
the simplicity of rustic adornment which was so diametrically opposed to
the luxuries and artificialities of town life. This rustic simplicity is very well
shown in the hamlet and dairy buildings with its cottages built for Marie
Antoinette at the Petit Trianon. Much of it lives also in the rustic village
at Chantilly. It is to be seen also in Rousseau's cottage, and in the garden
house at Laborde. These were prominent among the picturesque attempts
to break away from the stern formality of the seventeenth century and to
accept as infinitely more reasonable and wholesome "The Natural Style."
French society was led away from the extravagance and grandeur of Le-
notre's architectural gardens. Possibly this was prompted by the literature
of the time, by the writing of such men as Jean Jacques Rousseau, Horace
Walpole and others on the ideals of the English gardens.

The mind of the designer of this delightful garden at Brookline, Mass.,
evidently worked in bondage, but a willing bondage, to a lofty ideal. This
slavery is, in fact, the livery of all thinkers whose realism is still in some
degree controlled by certain recognizable proportions and requirements, an
affectionate bond between the best of the Renaissance and of the present
times. It knows the efficacy and potency of form, the privilege of collect-
ing, studying, comparing and rejecting, and is alive also to the attractions
of the gardens of Italy, France and England, realizing that the plants are
not merely introduced for their decorative value, their texture, perfume,
or color, but that they are guests in the garden — ^which is their kingdom of
love. Of course, there have to be borders, terraces, beds, some even geomet-
rical in form ; there must be an underlying grammar, boundaries and, to an
extent, architectural accent. But this must be largely done for the conven-
ience of getting at the plants, of tending them, sheltering them, and of seeing
that they are well watered, well drained, that their roots can be trinmied as
well as their branches, and that they be fed with the proper character of
soil. This has been too often forgotten, even by the landscape gardener;
still, to the plants it is vital.

Rather than a grand pergola of stone or brick pillars, capped and bear-
ing at regular intervals rafters moulded and carved, the grape arbor is here
a captivating alley-way encircling a portion of the garden. It is just as aca-
demic in line and proportion as if it were built of marble. It is well propor-
tioned, serious and stately. The posts are of natural cedar with the bark
remaining upon them. They are set out carefully and thoughtfully, well
centered, supporting the luscious grapes delightfully. Benches are placed
so as to preserve a certain definite balance to the picture, and in their out-

THE BHOOKLINE GARDEN OF MRS. JOHN L. GARDNER 839

line and shape they are old in spirit and so constructed as to accept gracefully
certain classic fragments of significance. Supporting them also are caps,
vases, pilasters, label mouldings, sections of architraves, archways and classic
presentations of nymphs, cupids, gods and goddesses, bearing a sensitive re-
finement which no one could well pass by without turning to look at them
the second time. The faces of these delightful little memoranda of the land
of ancient courtesies and civilizations indicate the ability and skill of the sculp-
tor and his equipment in adapting plantlike forms to ornament a building.
They exhibit also the underlying sense of conventionality and reserve.
Thanks to the vicissitudes of the weather and the ease with which lime ab-
sorbs moisture and so fertilizes lichen and moss, these delightful memo-
randa, fragments, became mellowed into the landscape, taking of the garden
theme a certain little naive whispering of their own which arouses the imag-
ination. There is a charm in these fragments, Italian often in idea.

Some of the plants appear so fugitive, so fitful, so evanescent and
spirit-like, seeming to sparkle and dance in the sunlight, a glorious jubilee.
Yet they must be cared for and protected and, in order to count as decora-
tive accents to the garden, they are here grouped after a liberal fashion.
There is nothing little or small in the arrangement. There are huge clusters
of one family varying in color and texture. The palette, voluptuous in color,
is not belittled or confused by subdivision. It is ennobled by massing after
a big and wise juxtaposition of tone.

The impulse to realize to the full the underlying charm of plant life is
irresistible. Perhaps the greatest of all the secrets of the old gardens is the
arrangement of the plants, the selection of them. By that I mean in prac-
tical lingo the assembling of the plants peculiarly adapted to a specific
purpose and occasion. Our grandparents, in their wisdom, exercised the cul-
tivating spirit of contentment. Their gardens were not kaleidoscopic.
Neither were they microscopic or confusing by any other phrase. They were
big in spite of their inches ; knowing where to stop, they contented themselves
with a few beauties and husbanded them aright.

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Home of Mr. James M. Rhodes, Ardmore, Pa.

Mcllvain & Roberts, architects

Illuitrations from photograph! by the architecti

OF course, to everyone the study of home building is an engaging occu-
pation. Through all our struggles with style and material, the ^'exed
problems of plan and outlook, there lives in the mind of many the rose-
covered cottage, the picture of which we never tire of painting, and with
which the most human literature of
all time is perfumed.

As an architect, I can scarcely
think of a more popular and more
welcome contribution to the problem
which ever engages a man in general
practice. Here is something for
everyone, far above everyone, com-
mon to every class and time and ex-
posure ; and yet, strange to say,
though it be well within the reach of
the most reasonable purse, we rarely
find it! This means, if it means any-
thing at all, that in this impatient age
we won't even let the plants grow!
We forget to make proper provision
for them. They may or may not
cling to the walling of the house or
fall away. It is so often a matter of
mere chance. Yet their needs are so
easily supplied. Plants require pock-
ets for nourishing soil and trellis
work well and substantially con-
structed. This should he firred out
from the wall so that repairs can read-
ily be made without fatal damage to

the delicate tendrils, and so that anothku i-kki- of the kntry

painting day mav be less of a domes- R^fn « little sketch gives the spirit uf the

. , 1 ' Til ' thciiit. Ki)liicst creepers, and po])lHrs with nmny-

tlC tragedy, h lowers never weary us. i-ol..reil phlox Ht their feet, frame the pidiire

lost in a myth. They
istom of tree worship,
decorative in the ex-
bushes of a rich, dark
nal trimming in spite
- 1- trees. Our nurs-

To us thev were
nee they are trans-
the haunts of their
obvious humor of
devoid of feelin.,
by means of speccti

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Mr. Joseph H. Choate's Garden, Stockbridge, Mass.

McKim, Mead & White, architects

Illustrationt from photographs by Samuel S. Gardiner

T is said to be thirty years since Mr. Choate's garden at Stock-
bridge was planted. It is serious, yet droll ; indeed, bj^ some
it is said to exhibit distinctly a sense of humor. It is set out
in a formal and somewhat unusual manner, after a fashion
that Kent, of England, or those two enthusiasts of the eigh-
teenth century, London and Wise, might well approve. It is
not only intensely low and rich in tone by virtue of its remarkable yew trees,
but full of color. It is at once classic, medieval and modern, a garden flooded
with sunlight, kaleidoscopic in its variety of colors, at times half -hidden by
mysterious fogs and mountain mists and enriched by fountains. The plan
is unusual. It is set out so as to make the most of the long hillside terrace,
which terminates on each extremity in a semicircular fort-like scheme.
This is all contrived by a well-trimmed hedging, the upper edge of which
is battlemented boldly. At a distance it gives, in certain lights, quite a
formidable appearance. At set intervals are the grotesque yews, very Dutch
in sentiment, reminding us of merry May-poles, of Dutch dolls with a thou-
sand petticoats, of lions rampant and of peacocks forever posing. These
columnal trees recall the great temples of the ancient religions. They form
a contrast to the graceful foliage of the distance, the tender petals of the
flowers at their feet, the great breadth and simplicity of the newly-trimmed
lawns. The fashioning of men and of bright skies and woods and fields and
streams is said to be nature's best and most distinctive handiwork.

In vivid contrast with the stately green are the three most distinguished
flowers of antiquity, the rose, lily and the violet, as well as narcissus,
anemone, gladiolus, poppy and crocus, the verbena and amaranth. This
variety has an unusual charm when seen in the early stmimer, because
white is so distinctly present in the edges or markings of the petals, and
white is so valuable in a garden of this character. It recalls the fogs and
dew-drops, the mysterious distance of the hills. It gives a semi-translucency,
forever associated with gardens of a great age. It is the setting of the
garden tliat counts, or rather the contrast between the artificial trimming
and the wild abandon of the native woods.

848

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MR. JOSEPH H. CHOATE'S GARDEN, STOCKBRIDGE, MASS. 845

A topiary garden is said to be full of quaint conceit, the sort of thing
which becomes a hobby, a passion, a vice ev^en, any vituperative epithet
you desire to bestow upon it. Nevertheless, it is intensely human, enter-
taining, delightful. Pliny speaks of his garden on the shores of the Tuscan
sea as encompassed with box, rosemary and myrtle and of a terrace per-
fumed with violets. Horace Walpole, who built for himself a house (one
of the monstrosities of his time), lavishes contempt on the application of
the shears of the Roman gardener, claiming that the square, calipers and
triangle were more serviceable in the garden than was the nurseryman. To
him they were admirable material for a graveyard, because they are so dull
and hea\y. Yet I have seen children rush madly through a maze and pour
their infantile confidences into the close texture and then, half -choked with
the spicy perfume of the plant, withdraw their heads into the blazing sun-
light. What visitor to Hampton Court will ever forget the great maze,
the well-trimmed peacock with spreading tail, the great pillars like the
lower section of a Doric column, a sort of glorified Stonehenge? Every
lover of quaint gardens will recall Levens Hall, with its wonderful screen,
known far and wide as the "twelve apostles," one of the curiosities of the
countryside. But there is classic authority for these strangely fascinating,
individual trees, which Batty Longly characterized as "ridiculous and for-
bidding." They are said to bring into the picture an interesting contrast,
a change of texture and tawny tone and to have been first introduced by
Matius, a friend of the great Emperor Augustus.

The Roman gardener in his diligent search for some element which
shall hold sunshine and shade, maintaining a certain scale which shall, as
it were, carry on the architectural note through the garden, prunes the
homely yew, thus giving it an importance it never had before. The dip-
lomatist in some of his most important services to the community selects
plain, every-day people, who assume, under skilful direction, a great im-
portance. It sometimes requires many years to train some yews, others take
an ordinary outline without much trouble, becoming birds-of -paradise, or
monkeys, or sleeping lions at will. Selection of the material has become,
in a way, the accepted dogma of our international creed. The pages of
our diplomatic records reveal the important duties assigned, at times, to
the person of average intellect who has become capable of great achieve-
ments under the tutelage of a more brilliant mind. Years of experience
are the shears with which the ambassador prunes the members of his staff.

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Garden of Mr. Chester Thorne, Tacoma, Wash.

Olmsted Brothers, landscape architects

Illustration from photograph by A. MacDougall

HINK of having a mountain in your own back yard, a pri-
vate, snow-capped mountain thousands of feet high! True,
it is miles distant, but it is as effectually in your yard as the
sunlight. Of course it imposes conditions, and right royally
are they respected. Here is an accent that was not planted.
It knows no season nor change. It is like a great spirit of
service at the beck and call of everyone within sight, everyone's mountain,
everyone's accent, and an ennobling inspiration to everyone.

In some subtle and unusual way the general layout of the garden is so
devised as to make the mountain a natural climax, the center of the stage
as it were, bringing it into the scheme of things in spite of its distance.
Does not the Oriental assign to the place of honor a mountain capped with
eternal snow? The mountain at a distance has been brought into the pic-
ture by means of long, horizontal lines, by the general contrivance of walks,
borders, boundary walls, by the preservation of certain natural trees and
the elimination of others which interrupt the view, by good, architectural ac-
cent of which two small buildings and a balustrading and a few other
things form a part. In a word, the landscape architects have here so con-
trived their scheme, playing up to the mountain, that it becomes no longer
merely a portion of the distant scenery but is the accent of the picture, the
accent that may always be in view, changing in its outline, intensifying and
varying in its color, always beautiful, always even through the fog and mist
something which must invite, must satisfy !

Landscape gardening has been described in many ways. Writers and
those who practice the craft of garden culture have vied with each other
to class it among the engaging occupations of a cultivated mind. But
doubtless he is the biggest among his fellows who knows just how to make
the best of the opportunity. Here is glorious opportunity. Splendidly has
its advantages been realized. The idea that it is within the wit of man to
call into his tiny kingdom a great, natural beautj^ is, indeed, a challenge to
the imagination and a thing to be remembered! Incidentally this is a
splendid tribute to the engineer. Too frequently does the man of the world

847

348 AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

look upon this serviceable citizen as a builder of essential bridges, water
courses, a designer of great schemes. Here he is a revealer of natural beau-
ties, an entirely new phase of his adaptable character. Here he is a scene
painter, if you please, on an immense scale. With a fairy-like wand he has
called to his aid a great priceless jewel in man's earthly coronet by a process
of leveling and a few skilfully devised lines in the little work with the axe
and possibly the theodolite.

