﻿January, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  33 
  

  

  The 
  Question 
  of 
  the 
  Fireplace 
  

  

  By 
  John 
  A. 
  Gade 
  

  

  §0 
  BUILD 
  a 
  fireplace 
  correctly 
  you 
  must 
  

   "know 
  how." 
  You 
  will 
  not 
  stumble 
  into 
  suc- 
  

   cess 
  without 
  some 
  previous 
  knowledge. 
  As 
  

   the 
  "motif" 
  of 
  an 
  opera 
  or 
  a 
  single 
  high-light 
  

   of 
  a 
  picture 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  soul 
  of 
  the 
  composi- 
  

   tion, 
  so 
  the 
  fireplace 
  and 
  mantel 
  are 
  the 
  

  

  keynote 
  of 
  the 
  design 
  of 
  the 
  room 
  and 
  its 
  most 
  important 
  

  

  features. 
  

  

  A 
  hundred 
  years 
  ago 
  we 
  bricked 
  up 
  the 
  broad, 
  generous 
  

  

  chimneys 
  of 
  the 
  earlier 
  pre-revolutionary 
  period, 
  left 
  a 
  hole 
  

  

  for 
  a 
  stove-pipe, 
  and 
  then 
  enjoyed 
  the 
  novel 
  luxury 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  1 
  —Of 
  the 
  Best 
  Louis 
  XVI 
  Design 
  

  

  stove. 
  The 
  age 
  of 
  grates 
  and 
  blowers 
  followed, 
  but 
  these 
  

   also 
  quickly 
  passed, 
  leaving 
  merely 
  a 
  recollection 
  of 
  their 
  

   stinginess. 
  They 
  were 
  never 
  intended 
  as 
  a 
  genuine 
  source 
  of 
  

   heat, 
  or 
  drowsy, 
  contemplative 
  happiness. 
  At 
  their 
  best 
  they 
  

   only 
  "took 
  the 
  chill" 
  off 
  the 
  room, 
  and 
  had 
  to 
  be 
  supple- 
  

   mented 
  by 
  the 
  register. 
  

  

  To-day, 
  and 
  especially 
  in 
  our 
  country 
  houses, 
  we 
  are 
  once 
  

   more 
  realizing 
  the 
  artistic 
  value 
  of 
  a 
  good 
  fireplace. 
  What 
  

   can 
  compare 
  to 
  the 
  comfort 
  of 
  the 
  open 
  hearth 
  in 
  your 
  bed- 
  

   room, 
  when 
  you 
  return 
  to 
  it 
  from 
  your 
  tub 
  on 
  a 
  cold 
  winter 
  

   morning? 
  Or 
  in 
  the 
  evening, 
  when 
  you 
  are 
  tired 
  after 
  a 
  

   day's 
  hard 
  work 
  or 
  exercise, 
  what 
  can 
  come 
  up 
  to 
  stretching 
  

   your 
  legs 
  on 
  the 
  hearth, 
  sitting 
  with 
  no 
  other 
  light 
  than 
  the 
  

   glow 
  of 
  the 
  logs 
  and 
  listening 
  to 
  the 
  cheerful 
  crackle 
  and 
  

   incessant 
  sputter. 
  An 
  apathy 
  and 
  lazy 
  contentment 
  steals 
  

   over 
  you. 
  Whether 
  you 
  poke 
  the 
  embers 
  as 
  the 
  poorest 
  ama- 
  

  

  teur 
  or 
  pile 
  up 
  the 
  logs 
  and 
  kindling 
  as 
  the 
  most 
  expert 
  fire- 
  

   builder 
  (and 
  that 
  is 
  high 
  art!) 
  — 
  its 
  mellowing 
  influence 
  is 
  

   the 
  same. 
  

  

  In 
  attempting 
  to 
  build 
  a 
  fireplace 
  the 
  first 
  problems 
  which 
  

   face 
  you 
  are 
  those 
  of 
  proportion, 
  construction, 
  and 
  materials. 
  

   The 
  design 
  of 
  the 
  fireplace 
  itself, 
  the 
  opening, 
  the 
  linings, 
  the 
  

   facings, 
  and 
  the 
  mantel, 
  are 
  naturally 
  all 
  vital 
  considerations. 
  

   The 
  height 
  and 
  width 
  and 
  depth 
  of 
  the 
  opening 
  should 
  all, 
  

   if 
  the 
  fire 
  is 
  to 
  draw 
  well, 
  be 
  in 
  certain 
  proportions 
  one 
  to 
  

   the 
  other 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  to 
  the 
  lines 
  of 
  the 
  throat 
  and 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  

   the 
  flue. 
  

  

  In 
  fireplaces 
  where 
  the 
  flues 
  are 
  expected 
  to 
  run 
  three 
  

   stories 
  or 
  more, 
  the 
  flue 
  area 
  at 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  the 
  smoke 
  cham- 
  

   ber 
  should 
  be 
  one-twelfth 
  the 
  area 
  of 
  the 
  fireplace 
  opening, 
  if 
  

   two 
  stories, 
  one-tenth, 
  and 
  single 
  story 
  one-eighth. 
  These 
  

   proportions 
  will 
  burn 
  wood 
  fires. 
  In 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  hard 
  coal 
  

   fires, 
  the 
  flue 
  areas 
  may 
  be 
  reduced 
  30 
  per 
  cent. 
  (From 
  this 
  

   may 
  be 
  seen 
  the 
  difficulty 
  of 
  making 
  the 
  coal 
  grate 
  fireplaces 
  

   of 
  the 
  old 
  New 
  York 
  brown 
  stone 
  houses 
  meet 
  the 
  require- 
  

   ments 
  of 
  the 
  fireplaces 
  transformed 
  for 
  burning 
  wooden 
  

   logs.) 
  The 
  total 
  throat 
  area 
  should 
  have 
  one 
  and 
  one-half 
  

  

  2 
  — 
  In 
  Harmony 
  With 
  Its 
  Surrounding 
  Panel-work 
  

  

  times 
  the 
  flue 
  area. 
  No 
  open 
  fireplace 
  should 
  be 
  built 
  with- 
  

   out 
  a 
  backdraft 
  shelf, 
  so 
  arranged 
  that 
  it 
  extends 
  far 
  enough 
  

   out 
  to 
  prevent 
  rain 
  coming 
  down 
  the 
  chimney 
  and 
  rusting 
  the 
  

   iron 
  work. 
  A 
  liberal 
  smoke 
  chamber 
  and 
  the 
  backdraft 
  shelf 
  

   are 
  essential. 
  The 
  front 
  edge 
  of 
  the 
  fireplace 
  opening 
  should 
  

   be 
  made 
  as 
  thin 
  as 
  possible. 
  The 
  depth 
  of 
  the 
  fireplace 
  

   should 
  be 
  at 
  least 
  one-half 
  its 
  width. 
  

  

  