GENESEE FARMER. 



Fr«. 





ELM-WOOD COTTAGE, NEAR ROCHESTER, N. Y. (Fig. 4.) 



Rural Arcliitectaro. 



ILLL'STKATKU BV PLANS Ol" ELjUYOOD COTTAGE. 



Editor Gkp. Farmf.r :— Agret-abiy lo request, I send 

 you herewith the drawings, plans', &:r., of a Rural Goiiiic- 

 voltage which I built at " Ei.mwood,'' — (the title vviih 

 tvbich my little Rural Home Fann, on Gemsee-st., Roch- 

 ester, hath been dignilied,) the last j'ear. After making up 

 uiy miiid to buiid, my lirst aim was to get up and adopt that 

 iiyie of cottajie whose eupression :-honlii most nearly and 

 appropriitely correspond with that of the site upon wl.ich 

 I. was to build. My next object was to combine simple cj'- 

 ganee, an apt expression of purpose, and utility and coi;- 

 ve.nience of arrangement, with economy of cxp(;nditurc. — 

 How far i have been successful in these particulars, i leave 

 h for good judges to decide ; as for mjaelf, J sec nothiiii,, 

 da yet, that i could wish !o alter. 



For sev.'ral years I liave taken a deep and lively inlcrost 

 in tlue siudy of Rural Archilecture, and the mooes of beauti- 

 fying the homes of oar rural popiilalion. And although in 

 laiy res'archcs and Biudie.s on these subjects, I have ron- 

 (lultcd London, and most of tiie standard writers, yet 1 h»ve 

 derived more inti-r.-'st and pro'it frojn 1>owning's adrairahle 

 rvorUs on those subjects, than from :!i> the others totrelhcr : 

 l-.nd I would here ackriowledge my in.Iehtcdness to his siig- 

 f:e8iion.s and iilustraiions, for much o)' ihe merit of the cot- 

 tage plan which J Jiere present ; and likewise to the skill 

 find taste of Mkbv\ in Austin, Vtn\., ihe accoiTii;li.shcd arehi- 

 fect, who has with such f jciiity lakeii my own crude no- 

 tions and suggeslions and i^rought therefrom such perfeel 

 eymmelry of proportions, beauty of form, and elegance of 

 Cxpr<ssion, as the jdans whicli he has drawn with so miicli 

 tislP anJ accuracy, most conclu.sively show. The spiriud 

 pencil drav\ing was sketched by Mr. Cleveland, an arliii o! 

 promising al i;i:irs. 



This cottage fronts the east — the view here piven of the 

 Clovatijn, tip. 4, is from tiie south-east. If stands upon an 

 eminence, about one hundred feet from the street, and his. 

 naivill be sec n, large, line, iTinehing elmsj and a number oi 

 tow( rhig poplars, in the b :ck ground and at tho right, whicl: 

 »«Wiiot a little to the (ictiiresque elTect of the cottage ilself 

 The frite was chosen thus near the pubiic road, be«iuse th-- 



(round was the highest and best suited for the pur, ose, an ! 

 ;ecaui0 of the fine lirgc elms and other trees and shnibhery, 

 v-hicli hive, (the former, at least,) the nd vantage of ;. 

 frowth of some i'fly years, (t cnihmaiuls beautiful iinc 

 jcicluresque lanc'scape views in nearly every direction — ir.- 

 cluding a fine view of a large portion of the city of Roches- 

 ter, in the suburbs of which I Imwood is situated, a short 

 distincc west of, but in full view of the Genesee river an.. 

 Blount Hope. 