Of course snow in the back yard presupposes a sense of color values
and textures in the preparation of the planting list, and only those flowers
are permitted to enter th^t in some way go well with the snow. Just what
would not go with the snow I do not at the moment venture to suggest. It
is said that white in the kingdom of decoration harmonizes with every tone.
There is certainly a fellowship between the flower and the tiny glistening
particles of frozen vapor we venture to classify in our childish manner.
The white flowers in the garden and the snow on the mountain are unified
by cloud, sunlight and a thousand other conditions. Here in the garden are
large masses of white which take up the center of the border and are
prominent everywhere. There are also other colors, picking at random,
lily-of- the- valley, common bush lilac, evergreen, huckleberry and Wilson's
rhododendron. Elsewhere in another cluster is to be noted Japan honey-
suckle and Virginia creeper and again tawny day lily, native maple, Euro-
pean linden and pine and oak. This latter group extends to the outer edge
of the garden border. Then there is mock-orange, common barberry, white
pine, and there is prostrate juniper, red fruit thorn, English ivj^ and Eng-
lish laurel and evergreen creeper. Elsewhere, more prominent and nearer
to the white, will be found weeping golden bell, Siberian dogwood, white
foxglove, dwarf roses and wolfberry. Of course snowberry is very prom-
inent and Madonna lily and gray dogwood as well as trailing rose and wild
spiraea and white Indian azalea and snowy lady's slipper. The edging to
the central border is white viola cornuta and white crocus. Immediately
adjoining is a line of dwarf box. Running horizontally across the garden
in corresponding position is yellow viola cornuta with yellow crocus and
dwarf box. Continuing on the far side of the border, running length-
wise, is blue viola cornuta with blue crocus and dwarf box hedge. The white
is also brought into the picture by the tulips, peonies, phlox, English daisies.
Narcissus poetieus and the Alyssum saxatile. Stonecrop grows plentifully
in the joints of the flagging. It crowds the lime, mortar, and eats up things
delightfully. Of course in this kingdom of white there is much green. It
is furnished by orange trees in tubs and box bushes which continue as brave
outlines to the outer edge of garden and the wide central pathway.

GARDEN OF MR. CHESTER THORNE, TACOMA, WASH.

349

The half circular termination to the garden at the far end is architec-
turally somewhat serious, a balustrading uniting two arbors. The center of
this half circle is a sun-dial. Across the garden prominently against the
terrace walling is
Lady Duncan rose.
Here in a position of
honor are the roses
Marshal Niel, climb-
ing La France, and
Alfred Carrier.

Perhaps as a merry
satire on the formality
of a portion of the
place, a Japanese gar-
den is planted in the
two comers by the
pool upon the west-
erly side of the water
garden. Small is it in
scale, infinitely per-
sonal, filled with
quaint drawing and
divers conceits, with a
wonderful change of
texture and of level.
It is marshy in places.
A child's bridge span-
ning a narrow stream
connecting two pock-
ets gives a memory of
toyland, permitting
secure foothold be-
tween the plants. Tall
bearded iris, the fleur-
de-lis of Japan, in

orange and yellow, purple, lavender and pink, are here, and a German va-
riety known as Innocenza, glorious in raiment of white. Stately they stand
with their long, pointed leaves, contrasting with miniature yews, baby hem-
locks and other dwarf trees of considerable age in the shadow of the syca-
mores. Juniper bushes fill in round the monarchs of the forest.

SKETCH OF WALLED GARDEN WITH POOL ADJOINING

A notes twin arbors connected by terrace. B marks ornamental
lily pool with bog garden and water plants of bright color, for whose
benefit the pool is built in three sections and heated. The diagonal
lines from pergola show direction in which mountain appears

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O ^ £ "in. 3 y ± a

The Newport Garden of Mr. W. Storrs Wells

John Russell Pope, architect

Illustrations from original drawing and photographs by Julian Buekly

I^YTdnBg^^^E was a wise old player who said: "Commend me to a minor

I * P^^^PI ' part. Let the blustering fool take the center of the stage,

Jl '" ^^ with its lime-light, its endless posturing, its overwhelming

and immeasurable responsibilities. Give me something to
do which may be difficult, requiring of me considerable
patience and possibly a momentary excursion into a con-
spicuous climax. I ask a minor part that I may make much of it. I care
not how small the thing be, I will endeavor to make it interesting to the
public in some way or other by putting my heart in the work." The playing
of small parts is said to make often a greater demand upon the ingenuity and
mental equipment of the actor than the portrayal of a grand passion which,
sweeping everything aside, dominates and owns the audience to a degree
threatening to neutralize the critical faculty of everyone present. The shrewd
old player who can make much out of little in a cultivated and subtle man-
ner may escape the notice of the average person, for a time, but the evidence
of study lingers. The actor with feeling in his work is not forgotten.

It is practically the same with the architect and his problems. Often
is it easier to attack a big scheme than a little one involving local restric-
tions which so often means great labor and but little reward. It was a clever
society woman who said: "Your big man is all right, but the difficulty is to
get him to tackle a small job, making something worth while out of it and
then — smilingly to get out and return to his office." There is doubtless much
in this. Big things with their lime-light attract big men. They chafe un-
der the hundred details involved in small work, resent it, and kick against
its limitations.

The Wells garden pleases the critical because of the obvious frank ac-
ceptance of circumscribed conditions. The view is all right, that is the view
at a distance and of the distance, but the staUe, gardener's cottage and
other buildings were, to put it mildly, somewhat ordinary, bringing to the
picture unworthy outlines and proportions. Obviously here was the occa-
sion for a mask, a foil, and doubtless any nursery man in the land could
have planted an interesting screen. But it would have been all too obvious.

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THE NEWPORT GARDEN OF MR. W. STORRS WELLS 858

The accompanying views and plan showing what has been done, illustrate,
among other things, the ambitious scheme, whereby a pleasing surprise has
been prepared for the guests. The view at a distance has been preserved.
The view close at hand has been made very worth-while and all in a very
natui*al and attractive manner. An al fresco theater has been constructed
and a stage shaped elliptically and terraced some few feet above the nat-
ural surface and approached by marble steps. This stage-like setting holds
in the center a mirror pool, backed by well-trimmed, frequently cut hedg-
ing of arbor vitse, by native cedar trees and by other evergreens planted
closely together, thus bringing into the scene a sense of scale and a wel-
come echoing of the serious proportions of the house and paying a gracious
homage to the Renaissance of France. This is still further accented by the
fore-court, allev-wav, avenue, for it invites various classifications with its
row of European linden trees, small of leaf and circular headed, restful and
distinctive. These gay deceivers, with all their silent sentinel-like attitude,
are charged with a mission of great delicacy. Unconsciously they deceive
by increasing the apparent lenght of the garden, viewed from either end.
The avenue widens at the house end and narrows down somewhat towards
the stage setting. It is highly decorative and stately. The lower terrace
is also thoughtfully outlined and made of interest by a subtle arrangement
of curves and hollows which sweep gracefully along the frontage and which
sympathetically repeat the theme of the stage.

It is said that stage-land is entirely dependent upon illusions, upon
make-believe and that it is a poetic means of suggestion. This little set-
ting is very real with all its apparent unreality in technique and contrast,
its duality of the visible and invisible and the vanishing point that is the
beginning of a new point and the art illustrating some subtle contrivance to
conceal art. As a result there is about this pool, this whimsical, ever-shift-
ing reflection, held jewel-like in its shapely marble edging, bordered with
ivy, a tireless picture of great charm. The images seen upon its surface are
often more alive than the objects. They add humor, so do the whirligig
dragon-flies and the water-scorpions as they chase the tiny bubbles. The
paraphernalia of painted scenery has but little to compare with this.

Again the painter's love of overtones and glazing, of greens that are
intense, transparent and tender, of grays caused by weather markings and
metallic deposits is here very well shown, as also is his love of white marble,
translucent of texture and classic of line. Color has been given to the pic-
ture by the skilful utilization of the natural growth of ivy, wherein the
tendrils have been encouraged to accent and contrast with the drawing of
the vases and urns. They tie things together. The tone of the begonia,

854

AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

both pink and red, the silver-leaf geranium and blue retinospora also play
an important part. So does the edging of box and the wistaria which binds
together the large columns, guarding the entrance to the wood nymphs'
tiny bower. The harmonizing and humanizing quality of green of various
degrees of density explains itself to the visitor unconsciously perhaps at
times, but surely, for we can never have too much green in our landscape

THE PLAN SHOWS HOW THE WHOLE THING CAME ABOUT

The stable, one of the reasons for all this fantastic staging, is discerned hiding itself in the left-hand
corner of the property. To the casual visitor it does not exist Note the radiating avenue. The lindens
spread apart at one end, seeming to increase the length of the garden, a very worthy illusion

and the contrasts where they are found sing melodiously. It is this mellow
quality which counts for so much and adds so much to the picture.

Yes ! The stable is still here, so is the gardener's cottage and the fence
line and a whole lot of other things. But to the visitor they are not only
out of sight, but miles away.

And it is not simply that the domestic, or rather the service buildings,
are out of sight, but that so far as the visitor is concerned they do not
exist. The view of the landscape, with its wonderful distances, its ever-
changing gray tones, its remarkable variations of outline, its interest as a

THE NEWPORT GARDEN OF MR. W. STORRS WELLS 865

picture of the neighborhood, wherein are written personalities of endless
varieties is unimpaired. Indeed, it is enriched by contrast. It is, as it were,
a picture within a picture, a little narrative in a larger story, a memento
of the triumphs of other people and of other days, of other ideals and of
other ways of building, and in that it is strangely fascinating and welcome.
It is an inspiration, a little comedy, ever shifting with the lights of a
greater view to be enjoyed from the house porch and the upper terrace and
to be found peeping out between the trees of the avenue. This is a tribute
to the thoughtfulness of the architect. And there is a delightful touch of
humor also in the large, classic urn standing in the center of the lower ter-
race more than half hidden by its rich mantling of ivy. It shows just
enough of the philosophy implied by the marble presentation of the classic
"billy goat," or, to spell out his title more respectfully, Aries, the Ram.
This first sign of the zodiac marked the uprising of a prehistorical reform.
This tireless star of the wondrous constellations is a much-used decoration.
Can we not here give it, however, a special welcome as a sign of the refor-
mation of the method whereby small spaces are treated ? Here is a garden
small in inches, big in idea, unassuming in outline, wonderfully devoid of
any grandiose, dominating element, overwhelming in its significance. Here
is just the simplest and most primitive form of "lay-out," and yet just "the
thing" for this particular occasion. Of course, the jewel, the flower, the soul
of the garden here at Newport, or for that matter anywhere else where fine
people congregate, is always to be found in the personality of the people
themselves. "Come into my garden" means, if it means anything at all,
"Enter into my kingdom, one of my little provinces reserved for my friends,"
hence is it plainer than my friends and for them a background, a casket.
The jewel is my guest.

The white of the marble appears among the green also as a memorandum
of ancient civilizations and prehistoric ambitions and refinements. It
appears in the columns, reflected in the mirror pool, in the low, well-balanced
vases, holding choice evergreens within their ample boundaries. Marble is
also the material out of which the cupids are chiseled — cupids that change
in their mood, but do not always seem to spell unselfish love.

PICTURE THOUGH THIS BE OF GREAT BEAUTY, IT IS RUT PORTION OF SCHEME

THE FIRST IMPRESSION IS INVITING, AS FIRST IMPRESSIONS SHOULD BE

The Newport Estate of Mr. Stuart Duncan

John Russell Pope, architect

lllullntioDi from skelcb by architeol and photograph! by Gil I iei- Whitman

ALTHOUGH Bonniecrest has been designed with much of the propor-
tion and sturdy material of the Tudors, deliberately discarding the E
and H plans characteristic of that robust period, in reality it is schemed
to suit the Americans. And that is the whole story. Schemed to suit the
Americans. This means that it is not only schemed to be a part of the prop-
erty, catching prevailing winds and sunlight and opening upon some of the
most inspiring views, so that it is good to look upon, with big hearths and
great bays, speaking eloquently for hospitality and secure in its insidious
partnership with the very rocks upon which it stands, but that it is ad-
mirably adapted to the enjoyment of the common round of daily life in this
particular neighborhood. Though the stone came from Kingwood quarry in
West Virginia and many of the bricks are old, and others are selected from

GABLES OF BONNIECREST FORM AM INTERESTING PICTURE OUT IN THE BAY

It Is this frontnfce which in .seen from out in the bay at a distance. Accompanyiag sketch shows ex-
trnsion of -srrvlce wing beyond easterly porch, which should be considered wlUi this detail. A portion
of rugged rock forming island Is seen above the ground, allowing pocketsifor small junipers

THE NEWPORT ESTATE OF MR. STUART DUXCAN

859

various kilns, they are as firmly welded to that ridge which rises so promi-
nently above the hgh-water mark at the entrance of Narragansett Bay as is
within the skill of the mason. The rock finds lodgment for the wealthy, hav-
ing its place upon the map as Newport, a place revered in matters social.

Bonniecrest overlooks that portion of Newport Harbor which is well
sheltered from the broad Atlantic by Fort Adams and other projecting points
and by a little rock which forms Brenton Cove. It is a close neighbor of
Lime Rocks and not very far removed from that long sHver of energy
known in the industrial kingdom as the United States Torpedo Station,
which forms a breakwater for a Harbor and which is spoken of generally as
Goat Island. Until these last few years it was a part of the old Rutherford-
Stuyvesant estate, which was for a time the home of Mr. Arthur Kemp
and Mr. Henry White, who afterwards became ambassador to France.

As we are all so much interested in men and women, in what they do
elsewhere, in the old coimtry, and in the type of houses they build, it is well
to note that Bonniecrest recalls, in many of its details and general manipu-
lation, the outline and structure of Compton Winyates, the Warwickshire
manor of Sir William Compton, the

well-known favorite of Henry VIII 1

and one of the distinguished and dis-
criminating courtiers of that critical
time. The architect of the Newport
house has insidiously arranged his
frontages so as to incorporate with no
little ability certain salient points of
the English prototype. Still it avoids
the quadrangular arrangement of
rooms, which is ill-fitted to our time
and country.

The accompanying views show
Bonniecrest as it is, and even now it
looks like a venerable manor, bearing
no very distant relation to Haddon
Hall, the most popular and best known
of the major manors of England.
In plan this Newport manor is ir-
regular; it does not follow the quad- ^he sky line of service wing
rangular scheme of the Tudors and Thu sketch ieav« mtk to be desired. Look

strenuous days of the Royalists and »» *« ^}^li!'^u°' ,*''^ 'io"n"?' resembitng old

■^ '' work, nt the hemlocks and junipers, and the

CrOmwelhanS. Nor is it strictly Sym- way in which the sun gilds the chimneys

A STLDY IX VALUES STRUCTURAL AND DKCORATIVE IN THIS PICTURE

This nnd acco[ii|iunyin(i; skftoh on Hdjoining ]tage show an Httractive <Mrner of huildlng. The
rclntlon lietwecn big-leafed foliage of chestnut tri^e and brick, wood and atone work is very inter-
esting;. Some chinineys have strong indlviduitlities with a tendency towards corkscrew projiensitips

THE NEWPORT ESTATE OF MR. STUART DUNCAN

metrical in any other way. It is romantic; that is, Gothic in spirit, Gothic
in make-up, attenuated, modified, transformed. Long and low in its
general outline, rambling in its arrangement of rooms, liberal in its glad
acceptance of sunshine, and liberal also in its contrivance for the enjoyment
of beautiful views — qualities which do nmch to spell picturesqueness— it is
practically unique as an American solution of the country house problem,
and likely to be followed far and wide. This evidence of the conscientious
adaptation of an old form of building to American needs is of great service.
Indeed, it should be as heartily welcome as is an improved outlook into
other affairs aesthetic. We crowd the Opera House for some new singer or
harmony. We talk wildly about "best sellers." We clamor for the most
comfortable cabins to cross the Atlantic — at least, we did before the days of
the wicked submarines. But where is the thankful spirit for the architect who
not only builds — yea, verily, builds — so that his work is not only a testi-
mony to his conscientious study and a source of congratulation to his asso-
ciates, but is a daily comfort to his client? Bonniecrest is interesting as an
object lesson to show what can be done, and in an insidious and graphic
manner it reveals not alone the attrac-
tions of the old proportions in the old
country, but it pricks a bubble or two
blown by those who maintain that a
thing must be old in order to be worthy
and that many of the secrets of build-
ing are lost arts in the mirage of the
distance. No, it is not a question of
many-mullioned windows, overhang-
ing gables, chimneys of octagonal
form, fluted outline and corkscrew
propensity, of battlemented parapet
and liberal bays ; nor is it a question of
diversity of texture, although so much
attention has been given to a diligent
search for old brick, and the laying
of which in octagonal pattern upon the
face of the gables is so delightful and
helpful. The question, Why Bonnie-
crest? may be answered in a word, and anothek view of service tower

that is, the main spirit has been kept j,^,^ .,^ y,^ Frenchman's philosophy sgain.

' obviously in view and relieiouslv fol- darkness and llpht, fascinating, immeasurable,

• 1,1 defying, the motto that should he displayed in

lowed. The ground round the house tlie' office of i-ycr>- architect in the land '

PLAN OF LAYOUT WITH OUTLINE OF FRONTAGE ON NEWPORT HARBOR

THE NEWPORT ESTATE OF .MR. STUART DUNCAN 868

is interspersed in places with rocks, which for a time were well-nigh cov-
ered with sand. Still as rocks, a portion of the island reef, evidently play
a prominent part in the setting, they have been exposed and encircled by an
adroit addition of trailing junipers and other dwarf evergi-eens. The shadows
of big trees cross the broad, expansive, meadow-like lawn, where the sense of
space speaks more eloquently than anything that could be done by means
of masonry or flower beds of any kind. Some fine trees and shrubs have been
removed and replanted so that they have a decorative value. The easterly
boundary line has fortunately a thick grove of trees which has been repaired
in places. The westerly side of the property has also a majestic grove.
The ground slopes rap-
idly to the boundarj' and
is made interesting by a
long narrow lane, an an-
cient right of way, lead-
ing to landing stage.

The accompanying
plan shows the general
layout, the high-water
mark of Newport Har-
bor, a subdivision of
Narragansett Bay, the
rugged shape of some of
the rocks, plan of house
with driveway and serv-
ice entrance, and main
grove, which is remark-
able for its unusually at-
tractive outline; but it
does not give the subsid-
iary planting which has
been added just lately
and which runs along the
high boundary wail on
Harrison Avenue, giv-
ing that privacy which
is so valued in a prop-
erty of this character. the sturdy north poncH is prominent

The planting is of rho- it stands upon a Ragged walk connecting the eastern and

J J J J , western porches. Creepers are being planted to take place of

dodendrons and other those killed last winter; grass border has pockets for the purpose

AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

flowering shrubs. Still, the accompanying views tell the story of the setting
in their own manner, direct and accurate.

Looking at the views before us which illustrate this unusually attractive
country house, and the fine drawings and photographs of the Warwickshire
manor, it is well to see how the Newport building has been enriched and
Jiow conscientiously and tirelessly the architect has worked. Adaptation is
not only a fascinating but a difficult art. This has been a matter of design
from start to finish. True, in some subtle manner the spirit of many of the
features is recognizable, and not only to the student of architecture but
to others — when pointed out! Few have wit enough to follow even the lead,
so subtle has been the assimilation, the absorption, the transmogrification, as

you will. It is an intellectual
treat, an intellectual shampoo
perhaps, testing audience as well
as professor. We note the niany-
mullioned staircase window ha?
the proportion of the great win-
dow of the old Chapel, which is
close to the apartment formerly
occupied by Bluff' King Hal —
would that he had visited this
place more often! Take it as you
will, a man and a building gather
force by virtue of association. As
the guest enters Bonniecrest he
passes under the archway of
porch, not illuminated by Henry's
arms, as at Compton Winyates,
but bj' a device of a ship for years
associated with the Duncan fam-
ily. Following a manner preva-
lent in old monastic days, small
doors removed from public gaze
lead directly from the principal
rooms to the outside. Thus the
living-room and dining-room, hall
THE MAIS KNTRANCE GATEWAY ^"*^ library have their own direct

Following ehar«ct^r of ho.se. her. is « T,.d.,r connections with tHc greater

nrciiwH.v hPBviiy buttressed and of giwdiy siie. Over- wofld. They are framed with

head ap|iearH ngain the gallev, a distin^cuished heraldic , . " . . . ,

element of the faniilv, su|i|)<irted bv the Tudor rose stuidv Oak, mVltmg mdcpcndcnce

THE NEWPORT ESTATE OF MR. STUART DUNCAN

THE NORTHERN PORCH

This interesting |>ee[
through archwHv reveals mov-
ing tide of Brenton Cove

of movement and preventing sudden intrusion.
The big windows, one of the characteristic elements
of the Tudors, show the potency of that skilful
French writer who, momentarily oblivious to the
charm of the middle tone, spoke so eloquently of
architecture as a struggle between daylight and
dark. True, the broad bays, as you enter the great
hall or living-room, seem to own you body and soul,
as they give so vivid a picture of the Harbor with
its many-colored sails, its bright light upon Fort
Adams, its mystery and magic surrounding the
Torpedo Station, that we scarcely notice the tapes-
try scenes of country life in France and days of
the vintage and hunt which are entrusted with the
responsibility of decorating the walls and which
cover so large a portion of the wainscoting. They
merit close attention because of their quaint drawing, involving interesting
labels with strange devices and legends.

Wliat great facilities there are here for yachting, for tlie thousand and
one opportunities for water fetes where the inclement weather sometimes
plays havoc with ordinary arrangements, such as floats merely anchored to
the rock ! The great depth of water a few feet from the shore would lessen
greath' the trip by the dingey and permit an anchorage well in line with the
usual terrace, which, by the way, is not needed nor perhaps altogether to
be desired in this picturesque frontage. Still,
as the house stands so nobly above the bank, mak-
ing so prominent a sky line when viewed in the
oifing, we would not be surprised to see in good
time some architectural use made of the little bay.
What a chance for a horseshoe stairway cut
through the rock in rustic fashion with an occa-
sional broad landing, leading to the tideway and
having just sufiicient importance to make a dis-
tinguishing note, echoing serious elements of house.
Bonniecrest serves to enhance that special
quality of distinctive aristocratic reserve and re-
straint from visible effort which slowly but surely

dominates the whole work of the architect and that thk service gateway
remains the last impression which the memorv of a high *ai! gWinf^ privacy

■ . , . , .1 • ■■ "to lawn forms southi^rn bound-

CIS design leaves upon the visitor. ary upon Harrison Avenue

^ -at g s . > 5

2 I

's't-^

4l|J|tt

£• .> t 60— « s

IllUlil

THE DINING-ROOM IK THE HOME OF MB. A. M. BROWN, ST. JAMES, L. I.

Group of Ten Suggestive Treatments of the Setting

The underlying spirit which is adaptable to small
as well as large properties

BEYOND doubt the most satisfactory way to study the setting is to
familiarize ourselves with the best work that has been done in our own
immediate neighborhood, comparing it with examples of work else-
where, abroad — that is, in cxjuntries the daily life of which is parallel to our
own life and where there is not much, difference in climate. It were doubt-
less wise to read up on the subject. This is no difficult matter in the days of
active writers, some of whom are familiar with the subject! Information
of great value can also be obtained by reference to certain energetic maga-
zines which illustrate frankly and freely the admirable places built and
planted in various prominent and out-of-the-way places in this great Amer-
ica of ours. In that regard it is well to remember the remarkable di-
versity of our foliage, the rare richness of our trees, which is a heritage the
envj' of the world. We would scarcely think so when we remember that to

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GROUP OF TEN SVJGCiESTlVE TREATMENTS OF THE SETTING 878

many our trees are simply dollars and cents, so many cubic feet or % boards
for an ever-exacting market. To the artists they are creatures of life, of
infinite beauty and charm, of wondrous color, while to the architect and the
owner of property they are indeed angels of light and brightness, elements
of infinite possibilities, highly decorative, with which much can indeed be
done. Says a French painter whose name is a household word : "Oh, that
your forests were proof against the inroads of fire, they are so beautiful.
Their life, alas, so short!"

Ours is the natural home of the birch, both black and yellow; of the
chestnut and of the oak. Occasionally an evergreen pine or hemlock darkens
or a dogwood brightens things. We have also maple and silver beech. When
the old chestnuts get disturbed — blown over and uprooted, or die out — we
plant others of the same kind, and so restore the woods. AVhat I mean is —
that I do not want "specimen trees." I much prefer trees of the neighbor-
hood. They belong here. It is their place. They are part of our Amer-
ican life, expressing naturally our homes. As a practical illustration of
what has been accomplished in this section during the last two or three years,
it were wise to examine closely and carefully some of the accompanying
schemes, approaching the subject from a purely academic and impersonal
standpoint, regardless of cost, realizing that the underlying principle is the
same. I say regardless of cost, and I venture also to say regardless
of ownership. By that I mean, we have one ingenious architect who by the
placement of his house added the name of his client to a limited list far
above that of multi-millionaires by so skilfully locating his house upon the
borders of a great lake that the lake became his lake, and everything within
and upon its glo-
rious surface, its
reflections, color,
movement, which no
one could take
away, but which is
his forever. An-
other builds his
house upon a hill,
so placing it that it
marries with the
native woods and

meadows, and all m home of mr. l. t. beale. st. david'S, pa.

sight i s h i s land-

* , , . Simple «s It is, two (

scape, his great pic- mantling of snow, it was e

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II?