The ((iveral ra7itovr or outward expression of the cott^g( 

 i%, I think, in admir;il le keeping with the riintl ohj'C'- 

 r.round it. 1 c mnot better des('ribe it tiirn in the faeailtiiu 

 Isnguage of downing, in speakin." of a simil ir style of co; 

 tafp. "ft belonfs to the cla.'is of neatly decor Ued, r;!ri 

 Gothic edifices, id oandiiig in cnrv d verge bo mis an 1 p'u 

 dnnt clusfTed e! imney tops and irregular outlines. Thor' 

 Ij Komcihing indicating a certain iic.vnse of arciiilectura. 



imagination, not to be precisely measured by the rule and 

 square, or the strictly utilitarian view. iNow a cottage of 

 this il.tss must not in any case, be erected on a bare plain, 

 as in such a place all its picturesqueiiess would seem out of 

 keeping, unmeaning and absurd. But let it ibe partially 

 hidden, or iialf concealed by clustering foliige, a-ss^irailated, 

 i)s it were, with nature, by the interlacing and intertwining 

 branches and boughs arorind it, and of which its ornaments 

 are in some degree a repetition, and we shall feel it to be in 

 perfect unison with its situation. Whoever has seen one of 

 tiiese cottages, with its rich gables breaking out from among 

 tiic iuiricacy of tail stems and shadowy foliage, will readily 

 confess that he has rarely beheld anything more harmoni- 

 ous and delightful, than the charming effect thereby pro- 

 duced. iSoiiie one has truly remarked, that the architecturo 

 of our dw(diings is most appropriate, when it embodies and 

 breaths forth a home exjression, a char;;etcr to wliicli wo 

 think the rural Gothic, with its quaint, independent, com- 

 fortable, and extended air, seeins fully to lay claim." 



iJut as to difn-ls, — The main building is ."iS feet front, by 

 ■25 feet deep, with a rear addition one story high above tho 

 basement, and 34 feet deep by 20 feet wide, (including tho 

 ^ide veranda,) with a wasli ki'chen and wood-house under- 

 neath, opening out nearly on a level with the ground, owing 

 to the slope of the back-ground. The h( igut of the i'lrsL 

 story in the main building is ten feet in the clear ; seco:Kl 

 story, eight feet, excepting where the pilch of the roof re- 

 duces it to about six feet, only in the room from which the 

 front gable projects, which is full height. The front veran- 

 da is aboiit 7 by 34 fe?', w ith steps in front and at either 

 end, and lattice ballui-ters between. The vestibule is light- 

 ed by pl.ized jianels in the front door; and light is thrown 

 into the bi:ck hall through the glazed door between it and 

 the ves.ihule, and through a like door between the hall and 

 liining-rooui. The drav* ing-room or parlor is 1.5 by 24 feet 

 in the clear, besides the bay-window, which is 2 1-2 feet by 

 o, making the drawing-room 17 1-2 feet wide across tho 

 centre ; this room, and also the vestibule, are neatly cor- 

 iiiced, and the latter has a handsoine rosette, in the centre 

 ol the ceiling, from which is suspended a hall lamp. The 

 uleasant bay-window is designed lo look out upon a pretty 

 iower-garden on tlie south «f the house, and the view fruia 

 the rear window will be most charuiing by converting a 

 portion of the rear veranda (upon wliicii it looks,) into a 

 •^conservatory for plants : it will also make the view through 

 'lit> w indows of the dining or living room, into it, very pleas- 

 iu'r and agreeable. The neat, pleasant little library (10 by 

 .. 1 feet,) i« my favorite room, and may be used for a recep- 

 .ion or sitting room, when not needed for more secluded 

 vi.rposes ; it has connected with it a convenii'iit closet or 

 .I'cess for books or other uses, 'J'ho nursery, (10 by 17 

 ■et.) is also aeonvenirnt room, in aquiet retired portion of 

 tlie house, with a large closet openiu'i into it, under tiie 

 tiirs. The chamber stairs pas ! up between the library 

 nd nursery, with a doer at the foot, and one between the 

 ;all and vestil)iile, so that the stairs can be made secluded 

 or private use or accessible for more public purposes, as 

 areunislances or convenience may require — and w ill answer 

 I'r foili iVont and back stairs. The doors, and all of the 

 vvood-work in the first story of the main part, and in tho 