GROUP OF TEN SUGGESTIVE TREATMENTS OF THE SETTING 875

lure for years. Yet another builds between two majestic oaks or locusts and
then by cunningly devising a terrace builds in their shade and adds a tree here
and there to emphasize the accent. Another adds interest to the whole neigh-
borhood in some subtle way by building in an old orchard, gnarled and
aged, and then when the day shortens and the darkness comes, he reaches
over and, as it were, with a magic band lifts out a few of the old apple trees
and fills in the pool to mirror the sky and lighten the scene. I know of a man
who took a hillside barren of trees yet blessed with underbrush, with juni-
pers which had weathered many a storm. This man's house began, if you
please, by the building of a ten-foot wall to shelter those junipers, which to-
day are his guests, repaying a hundredfold. Later he built a house, and peo-
ple crowd to see his sunken court, his venerable, old, storm-tossed trees,
quaint of line, wondrous in color. At their feet rushes a mountain rivulet,
which performs all sorts of antics, and as it reaches the valley it feeds foun-
tains whose rainbow hues glisten splendidly against the gorgeous green of the
hemlocks and cedars.

Some of our people, who happen to be painters, and other discriminat-
ing lovers of countn.' life, have made great success by the introduction to their
gardens of flower borders, the borders being of plain everyday plants, fa-
mous for their endurance as well as their decorative value, their color and the
ease with which they can be cultivated. Before me is a wonderful border
of Michaelmas daisies, another of daffodils, flag iris and peonies, backed by
junipers. Common yellow lilies mark the roadway to the home of one of
the most entertaining personalities on this continent, who could have had any
flower that money could buy. Another indulges in the garland rose; a
third in ivy backed with white foxglove brought into contrast with the fir
wood of the mid-distance.

We are indebted to Peabody, AViljion & Brown, architects, for the views
on pages 867 and 368; to Abram
Garfield for house depicted on page
869 ; to Carrere & Hastings for the
design on 370; to Elmer Gray and
Myron Hunt for the interesting
view on page 371 ; to Albro &
Lindeberg for the one on page 872 ;
to Mellor & Meigs for the house on
page 873 ; to Charles S. Schneider
for the view on page 874, and to

,, . J T-. 1 . i- j.1. 11 CHAIiACTER KNOWS NO MEASUREMENT

Morns « li^rskme lor the small
house shown on page 875.

EVEN A THIN SPRAY OF WATER BRINGS TO THE SCENE A SPIRIT OP LIFE
It is not only beautiful by virtue of its owd subtle movement but for the Interest It ndds. (9m pas» Ml)

CHAPTER II

WATER AS A DECORATIVE AGENT

Cascades in the rock garden of Mr. John D. Rockefeller on Pocantico HiUs^
N. Y. — The fountain scheme on the estate of Mr, Louis C. Tiffany, Cold Spring
Harbor, L. I. — The Spaulding estate at Prides Crossing, Mass. — A group of six iUus-
trations of water as element of beauty, vitalizing decorative schemes of great interest.

THE soul of an Oriental garden is a fountain.
The garden may be but a yard with a decrepid
old stump of a tree and a rose bush or two;
the fountain may be a mere pool, a few inches deep,
a few feet across, a bowl hidden in the ground. Still,
to the dreamer, to the idealist, it is a priceless treas-
ure of which he never wearies, toward which he in-
stinctivelv looks as he enters, and around which he
plants the best flowers obtainable. It might be as
much the center of things in his whole life as any
member of his family. It is more than a decoration.
It is a comrade, a friend, the soul of the place! If
that be so, what shall be said of water in motion,
when the sunbeams strike it and pressure fills it with tiny bubbles, and the
sound of it is music? It is as important to the life of the family as camp
fire to the traveller who watches the thin smoke and partly consumed gases
rise skyward. In the mystic pool does he see the reflections dodging the
shadows and the fireflies that touch the surface so gently as to make the
most handsome woman grotesque. The reverence of water extends in our
own land to the plains of Arizona and California, where the water hole, as
it is irreverently called, is indeed a godsend to cattle, and toward it the trav-
eller trudges perseveringly. Water flows through the literature of the Bible.
The traditional church fountain is preserved at St. Peter's, where a gilded
bronze pine cone through which multitudinous threads of water rapidly pass,
resembling rain, is used. It is said to have been a suggestion from Solomon's
Temple. It was so accepted by Raphael, who embodied it in his'famous car-
toons of the Beautiful Citv.

877

■< - £

H 35.

THE THIRD CASCADE IS FULL OF COLOR ALL THE YEAR ROUND

se to the ground at the hi ad of the fall, planted with
lage of the trailing juniper nnd the golden yellow of the

Cascades in the Rock Garden

Mr. John D. Rockefeller's Estate, Pocantico Hills, N. Y.

William W. Bosworth, architect

llluitrationi from pholofrapha by the architect

IN the Pocantico Hills estate of Mr. John D. Rockefeller there is a wan-
dering brook, which, while constructed to take care of the overflow from
the fountains, is also fed by underground springs and by certain natural
pockets in the neighborhood. This fascinating ribbon of silver is very active,
running through a deep channel of the lawn, spreading itself out in places,
leaping from rock to rock, splashing the evergreens that are planted where
much of their rich foliage will be seen in contrast to the brilliant glisten
of the water, and then bobbing up oblivious to all forms of regularity, fol-
lowing its own sweet will until it disappears imderground or collects itself
in a little whirligig pool to rest a while.

UNDER THE GREAT ELM THE BROOK TUMBLES DOWN THE FIFTH CASCADE
The right bank furnishes lod§;iiient for junipers; left bsnlc is made interesting by big barberry busbrs

MR. JOHN D. ROCiiBiFELLER'S ESTATE, POCANTICO HILLS, N. Y. 381

The accompanying illustrations are a graceful tribute to a scheme pro-
viding for a brook which is increased in volume in the early spring and dur-
ing heavy rainstorms. Here it has been directed, induced to take up cer-
tain delightful outlines which are no little tax upon the imagination of the
reader. This section of the brook is nearly a mile in length, and yet it varies
every foot of the way. Artificial ? Yes. Artificial as the painting of a por-
trait, yet faithful as the reflection of a mirror held before milady's face,
and capricious as the whisper from a land of dreams. Artificial ? Yes. De-
lightfully so. Still only in a sense that recalls instinctively natural views
elsewhere. Much of this is from the Orient, from the colder regions where
rocks and ice abound, and from the quaint memory of No Man's Land peo-
pled by Jack o' Dreams and hobgoblins. And all within fifty minutes' run
of the wind-lashed office building known as the Flatiron and the turmoil of
the Great White Wav.

This engaging picture is a beautiful piece of stage setting, a copart-
nership of rocks and glistening silica, of shelving rock from the quarry and
small pebbles, of boulders smoothed by the glacial period, yet to-day colored
with lichen and moss. Their polished surface shows the unmistakable pres-
ence of metal, translucent and crystalline. Many of them are out of their
natural bed, standing erect as if disturbed by volcanic action. Others have
been laid sympathetically on one side. This shelving of the rock is all part
of the capricious design, a little engaging masonry whereby the water is in-
duced to wind and twist in its effort to reach the bottom of the pool.
Held prisoner in some pocket it seems to gather itself together for a spring
and then laughingly proceeds to the nsxt break. The bed or pavement of
the brook is very cleverly contrived. In many ways the wandering of the
brook is a delightful contrast to the stately terraces where straight lines and
architectural proportions abound, where vistas have been cut deeply into
the woods, and where everything is very grand and serious in idea. This
brook, with its abandon and whimsicality, is an agreeable change from the
severe order of things. Here is a pleasing color scheme that is also way-
ward and which varies with the changing seasons of the year. Like the
brook, it is a creature of life, clinging close to the ground and depending
not a little on the outline of Mother Earth. Dwarf shrubs have been planted
to intensify by contrast the transparency and brightness of the water.

* 1 =

THE FIRST VIEW OF THE HOLSR FROM THE KOADWAY

The visitor is iniuiediately arrested by the color scheme, the emerald of the dome roof to the
ivntral court, the canopy of the tower, the dazzling white of the liuilding. the bits of bright color to
the coronet, and the thin haze of the distant hills murliiiig the iiiain entrance to the Sound

The Picturesque Fountain Scheme in the Long Island
Home of Mr. Louis C. Tiffany

s froin original drawings made from photographi by Aime Dupont and olheri

, ( '\T ES — it is fine, and, as you say, dramatic ; but the other view is the best,"
1 said the artist, glancing a little to the right and then walking rapidly
down the steps from the upper terrace, dodging round the bushes as he
took a short cut to the roadway beyond. And proceeding to select a spot
which invited a view of the lake and of the house through the cedars, he com-
menced to make a rough sketch of the hillside problem that had been in

THIS SKETCH GIVES A GENERAL IDEA OF A PART OF THE PROPERTV

FOUNTAIN SCHEME IN MR. TIFFANY'S GARDEN 885

his thoughts for many and many a day, giving the layout of everything as
he saw it and as he knew it to be — a child of his own fancy.

I had followed somewhat reluctantly, looking back and wondering what
possible view could surpass the other, with its quaint outline of house and
tower, with its windows and balconies accented by the dark velvety shadows of
the arched entrance, the bright emerald of the roof, and the sparkle of the
fountains, all shimmering in the sunlight, framed with native woods and
bushes in the background — when I was aroused from my momentarj^ hyp-
notism by the artist holding up his sketch pad and saying very quietly and
with no little feeling and affection in his voice: "This is the view I prefer.
It is subtle, and there is something of Italy in it all." A few rapid strokes of
the pencil had told the story of the house and gi'ounds, trees and cedars, road-
ways and terraces, as well as of the shadows. "See, the trees must be grouped
together a little — so — ^to let a little more of the lake come into the view. We
need that reflected light and movement, and, as you see, I have just indicated
enough of the body of the house to complete the composition. The picture
should stop there — just beyond the tower."

The speaker was Louis C. Tiffany, of New York City, famed as an
artist in silver, in jewels, in painting, and in Favrile glass, which is his own
creation. Mr. Tiffany added to his property at Cold Spring Harbor, on the
northern side of Long Island, by the purchase, about three years ago, of still
another strip of native woods on the hillside running down to the shore, mak-
ing in all some five hundred acres. By removing the summer hotel with
its outbuildings at that point, he cleared the way for this desire of his heart
on which he centered so many hopes and dreams.

To me the house, half hidden in the native woods of Cold Spring Har-
bor, is notable for many things, and they can be briefly expressed in three
words. They are modernity, utility, beauty.

The planning is frank and straightforward, the natural result of a clear-
sighted understanding of things. And there is romance and imagination in
it all. The perfume of the Orient and the horse sense of America, with
its revitalizing influence, are seen everywhere. By no means is it a rich
man's house as we understand it to-day, because the dollar does not appear.
And as to beauty, the central court is a gem, possibly one of the most beau-
tiful pictures of the land. The rest of the house is plain. The strength and
majesty of man prompted the outside, the delicacy and innate charm of
woman characterizes the inside, and the garden has a charm all its own.

Refusing to yield to the imprisonment of historic styles, because of the
many phases so false to the ideals of our civilization and to his own under-

886 AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

standing of true beauty, the painter determined to work alone and fight out
the problem in his own way. With a devouring love for activity, he devoted
himself to the labor of moulding the hillside, to shaping the woods and to the
making of models. This struggling with the soil taught him many things ;
and the planning, scheming,
contriving and attaching led to
his use of local material to ex-
press his thoughts in many
quaint and original methods;
and in this long fight for beauty
he has won. The ground yield-
ed him sand and gravel. Every
tree that had to be cut down
lived again in some part of the
theme. The study of the ground
also led to the inception of the
water-courses and fountains
which are romantic and ap-
pealing.

For a long time the problem
resided in models of clay and
portfolios of strange and inter-
esting sketches, added to and
worked over as the spirit moved.
They illustrated the position of
the trees, the undulating nature
of the ground, the actual levels,
the outline of the small ponds,
and the general character of
everything. The most import-
tant points were of course set-
tled on the spot, of which the
drawing office knew so little
that measurements had often to be taken to render possible the completion of
that section of the scheme. The place literally grew from the ground up,
not from the drawing office down. The painter took infinite pains. He is
very successful. Every element going to make up the house, the terraces,
and hanging garden entailed by its deft investment into the side of the hill
— into the very heart of the native woods — was prompted by his thoughtful
study of the "something of Italy and the spirit of the Orient," as he said.

SKETCH SHOWING THE PRINCIPAL ROOMS

A marks court; B dining-room; C liTing-room ; D
library; E smolie room; M tianeing garden; N cataract
entrance; W central pool and Y bowl on lower terrace

FOUNTAIN SCHEME IN MR. TIFFANY'S GARDEN 887

The artist of all this knew where to stop in matters decorative, under-
stood the value of background as well as of accent, knew just where to
add detail to be most effective, knew how to use color, its quality and
texture, and knew where the lights and shadows should appear and disap-
pear. These things portrayed his preference for study on the site instead
of in the drawing office. The models of clay must have been value for
this. The selection of concrete and stucco was excellent, being native to the
site and to the neighborhood. Yet the painter could very well have brought
stone from the hills of New England, from across the Sound, or brick from
the valley of the Hudson, and could have landed them on the site. Doubt-
less he could just as readily have used one or both of these materials for
his purpose and have made just as successful and expressive a house. But
it would not have been a Long Island expression of his theme. It might
have resembled Tuxedo or Germantown, both famous for their country
houses.

So marked the success, so diversified the supply of water, and so many
the things it does, that it looks as if the distinguished painter must be on
good terms with the nymphs, demons, and goddesses of the cloud, who en-
riched his Argos with springs and changed his hillside into well-watered
land. There are so many fountains, and they seem to be the result of careful
study — and invention. Water from the hillside is caught, carefully treas-
ured in a land basin in one of the high points. It is also pumped by steam
and by electricity from driven wells into tanks which hold some forty thou-
sand gallons. Would anyone think of these running streams of water, these
cascades and fountains which illumine the scene on the southern side of the
house, as artificial?

Does not the full value of these living, sparkling waters shed more luster
on the scene than any marble figure — cut from a rock and standing under
a canopy formed by columns and pediments, di^rnified but stupid and breath-
less — whose grinning face casts a spirit of ridicule over everything, seem-
ing to say: "Behold I, even I, a cultivated creature of classic distinction,
also permit a few drops of the spring from the hills to trickle through my
royal throat and fall as a shower at my feet"? Such fountains are statuesque
and dreary as are the statues of many of the palaces of Europe. There
a fountain is a dead piece of ornament, a cut-stone accent to carry the con-
necting line of the academy between house and garden, through so flexible and
liquid an element as water. Here it is a living, bubbling charmer, a madcap
creature, tossing, gurgling and rushing.

But these tumbling waters have other things to do and other places to

AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

visit and to charm; they hide and we
must follow them if we can. Leaving
the larger cascade, the water passes
through a series' of invisible pipes into
the house and appears in the central
court to vitalize an Oriental setting.
On the floor, surrounded by an inter-
esting mosaic of rich colors built sol-
idly of blocks of marble, is an octag-
onal tank. In the center of this is
a large vase of glass, long-necked and
clear. It is here that the water again
appears. Entering at the bottom and
o\'erflowing at the top, it flows swiftly
down the sides into the marble tank
and thence into a long marble channel
across the court to a small cascade
just outside. Palms point the way. A
deep shade, accented by flowers of
violet and of rose color, enriches the
scene. This graceful bubble of trans-
parent glass, once a pebble melted in
an awful heat, holds the quivering
stream for a moment and stands clear
and sparkling against the dim shadows that haunt the passages beyond.
The stream, bom of the dewy mists and the eternal snows, all tears and
smiles, seems unconscious of its native charm. And the tiny pebble, torn
from its mother rock and shaped by waters cold and swift, now shapes the
living stream.

Two immense bowls of blown glass, about the height of an ordinary
table, stand one on each side of the marble channel. By some hidden means
water enters at the bottom and overflows at the top, and then flows down
the side into the cascade. After playing a sort of infantile tattoo on the
many facets of a huge rock crystal — supposed to be the largest in the land,
and forming the liquid tongu'e of the grotesque Tiffany dragon guarding the
entrance to the hanging garden — it again disapears, dropping over the edge
some thirty feet into a large shell-like basin at the foot of the lower ter-
race. Here is the latest treasure — a Venus of great beauty.

Again it is lost underground for a time till it reaches the twin fresh-
water lakes, where it whirls round and round, past the island where golden-

TWO BOWLS AT END OF CHANNRI,

Thf water enters at the bottom of the
bowls and overflows perpetually into the first
cast^ade beyond the window, whirh at night is
illuminated with electric light of varying colors

FOUNTAIN SCHEME IN MR. TIFFANY'S GARDEN

rod, jot-pye-weed, and boneset line
the margin, past the bog and marsh
with its splendid colonies of marsh-
mallow, cardinal flower, wild rice, and
forget-me-not, heading straight for the
deep water where the roots of the tu-
berous water lily are firmly anchored
down, and where the surface is partly
covered with lily pads, punctured by
sword thrusts of sweet flag and clumps
of Japanese iris ; past the pergola
where the long sweeping tassels of the
trumpet creeper and the drooping
sprays of the wistaria sip of the stream
as it passes to cool their blossoms.
Then, without resting, it darts under
the bridge into the outer lake — and
so on to the great Sound beyond.

Returning to the house again, we
enter the central court, from which
radiate the terraces and the main rooms
of the house. Here lives a spirit of
friendliness, sunshine for everyone, the
spirit of the Orient. And yet, with all
its beauty and charm, the court is but a fine frame, a setting to the living
picture outside. It was to enjoy this view to the full that two large pillars
had been removed from the arcade.

The court is of cream and white with notes of dark green, purple and
rose, lilac and black, dark amber and low-toned silver coming into the field
as pavements of marble, and as embroideries hung on the wall of the upper
arcade — and as flowers round the marble tanks and fountains — they inten-
sify the white and are a pleasing spot of color in the scene. An arabesque
border with its pine-tree motif takes up about two-thirds of the wall and
runs round the court. It is crisp in drawing and very pleasing. It is of
a low-toned gi'een and so well balanced as to give a certain quality of scale
to the big columns that stand free and that carry the upper arcade.

The omission of the usual heavi y ribbed lantern light to the roof of the
central court, and the hanging of an awning of delicate purple under the
light glass roof was an inspiration. This gossamer veil, like a soft haze,
draws a welcome tone over e^'erything. The whole court is a fairyland

CRYSTAL VASE IN CKNTRAI. COURT

In u iiiyKterious manntr the water enters
at the l>ase and, overflowing at the top, con-
tinues down the ciiannel. The water sparliles
under the brilliant light of the lantern roof

390 AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

with its fountains, its shifting lights, and its glow of color. Even the sun
has lent his aid. It used to be said that Claude added sunlight to his pic-
tures. The artist in the woods of Cold Spring Harbor added the sun to his
fireside, coaxing it to smile upon his children and his friends every time they
passed through the court.

A brilliant French writer says of irchitecture that it is a long and weary-
ing battle between darkness and light. That the painter understands the
true value of the middle tone as the most desirable atmosphere for daily life
with its little duties and cares is well shown in his treatment of the living-
room. It is inviting and restful.

The general tone is the gray green of the forest with its transparent
depths and its cool shadows, which appear as decorative elements of the room
in the form of the horse chestnut, its big leaves and fruit closely interwoven.
This makes a well-balanced network which adapts its color and its density to
the volume of sunlight which enters the room, maintaining an equality of
shade over the surface of the side wall and ceiling. Its light tones illumine
the corners and the wall surface near the windows, which are usually dark,
while the richer and fuller tones are reserved for the light side of the room.
It starts at the base and continues round the room and across the ceiling, as
the transparent background of a picture, every inch interesting. It is rich
in shades of green, russet, brown and tan, and has an indescribable tincture of
quiet mystery. Generally it is dark at the base and light at the top, like a
grotto or bower of foliage where the daylight percolates through and seems
to lift the canopy of leaves with its light and air. There is neither trim nor
drapery to the windows nor anything to break up the netw^ork which seems
to melt in with the native woods outside. The side wall and ceiling unite
in a cove. The whole scene an epic in paint.

There is a picturesque eloquence in the ingle-nook that invites study.
It is very original in outline and it reaches halfway across the room. Some-
thing of the Orient pervades it, with its sunken hearth, its quaint canopy
resting on low pillars, under which crescent-shaped benches appear, curi-
ously hollowed. The space under the canopy is wide and open at the ends.
There is an absence of restraint to the fire. Literally it is on the hearth,
without piers or jambs to bewilder the smoke. The bluish curl often whirls
round and round and gives to all who sit within its reach a whiff of pine
and cedar logs, now smouldering, now burning bright! \'-

I have been unable to place due emphasis upon many inviting features,
practical though they be — the arrangement of sliding outside blinds to the
upper windows ; the absence of cornices to passages and bedrooms ; the pre-
serving of the best views from the windows even though it entailed a breach

FOUNTAIN SCHEME IN MR. TIFFANY'S GARDEN

in an architectural law ; the substitution of cement for tiles or mosaic in the
floors and on the side walls of the bathrooms ; and the large number of those
practical luxuries ; and the great, whole-souled handling of primitive mate-
rials in almost a primitive mamier, such as one would expect from a vine-
yard in the north-
ern part of Italy,
where mother
earth is not en-
tirely concealed
by even a mosaic
of cobbles, but is
welcomed into the
theme.

Some say this
type of design is
an architectural
riddle, mere gar-
den architecture,
a piece of stage
setting, charming
as such, but not
to be taken seri-
ously. And they
ask : What would
happen when we
wake up in the
morning and
chance to see the
under side of
things in all their
reality, and find
many of the fea-
tures which
looked like gran-
ite or stone to be

but a theme in stucco on a frame of wtwd and metal? Others ask: Will it
last? Doubtless many are kept from a composition house by a mirage
of fear that the havoc played by the weather will be fatal, and they tremble
at the ease with which the stuff can be adulterated. In spite of this, the
bridges of the world rest on concrete and cement.

THK WHITE COURT WITH ITS CRYSTAL FOUNTAIN

This scene has, with all its modernity, an Oriental flavor and gives a
goix] idea of the architectural detail of the many-sided India pillars

AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

Boiling down the above questions into one, it amounts to this : Have c<hi-
crete, stucco, plaster, cement an individuality of their own, or are they sim-
ply coverings to a skeleton ? It almost takes away one's breath to have to
undertake so simple a theme. The integrity of these materials has been es-

tablished for ages, but for many

local reasons they have not re-
ceived the prominence to which
they were entitled. In the damp-
ness of some parts of the old
country cement was a valuable
covering to brick or stone, and
the readiness with which this
valuable covering could be used
as a mask to disguise its real
nature has furnished a jest
everywhere.

It is often asked: When shall
we grow up? When will our
houses be a frank illustration of
the innate good in ourselves, our
understanding of life ; when shall
the fearful nightmare end? In
what section of the land resides
the charmer? Thanks to the
art of printing, poetry of the
world goes to poor as well as to
rich. So does the human voice,
the enthusiasm of singer, actor,
and speaker charming large au-
diences. Our writers also are
welcomed throughout the globe
because of singular originality
and brilliancy of expression.

MOSAIC FLUOR OF FOIJNTA

With the Instinct of the artist, the painter has iiiiide
admirable use uf a rare black marble which appears as

the above sketch shows, where the most Is made of tlw oi-ll i" l ■

contrast between different materials. It also follows the Still lOr OnC thing we are pro-

irUtSlifS-" r„'dCt £"CrC foundly thankful, for to-day we
I'rtj^' """I'."™ I" i"™'"* pi«ying ni. the cry,- „<> longer asfc, with tears in our

tal, anding greatly to the Fn|oi'tnent ul wuter In motion

e\es, where is the architect with
a universal appeal — conscious of things greater than architecture — which
characterizes homes in the Land of Ancient Courtesies?

Rodin, the sculptor, makes of clay something which appeals to the world.

FOUNTAIN SCHEME IN MR. TIFFANY'S GARDEN 893

and our artist in the woods of Cold Spring Harbor has found in clay a
power which, when baked and added to pebbles and sand, becomes a subtle
means of expression which is well worthwhile. I venture to ask : Need we
go abroad for the "something of Italy"? Is tliere not something here in
this twentieth-century interpretation of the subtleties of the Orient deserv-
ing serious attention? It is not so very long since the ruins of little houses
and mosques of mud on primitive framework of palm stalks were seen
across the desert — a white vision, a pearl of great value floating in a trans-
lucent atmosphere like a mirage. We have all seen what the spirit of com-
merce and science prompted — the bridges and skyscrapers, and the import-
ant part assigned to cement^burnt clay — on a network of iron and steel.
Europe has furnished very encouraging signs of the awakening of the Spirit
of Architecture, to which must be added a hint from America. This house
of Cold Spring Harbor has several lessons to teach — among others, the value
of primitive materials, and that it is possible to make an attractive piace
without either brick, stone or wood as a visible element; and that, with all
his love of mysticism, it is possible for the artist to keep one foot on earth
and yet to wring from it water for fountains and cascades, which can be-
come a fit comrade for our flowers and plants when used as decorative em-
bellishments, as a substitute for glitter and carving, and the hundred and
one architectural features.

In a recent discussion as to the type of decoration for a house, I fmd so
valuable an index of the man and the method by which he works that I
use it as a benediction to my writing:

"Yes, the wall covering seems to be fading, I fear. And yet I like it
as it is — for myself; but then we must think of others and the background
which is best for them."

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The Spaulding Estate at Prides Crossing

Little & Brown, architects
Illu>lr«lion« from photogriphs by P. L. Falei

THE usual approach to Prides Crossing is througli Be^■erly and Mont-
serrat, with Manchester and Magnolia near at hand. In spite of its
individual note, its well-studied plan and prominent sky-line, so unob-
trusive is the property of Mr. William S. and John T. Spaulding, and so
well and thoroughly does it form a part of this ever-engaging locality, that
with all its beauty it might be passed by unnoticed. This fine estate rims to
the water edge and ex-
tends to the turnpike.

Although so many peo-
ple will insist on speaking
of the luxuries of this
inviting section of the
northern shore of Massa-
chusetts, the real lover of
the picturesque and beau-
tiful will not fail to realize
its complacency. There
seems to be a maximum
of that intangible quality
known as nature and a
minimum of the world's
friction and worry. We
can hardly think of any
artist or wholesome man
of the world remaining
unstirred by the magic of
this shore line, this collec-
tion of islands, peninsulas,
little bays and reefs,

round and beneath which ^^ ^^^^ through the ivy-clad bower

are so manv caves of the

* A vistn acriMis the Inf^non disclose!! a graceful balustrede and

sea itself. half hWdcn by a rich mantling c)f creejiers u tiny figure holds court

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FOUNTAIN IX GARDEN OF MRS. E. S. GREW. MANCHESTER-BY-THE-SEA. MASS.

Water as an Element of Beauty

EVEN if we do not know anything about poets, or writers of prose
fiction, we may venerate certain sources of their inspiration, of which
appropriate fountains for the garden are prominent whether they be
in the nature of central or detached figures, wall or pool fountains. This
enjoyable subject is profitable for students. Fountains designed for the
adornment of a special place — such as amorini, n>Tnphs, mermaids for a
grove or bosquet or some well-balanced and important positions— are often
beautiful, while others are dull and stupid, resembling a day without sun-
shine. To many, figures and groups of figures intended to be classed as
fountains, but which are often dry, are no little tax on the imagination, the
sense of tolerance, as are electric lights, self-assertive, often "all fitting" —
attractive, perhaps, but capable of transmitting little, if any, light; invit-
ing, rather, pity or ridicule. The more seriously conventionalized heraldic
device of the nude figures supporting the cardinal's crest and the vase ar-
rangement at the head of the serpent scheme at Villa Lante, Viterbo, al-
though beautiful in themselves, are dull without the motion of the water.
We often become so concerned with fittings that we forget that far and

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WATER AS AN ELEMENT OF BEAUTY

401

above all is the fact that we are privileged to entertain as guest of our king-
dom the greatest element of human life. That this is a pri^'ilege we must
ever bear in mind. Thanks to modern ingenuity and general equipment of
the engineer, water can be secured in most country places and used for deco-
rative display over and over again. The magic of the driven well and of the
automatic pump working from a stream or brook is thoroughh' under-
stood. Pumps can be installed with storage tank on elevate'd portion of a
site at a very reasonable price. I say "reasonable," as compared with the
effect water has as a decorative agent and compared with money spent in
other ways. It really seems as though we should try to devise some press
agent for water as a decorative agent ! Unlike brick or stone, its exploita-
tion does not bring revenue to any one corporation. See what the Orien-
tals do with it. I have in mind a Turkish court, with all the romantic beauty
of a painted city of Spain. It had an open conduit or channel of delicately
veined green marble, into which black
arrows were inlaid so that as the water
ran over thein they seemed to quiver
tremulously like poised fish. Another
had a small square pool, the corners of
which had locust flowers which seemed
to shake as though fretted by a passing
wind as the water rushed over them.
Still another I recall where the flooring
is honeycombed with crevices so that,
the water passes through like liquid em-
broideries. The gracefully undulating
movement of water is recorded graphi-
cally in the pavement of the Baptistry
of Florence, where white, dark green
and dull red marble depicts the four
rivers of Paradise alluded to in the re-
ligious service of blessing the baptismal
water. We are indebted to Mr. Wil-
son Eyre, architect, for scene on page
876; to Kilham & Hopkins for view
on page 396; to Mr. Ferruccio Vitale,
landscape architect, for picture on page
401. The groups of figures depicted on
pages 396 and 397 were designed by
Anna Coleman Ladd, sculptor.

GARDEN SCENE AT CORNO, N. Y.

Approach to hidden garden on estate of
Mr. S. Heilner, so satisfactorily built that
when heavy rains cause a freshet it is a
veritatile cascade and none the worse for It

A DECLIVITY THROUGH A GLADE PERMITS A PICTURE OP UNUSUAL INTEREST
Roland Park has many surprises. Here is a dipping pool, a pleasing cUniax, rich with bog-loving plants

CHAPTER I

GARDEN' CITIES LEGENDARY AND REAL

Forest Hilh Garden*, Forest Hills, L. I., an American suburb with the pic-
turesqueness of a catliedral city of medieval days — Roland Park, the engaging and
deservedly popular suburb of Baltimore, Md., and its recent addition, Guilford Dis-
trict—A Hillside Garden House without a Name, bristling with personality.

LIKE the earliest literature, the account
of domestic life began in the garden
and is to-day continuing in the neigh-
borhood of the city. Garden Cities, little
havens of rest, far removed from the mys-
tic drum-beat of the town with its pic-
turesque variety, its scattered fragments of
traditions, its shops, theaters and clubs, are
within reach of everyone, thanks to the elec-
tric trolley car. I love to see these new solu-
tions of the time-honored problem, these
homes which are bright and cheerful; and
I love, also, the reproductions of the old,
mellow brick houses that are so respectable,
recalling the energetic days of our early
struggle.

It is generally said that the city is the
parade ground for the wealthy, the hiding
and abiding place for the toiler, the screen
for those who minister to entertainment of
the one and maintenance of the other. If
I were to look for the "salt of the earth," servant of all, uncrowned monarch
among men, it is to the suburbs that I would go, because he knows the true
value of the name, "Garden City," a term expressing unity and co-partner-
ship of two extremes, taking from both the sunshine and giving it to the
world. Garden Cities here and beyond the confines of this land husband
ideals of people who have been classed as the "saving minority," who above
all endeavor to reform themselves. It is good for us to live with our fellow,
be criticized, to be licked into shape — and who is there that's above it?

405

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>ften waited for nn
ir patience, they o
al, would come to t
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ng, tender courtes,

The Sage Foundation Property at Forest Hills Gardens

Forest Hills, Long Island

Designed by various architects under the immediate direction of Grosvenor
Atterbury, architect, and Olmsted Brothers, landscape architects

Illustrations from photographs by A. K. Hanks

HE New Yorker generally speaks of Forest Hills Gardens
as a mighty good-looking proposition. That is the way he
disposes of it, in his brisk, analytical fashion. There is cer-
tainly something attractive in the name. There is much
more that is interesting in the scheme. Here it is upon
paper. These views were made a short time ago. They are
not enriched like painted pictures by some distinguished artist! They are
just plain everyday views taken with a camera. The photographer worked
under direction; that is, the scenes were selected for him. These photo-
graphs speak eloquently in a language that is acceptable the world over.
They are not interesting bits, little show pictures, from the land of ancient
courtesies and romantic ideals. They are not inspiring memories from little
by-ways and forgotten lanes and sloping hillsides in remote sections of
southern Europe, but they are views of new, of real work, tangible evi-
dences of American enterprise. They show how the place is wearing, how it
is improving, how it is mellowing, and what an excellent place it is in which
to live. It is full of shade and shadows, of interesting detail, and unex-
pected views, and above all, and for all, one great golden opportunity for a
home, for those who want a home.

The usual home-seeker, on visiting a real estate development, is in-
variably confronted with a very serious problem. He may be more than
satisfied with that portion of the property which he proposes to purchase,
he may be more than pleased with the outlook as it is to-day, but what of
the morrow? Who will his neighbors be? How and just where will they
build ? What kind of trees, if any, will line the sidewalk ? What treatment
will be accorded the corner lots? And just what disposition will be made of
the few delightful old trees, which give to the property a certain dignity
and character? Boiled down into one sentence, the prospective purchaser
is requested to be patient, to await results, which, at best, are matters for
speculation, often madcap speculation, or he is asked to exercise an imag-

407

DO NOT CREF.FKRS SOFTEN HARD EDGF.S IN A MOST AGREEABLE MANNER?

FOREST HILLS GARDENS, LONG ISLAND 409

ination he may not have, and to conjure up a suitable setting for his house,
after his own fashion.

It would be futile, unfair, to assign to the industrious real estate agent
a desire to misrepresent in any way, shape or manner. To him also is the
future a blank. His business is to inspire confidence and, incidentally, to
sell. He is the last man to voluntarily deceive. It is the system which is un-
reasonable, unsatisfactory. The prospective purchaser is also just a little
uni'easonable. He asks too much. He often presupposes a knowledge the
real estate agent does not have, and has no means of getting. The ques-
tions are pertinent and timely. They are perfectly natural. The prospec-
tive purchaser is well within his rights. A man who expects to live a good
share of his life in any locality would be foolish to ignore the immediate
future, the general outlook of the district.

The garden city idea, which has inspired the designers of Forest Hills
Gardens, varies from the ordinary real estate development idea in its gen-
eral plan, which provides for the definite treatment of a large area in a
specific manner. It provides that roads shall be laid out, shall radiate and
circle, boulevards be logical, leading to natural climax, and be planted, and
that the estate shall be so divided up into lots as to give to each purchaser
a certain individual attraction. Garden cities are made beautiful from
their commencement, before the roads are cut, before drains are inserted, or
houses erected. A certain uniformity of building is determined upon, cov-
ering the vexed question of style, cost, material. Many other questions are
settled, such as the way in which the houses shall be grouped in their rela-
tion to each other. The study of these points lessens the uncertainly con-
fronting the purchaser. Yet, it permits certain individual interpretation
likely to be acceptable.

When first the interesting drawings for this Dream City, as it was
facetiously called by some, were exhibited in public on the walls of the Archi-
tectural League, prominent clubs, in this city and elsewhere, the whole
scheme was rejected by many as being too idealistic, too far removed from
the requirements of American people. The drawings were attractive. They
were ambitious in the extreme. They were highly colored. The views be-
fore us are far more satisfactory. Not only do they pay delicate homage
to the place as it is, but no unstinting tribute to the gentleman who made
those drawings, four or five years ago, still more to the general scheme as a
whole. They are before me now. In many cases the photographs are bet-
ter than the prospective sketch, in spite of color and texture of the canvas,
well-drawn figures, and subtle introduction of movement in foreground.

I recall, with no little satisfaction, the critical comment of visitors at

FEW VISITORS FORGKT THE FIRST IMPRF.SSION OE THIS VERY ENCiAGING FlCTl'RE

Arriving at Forest Hills Gardens liy the railroad, the visitor feels tl>e heart of tlie place, getting
an impression of the Gardens as a whiile. The word "villoge" is good enough for anyone, after Tbo-
reau's lucid eharacteriiatlun ; still, "town" is better, because it involves the idea of individual ownership.

"I spent the day at Forest Hills." writes one. "The place is delightful. Greens and mysterious
grays are everywhere. The houses are new — that you realiw — hut it has a sense of mellowness, of
repose and quiet, of sunshine and pleasure, which fs contagious. Mary's dlning-rootn looks out on a
sloping lawn. There's a cute little brealifast room or, rather, loggia at the side. The loggia is
I)aved, if you please, in a mast fantastic way, not with mosaic, or brolien-up marhle, or any other
thing of Ibat kind, but with broken red tile, with a thlok, wide jointing, 1 think they call it, between
eaeh fragment. Here are myrtle trees and, strange to say, orange trees. Think of it ! It is a fairy-
land, because, while the place is nearly a hundred and fifty acres. It is all attractive. It is a garden
where the houses are mere incidentals. The little place is not overwhelmingly architectural. Its big,
open avenue of vigorous young trees Is lined with small houses of great variety, well designed and satis-
factorily built, places that will doubtless grow more beautiful every year, and which are now a.ssuniing
a richer and lower tone, getting further away from the material itself, and forming part of the land-
scape. The windows of many are balconied, and have easements opening out. There are window boxes
filled with flowers. If they keep on building, and families move in, it will lie a delightful place"

410

FOREST HILLS GARDENS, LONG ISLAND 411

the League, when first these drawings were on view. "This kind of thing
is all right for England. I have seen it at Hampstead and Letehworth, and
at Port Sunlight. The triangle and the park at Bourneville is the kind of
thing that these gentlemen would like to introduce here. On paper, it's a
mighty interesting story. But it won't go here. Our people won't stand
for it."

Says one, "It is merely a cunning revivification of the medieval half -tim-
ber construction transformed into modern lines and expressed by means of
concrete." Another says, "It is the work of an engineer momentarily hyp-
notized into doing something acceptable to the esthetic eye."

It is so easy to criticise, so natural to pooh-pooh a new thought.

The accompanying views, still on paper, by the way, but in a language
intelligible to the man of the street, show the folly of the critics of the
League, and are a splendid triumph for the enthusiasts of the scheme.

This work is from the office of a man who is making good. By that I
mean that he is achieving distinction by the adroit use of commonplace ma-
terial to express a noble idea. It is not academic in its ambition but the
outcome of daily needs.

To quote, in part, an official announcement : "Forest Hills Gardens is
known technically as a suburban land development of one hundred and for-
ty-two acres, within the city limits, on the new line of the Long Island Rail-
road, at the Forest Hills station, nine miles in distance and thirteen min-
utes in time from the Pennsylvania terminal in New York, and about three
miles on the New York side of Jamaica. The railroad is directly at the
entrance of the estate." It is still further known as a business investment
of the RusseU Sage Foundation, conducted on strictly business principles
for a fair profit. Mrs. Sage has been, for a long time, interested in the
need of better and more attractive housing facilities in the suburbs, for per-
sons of moderate means, who could pay from twenty-five dollars a month
upwards, in the purchase of a home.

Of course these houses are well contrived, fitting the site, the pocket-
book and the family. Some of them are in groups of three and four. Some
are semi-detached. Some form a handsome terrace. One group, may I
write, blessed by the cognomen 13, comprises two detached and two semi-
detached, single family houses. The former run east and west, the latter
north and south, and so form three sides of a square. They each have an
individual garden, and have an unusually interesting diagonal view of the
road on which they front, and present to their neighbors an agreeable pic-
ture. They are built of brick, being known, technically, as of semi-fire-
proof construction, with rough-cast surfacing, and, like the rest of the

412 AMERICAN COUNTRY HOUSES OF TO-DAY

houses, are roofed
with red tile. The
ea\'es overhang, after
the fashion of many of
the peasant cottages
in rustic England. It
is through a hooded
porch that the front
door is reached. The
living-room h as an
open fireplace.

The buildings bal-
ance well with each
otlier; a certain sym-
metry is observed
which contributes to
quality of repose and
wholesome restraint.
This speaks splen-
didly for whole-souled
management, for in-
dustry and skill of
super\'ising architect,
for general lay-out of

SOME BALCONIES ARE VERY SUBSTANTIAL the plaCC.

Renirnibcrine the ineritable limitations of pianting, we realize There is & whole

thut nature has btrn remarkably irenerous to this little house , -

lot of common sense
in the geography or philosophy or planning — call it what you will. The back
yards, if such a name can be given them, are made interesting. They are
planted. The family laundry is concealed behind trellis enclosures, open
yet sheltered. Underground, half sunken driveways lead the automobile to
the garage. The houses are grouped so as to form a picture, as well as a
shelter for the inmates. There is nothing arrogant or affected about any
section of the estate.

Some one, a woman of course, wrote the other day that one great thing
about the writing of Arnold Bennett, in his "Tales of the Five Towns,"
was the remarkable manner in which he maintained a certain quiet, equable
interest along a definite line, dealing with every-day, middle-class people,
every-day ambitions, and with this material he held his public, charming
them delightfully by his fantastic method of expression. Just so have the

FOREST HILLS GARDENS, LONG ISLAND 418

architects o f Forest
Hills clung to an at-
tractive use of simple
materials.

I am making these
notes in a wide, open
corridor, a continuous
arcading cloister fash-
ion, which is bordered
with low shrubs. Be-
fore me is a large open
space, partly paved.

Too often has the
avera^ person of
good taste, limited
pocketbook and, shall
we add, limited ideals
and imagination,
armed perhaps with
pictures and sketches
and a patient disposi-
tion, haunted the office
of the architect in the
vain hope that he
might be induced to
design a decent small •*" attractive home in a geove of trees

I, ■ L- 1. 1. !• Do the trees reallie that their fellows have been sacrificed to

bouse m Wnicn to lire. lend character to the substiintial framing of the upper storj-F

He may have suc-
ceeded so far as individual requirements have been concerned, but what of
the neighborhood? What of the view? What of the dreadful railroad
journey, the ferryboat delays and picturesque timetable? To-day, in For-
est Hills Gardens, this outlook has been changed. Somebody has classified
a garden city as a paradise wherein the slippery serpent in the guise of the
speculative builder is unknown, and where his methods have been avoided.
This city of homes is certainly a place which promises to wear well,

A friend writes, "See Forest Hills Gardens. It has a personality, a
character which is unmistakable, and lots of snap !"

And still another: "I have just arrived. No, 1 didn't enter through em-
blazoned gates, my dear. It isn't surrounded by elegant railings, with foim-
tains and cascades. There is no brass band on the terrace, but there is

THE UPPER FLOOR IS SAID TO BE THE ACCENT INT THIS ENGAGING HOME

here a contented spirit which is catching. The crocuses and snowdrops are
just in bloom. Some of the early creepers are dropping down purple blos-
soms from the pergola on to the little table on which I write. Through
the open casement I can just see the fountain in the village green; you
know, the one of which Alice spoke. The air is fragrant. Susan came
to see me in a bright, clean alpaca, which looked better than any gown I
ever saw on Fifth Avenue, all because it goes with the spirit of the place,
and helps spell domesticity. I like the place, it is clean as a new pin. It
is neither Dutch nor English. It has an American air, distinctly cosmo-
politan. At the same time, those who have lived abroad must welcome it,
and those who have not, can come here and get some of the perfume and
general hang of things, which we like so much on the continent of Europe.
It isn't a dressy or any 'airy' place. One little house is so delightful, that I
must describe it. You have to climb up to the second floor, to reach the
front door. It is built of brick. The ends of the brick project, very much
as they do in Holland. I almost expected to find a three-wheeled cart,
drawn by a little lady with a wrinkled brown face, selling delicious cream
cheeses for three sous."

We have to thank the following gentlemen, active in general practice,
for their efforts in bringing to the picture things of a marked individual

414

FOREST HILLS GARDENS, LONG ISLAND 415

character: Wilson Eyre, F. J. Sterner, Albro & Lindeberg, Aj^mar Em-
bury II, F. T. Tubby, Jr., and J. A. Tompkins, associated with Mr. Atter-
bury. To-day others are designing additional work.

Tlie planting is very admirably contrived ; that is, plants are remem-
bered as creatures of life, demanding certain essential conditions. This is
to be seen along the edges of the main avenues, close to the fences of the
house, and is very much in evidence alongside the piers of the hotel, where
pockets have been provided for creepers, giving accommodation for rootage
and proper soil, so that they are neither drowned out by storm, water, nor
killed by frost, nor permitted to perish of thirst in the summer time.

In this storj' I am dealing with what I see and know and love, and what
I understand, namely, that this community of interest has been singularly
successful in giving an esthetic value. More than that, it has an inviting
appearance as a possible home.

The last view of the Gardens, as we return to town, invites a general
summing up of everything. Here is the forerunner of a future suburb.
Homes are needed for the people, of that there is not anj'' doubt, and any-
thing which will throw light upon the thought in a practical way, by illus-
trating what so many thousand dollars will do in a given position, is indeed
welcome. We, as a nation, are thinking, changing, growing. We are learn-
ing. The nation is alive to the need of this increase of individual ownership.
The idea is spreading
far and wide. Forest
Hills Gardens is a lit-
tle island of order in a
great ocean of oppor-
tunity, of industrial-
ism, of turmoil, too
often of greediness.
We are told that we
must trj' to build
up an aristocracy of
thought and feeling,
able to combat, or, at
any rate, to hold its
own against selfish-
ness ; stili we are glad
t o s e e the ad^-ance-

. . . , . ^ ONE DOORWAY IN THIS CITV OF MANY GARDENS

ment of the anstocra-

„ ... This is one fortunate occasion where we do not have to mould

cy 01 commercialism. and carve the woodwork, as our front door is graced by the sunshine

l*sl§li=|

iiiflifi

Il-
ls

'UItmUH 111

IS NOT THE STAGE PRETTILY SET FOR THESK SMALL HOUSES?

Of course, it needs a wimisn to coiiipletp the picture. It is not merely the staging that counts;
it finds its interest not a little in the diversity of levels and in the very practical way they are treated

Roland Park — Guilford District, Baltimore, Maryland

Designed by various well-known architects under the immediate direction of
an Advisory Board consistingof Messrs. J. B. Noel Wyatt, Frederick Law Olmsted,
Grosvenor Atterbury, Howard Sill and Edward L. Palmer, Jr.

IlluBlratioDt from photo|rapbt made at the taiteHioai of the Board

^ O get the full flavor of this interesting excursion into domestic life, it

1 well to realize that Roland Park is the product of many bright

minds. Looking at it by and large, we note that the Park is of that

' form of property which varies considerably in outline. It cannot be classed

simply as a hillside property. It is a property of many minor hills with many

e perplexing and engaging variations of level, richly wooded, but sufficiently

Z^i'K liigh to drain well within itself and drain also away from itself. It is, as

'.'lU it were, a fairy's net to catch and hold the glad sunbeam. Beginning with

s, jj the Goodwood Gardens, an unassuming but delightful sunshiny section of

ilU' the property, laid out by Mr. Charles A. Piatt, who is also responsible

Ux'' for the pleasing house at the corner of Hillside Road; the very nomencla-

\iij^ ture of the roadways is suggestive — Edgevale, Ridgewood, Longwood,

Til; Beachdale, Valley Lane, Oakdale, etc. Passing into the more recently de-

rj'i veloped section known as Guilford, likely to be heard of at a distance for

j^lj its association with Johns Hopkins University and the Baltimore Cathedral,

we find University Parkway and a group of houses of a Gothic type.

417

i H

5 Ms

3|:

■5.3

ROLAND PARK— GUILFORD DISTRICT, BALTIMORE, MD. 419

"Your comment as to the virtue of first impression holds," writes one.
"I like the place more than ever! Last time I arrived at night. This trip,
thanks to some unexpected enthusiasm prompting an early start and the
rapidity with which George circumnavigated the city at the risk of police
displeasure, permitted an early luncheon in the loggia.

"George has once again taken himself very seriously. His offense this
time takes the shape of a small formal garden with flower beds which to-
day would look lonely and detached were it not for the suggestions of Mr.
Olmsted on a recent visit. The dahlias 'throw into contrast,' to quote the
phrase much adopted of late, the half shades of Flora's last new dress. Flora
blushed furiously when I jollied her about it. George is such a big fellow,
and to him in this place life is indeed pleasant.

"They live in the open, dine in the loggia and breakfast in the annex
to the east room. I believe I told you it was in a wild, adventurous spirit
that George eame here. He could hardly be induced to live elsewhere.
Their house embodies much of the architectural spirit of the Stenton House,
the home of James Logan of Philadelphia. Sitting beneath the wonderful
chestnuts, we look across the long, winding avenues with their unusual vistas,
unexpected climaxes

and sharp turns made ' '~ ' " "~ ~~

interesting by a peep of
a house, the elevation of
which speaks of com-
fort within. The most
enjoyable thing in this
life is its influence upon
children."

For bringing to this
Garden City designs of
a marked individual
character the following
architects should be
thanked: Ellicott &
Emmart, Wilson Eyre,
Laurence Hall Fowler,
Glidden & Friz, Owens
& Sisco, William L.
Price James E Lane- ^ strong design of SEiiit)fS i'uopoktions

don AVyatt & Noltint; ^*^ seriousness of demeanor is due to direct planning, the in-

' ^ ^' fluenee of whirh is grnphieally illustrated in the roofing, gables

and Olmsted Brothers. and dormers. Note subtle projeetion jx-nnitting accent of gable

A Hillside Garden House without a Name

Exhibiting the traditional uternnest of European proportions with a graceful vetlure
and sweetness which has become associated with the New World, and which, by virtue
of the breadth of its appeal, is known in modem parlance as the magic word "America"

AMONG the pleasing perplexities of the collecting of the views of
good houses is the above illustration, which speaks very entertain-
ingly for itself, but of which I do not know anything more than the
picture discloses. I am unable to say who designed it, who owns it, or
where it is built. As though borne on the receding wave among the flotsam
and jetsam of an editorial office, I found this illustration without the cus-
tomary memoranda on the back. It is interesting to express my pleasure
in the design as such, saluting it as a delightful and engaging testimony,
marking, so graciously, the development of the country house problem. It
appears to be the work of a man unashamedly romantic, wide and varied in
the liturgies and preferences of the world, naturally pliant and yielding, as
all its graceful mantling of creepers very vividly shows, revealing rather
than hiding the well-contrived plan and carefully studied openings, which,
skeleton-like, are beneath the leaves and tendrils. It resembles, in other
words, the indulgence of a bright mind, who, having paid liberally the trib-
utes of his professional traditions in an academic manner, humanizes his
conception by adding just a little gold to the drop-curtain of his drama.
Ijike Sargent's portraits, it mirrors the character so much that we are per-
mitted to look through the vesting of this house without a name and see that
the real requirements of the family have been adhered to in spite of its very
gracious smile. Ijook at it as an ideal! Examine it as a standard! Ana-

A HILLSIDE GARDEN HOUSE WITHOUT A NAME 421

lyze it! To many the creepers speak first, as if their needs had been supplied
by one whose reverence for plants led to ardent worship as a fetish. The
low roof line is pleasing. The window openings are well placed, well cen-
tered, and of goodly proportion; so are the chimneys. Was it not an Orien-
tal prince who began his palace by the planting of a garden? Princes of
a lesser degree, the world over, have adopted the same course.

This view of someone's fair home is thrown kaleidoscopically before us
all. It is a house that anyone would like to own, for it is good and likely to
wear well, and is deliciously stimulating to our innate love of romance.
There runs through it all a delicate thread, an informal idealization of the
commonplace and ordinary. Like the most vivid and satisfactory drawing —
perhaps, I had better say, the most wholesome illustration of the American
heroine, who has become more healthy and robust of late, expanding in waist
measure as well as brains — this type of architecture avoids over-emphasis, the
product of an abnormal imagination and eccentric character, and takes ad-
vantage of an agreeable setting. The view also shows an excellent courtyard
of a workable kind, liberal in size, and so shaped as to go well with and
furnish entrance to the enclosed garden on the right and the larger garden
or lawn on the left.

At the risk of appearing to assume the prerogative of the preacher or
public lecturer, should we not remember that it takes a strong man to make
a strong house? This memorandum of an idea resembles the passionate mon-
ologue of the lover who whispers his appeal with amazing tenderness. Hard
as it is for the lover to "deliver the goods" living even within sight of his fan-
tastic promises, so is it diificult for the artist to realize the potency of his
dreams. In other words, personality counts! And character counts! Men
die; houses live from generation to generation.

LIST OF SUBJECTS ILLUSTRATED

Note; — This is the list of properties regarding which the owners have kindly permitted the pres-
entation of certain interesting views and information. For the same stories indexed under the name
of the architect, reference should be made to the List of Architects on pages xi — xvii.

ADLER, Mr. E. A., home at Oconomo-

woc Lake, Wis 277

Alexander, Mrs. C. B., home at Bernards-

viUe, N. J 26-88

Alger, Miss Louise, home at Great Neck,

L. 1 876

Alger, Mr. Russell A., home at Detroit,

Mich 84-41

BABCOCK, Mr. Orville, home at Lake
Forest, lU 172

Babcock, Mr. Orville, stable at Lake For-
est, 111 276

Bacon, Mr. G. W., home at St James, L. I. 280,868

Barrell, Mr. Finley, home at Lake Forest,
m 227-229

Bartlett, Mr. A. C, home at Lake Forest,
lU 46-61

Beale, Mr. L. T., home at St. David's, Pa. 878

Blair, Mr. J. A., garden at Oyster Bay,
L. 1 870

Borland, Mr. W. G., home at Mount Kisco,
N. Y 20-25

Bourne, Mr. F. G., home at Oakdale, L. I. 286

Brewster, Mr. R. S., home at Mount Kisco,
N. Y 118-128

Brown, Mr. A. M., home at St. James,
L. 1 367

Burgess, Mr. L. J., home at Zanesville, O. 140-148

Byers, Mr. J. F., home near Pittsburgh,
Pa ' 428

CARPENTER, Mr. H., home at Lake
Geneva, Wis 96-97

Chisholm, Mr. A. S., home at Cleveland, O. 171

Choate, Mr. Joseph H., garden at Stock-
bridge, Mass 842-345

Churchill, Mr. Winston, home at Cornish,
N. H 226

Clark, Mr. C. Howard, Jr., home at
Devon, Pa 102-107

Coffin, Mr. C. A., home at Locust Valley,
L. 1 108-111

Collier, Mrs. P. F., home at Southampton,
L. 1 246-249

Collier, Mr. R. J., home at Wicatunk,
N. J 260-261

Cooper, Mr. Cla\'ton S., home at Fieldston,
N. J '. 180-181

Coryell, Mr. J. B., stables on estate at
Menlo Park, Cal 160-166

DALTON, Mr. H. G., home at Cleve-
land, 869

Davidson, Mr. George, home at Madison,
N. J 166

Delano, Mr. W. A., home at Brookville,
L. 1 14-19

Duncan, Mr. Stuart, home at Newport,
R. 1 366-365

du Pont, Mr. A. I., home at Wilmington,
DeL 282

EASTMAN, Mr. George, home at Roches-
ter, N. Y 822-826

Ellis, Mr. R. M., home at Great Neck,
L. 1 281

FIELD, Mr. W. B. Osgood, home at
Lenox, Mass 192-197

Fitx, Mrs. W. Scott, garden at Manches-
ter-by-the-Sea, Mass 896

Forest Hills Gardens, Forest Hills, L. I.. . 406^16

GARDEN CITY, L. I., house at 170

Gardener's Cottage, St. Martins, Pa 148-149

Gardner, Mr. C. E., home at Lawrence

Park, N. Y 168

Gardner, Mrs. John L., garden at Brook-
line, Mass 386-389

Garver, Mr. John A., home at Ovster Bay,
L. I .' 74-83

Gould, Mr. Howard, home at Port Wash-
ington, L. 1 812

Graham, Miss T. H., home at Pasadena,
Cal 66-59

Grew, Mrs. Edward S., garden at Man-
chester-by-the-Sea, Mass 897

Griscom, Mr. Lloyd C, home at Norwich,
L. 1 42-46

HANSON, Mr. Guido, home at Pine
Lake, Wis 144-147

Harper, Mr. W. Warner, home at Chest-
nut Hill, Pa 802-303

Hastings, Mr. Thomas, home at Roslvn,
L. I ',, 198-207

Heilner, Mr. Samuel, estate at Corno,
N. Y 401

Hewlett, L. I., house at >. 372

Hitt, Mrs. Robert R., home at Washing-
ton, D. C 304-311

Houghton, Mr. R. W., home at Nashotah,
Wis 66-78

Hoyt, Mr. Edward C, home at Stamford,
Conn 112-117

Huntington, Mr. H. E., home at Pasadena,
Cal 371

Hutcheson, Rev. Joseph, home at War-
ren, R. I 136-189

422

LIST OF SUBJECTS ILLUSTRATED

JENNINGS, Mr. P. B., home at Benning-
ton, Vt 868-278

Johnson, Mr. Bradish, home at Islip, L, I. 400

Jones, Mr. Pembroke, the North Carolina
estate of 156-168

White

MacDONALD, Mr. C. B., home at South-
ampton, L. 1 184-191

MeBimev, Mr. Hugh J., home at Lake
PoreRtI III. 98-101

MeC&han, Mr. W. J., home at Moorestown,

. R. K., home at St. Mar-

169

N. J.
McGoodwin,

tins. Pa

Markwall, Mr. A. W.. home at Short Hills,

Mather, Mr. W. G., home at Cleveland, O. 182-188
Morris, Mr. Edward, home at Chicago, 111. 287

Murphv, Mr. Franklin, home at Mendham,
N. j! 292-297

Rockefeller, Mr. John D., estate at Po-

cantico Hills, N. Y 87B-881

Roland Park-Giiilford District, Baltimore,

Md. 416-«9

Rosslter, Mr, A. W., home at Glen Cove,

L. 1 60-68

Runton Old Hall. Norfolk, England . . , 300-301
Russell, Mr. E. W., home at Greenwich,

Conn 284-291, 318

284 SAGAMORE PARK, studio huilding at. . 288

Salisliurv, Mr. Warren, home near Pitts-
field, Mass. 392-338

Schneider, Mr. Charles S., home at Cleve-
land, 874

Spaulding, Messrs. W. S. and J. T.. estate
at Prides Crossing, Mass 894-898

Straight. Mr. WiUard, stable on esUte at

Westbury, L. 1 238

. S., home at Pine
r Tacoma,

THEURER, Mr.

Lake, Wis

Thorne, Mr. Chester, estate n

Wash 346-849

Thorne, Mr. G. R., home at Lake Forest,

111 62-68

Townsend, Mr. J. M., Jr., home at Mill

Neck, I.. 1 278-279

281

Watson, Miss Emllv, home at White

PARMELEE, Mr. James, home at Wash- Plains, N. Y S

ington, D. C 208-217 Wells, Mr. Storrs, garden at Newport,

Pratt. Mr. Herbert L., home at Glen Cove, R. I i

L. 1 218-228

Proctor, Mr. Charles E., home at Great

Neck, L. 1 84-98 Wh'lte, Mr. Henry, home at Washington,

D. C 174-188

RHOADS, Mr. Samuel N., home at Had- Winthrop, Mr. Bronson, home at Syosset,

donfield, N. J 375 L. 1 4-13

Rhodes, Mr. James M., home at Ardmore, Winthrop, Mr. E. L., Jr., home at Syosset,

Pa. 340-841 L. L 240-246

Rtplsing to the qtuttion "Do ArehUeet* Readf"
Mr. aeorge B. Pott, tkt vnurahtt dmn of lh«
profettion, «nirii "The arebiteel mutt b» a prolific
Ttadtr. I rfo not fee hme he ea» get on teithout
reading. I knoxc I eannot. I do not knov of ang
elan of men who read more and who, indeed,
require U, tOBeidrring the tvb}frl» theg are com-
pelled to *lvdg. For the arehHeel mutt know
about eonttraction, trade building eondiliont, real
etlate valu«t, engineering, and of eourte he matt
be well informed in all matlert eonnerted with
arehUertuTe and the allied arte. I read every-
thing I ran get hold of, from popular fi-tian to
modern and upeciatized teienee. Examine, if gou
pleate, the lift of nifn engaged In big nalional
affaire, and yott will find prominenllg among them
the leading arrhiteclt of our dag, I fail to tee
how the Hon-rrader tovld poitibig keep ahreael
of Ihe timet. Look at the
diveriified nature of an
arrhiteel'i general prar-
liee. Here it a letter
from Mr. French, the
weli-known tculplor, re-
qttetting me to call at the.
ttudio to tee the finial he
it working on for the
Witeontin State Capitol.
I am not a tculplor, bvl
the retpontiOiiitg of final
deeition reiti with me.
The tilhouetle miut be
acceptable when viewed
from every frontage. II
mutt tcale with thingt."

Mr. Waller Cook, the dittinguiehed and worthy
pretident of the American Imtitule of Architect i,
reptiid in that tingulartg gniet voice of hits

"At I wot taying the other day, thit it an age
of unrfun ipecialimtion. Reading doubtlett doet
much to inrreaie the menial horizon of the archi-
tect by broadening hit inlereit and extending hit
knowledge to a far wider and ever-tnereating area.
For inilance. and at an illuttration comparing him
with other tcorkeri in kindred endeavori, / remem-
ber how it wat at the Reaax Artt School yeart ago
when many of the iludenti there vitited the con-
eertt and lecturet on muiic. The quettion then
engroiting Parit wat — Wagner, Wagner the irono-
clait, da-zling with hit brilliancy. Wat Ihie man a
geniutf The dig wat wild. 8tudentt crowded
the hallt. You tee, Wagner wat the first nxinetan
to search in a hook of philotophg for inipiration
to bring muric to the very
tout of man. The au-
dience would contain ten
arehitecli to three or four
painteri and tculptort, or
in thie proportion. All-
round men are demanded.
1 view, therefore, with
roniiderable interett ang
attempt to make the ar-
chitect broad, leholarlg
and up-to-date, and equip
him for the world. When
gou atk if he readi, I
tag get, more to than
doet the '
other artittt."

Mr. William L. Price,
whole quiet banter and
gentle raillery are re-
freshing, writes:

"In regard to my read-
ing and its relation to
architecture, I have, of
course, read many archi-
tectural books and arti-
eles. I have pawed over
In writingt, in pictures,
and in travel much of the
scrap heap of the past. I
have, as most young m«n
do, hoped to lake up the
loot* of the medieval and
Benaiisanee craftsmen,

and I have, I hope, ahtiirbed tomething of their
knowledge and tpirit. But I feel that architec-
tural history it much like other hittorg, which, at
Mr. Dooleg sags, is a kind of pott mortem erami-
nalion It tells what architecture died of and.
like liooley, 'I want to hear what a counthry lived
of, and not phwal it died of.' If the writer* on
arehilerture would or could lelt ut rather why the
m^n of the past did thingt than what Ihey did, it
would help more. As it it, I do not find mgtetf
reading much archaeology. I read it thousand
word* of the architecture of Ihe present to one of
the past, for all vital literature and even news of
to-dai/ hat to do with the architecture of to-day if
it is io be real live architecture."

Mr. Ralph Adajns Cram
writeti "Architeett do
read, and probably more
wisely and widely than
almott any other clatt of
men. They have to. If
theg are real architects
they are expressing
through their art, not so
much their awn personal
predilections and their
own personality at the
essential elements in
whatever lies behind the
thing they are trying to
put into material form.
The architect, in the best
sense, it the tpokesman of society, of the best that

I the

ditcharge thit dutg unlets he it i/ttimately familiar,
not alone with contemporary life, but with all Ihe
important lendeneiei or aceomplishmentt that are
itt foundation.

"Of course, for my own part, I read all the time,
or rather every minute of lime I can gel from
office duties and social obligation*. There are some
book* I read everg year, whatever happens; for
erampl-e, Steventon'i 'Treasure Island,' Chester-
Inn's -The Kapoleon of IVotling Bill,' Meredith't
'The Shaving of Shagpat,' Sir Thomat Brown*'*
'Religio Medici/ and Henry Adams' 'Mt. St. Michel
and Chartret.' I read all I can of Chetlerlon."

This book should be returned to
the Library on or before the last date
stamped below.

A fine is incurred by retaining it
beyond the specified time.

Please return promptly.

lU■i^f#y:

3 2044^3® 464 698

FA 2638.22

Howe, Sajttuel

American country houses of t

to.cic

■■'/

PA 2638.22

IN ■■ S A

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