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  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  March, 
  1907 
  

  

  The 
  House 
  Has 
  An 
  Overhanging 
  Second 
  Story 
  of 
  the 
  Style 
  Built 
  in 
  the 
  Early 
  Colonial 
  

  

  Days 
  of 
  New 
  England 
  

  

  With 
  the 
  tempera- 
  

   ment 
  of 
  a 
  designer 
  

   one's 
  art 
  is 
  never 
  

   empirical. 
  

  

  There 
  is 
  no 
  more 
  

   difficult 
  architectural 
  

   problem 
  than 
  that 
  

   of 
  the 
  successful 
  cot- 
  

   tage. 
  The 
  regula- 
  

   tion 
  thing 
  in 
  cottage 
  

   plans 
  is 
  not 
  very 
  dif- 
  

   ficult 
  — 
  those 
  dreary 
  

   repetitions 
  of 
  one 
  

   another 
  without 
  in- 
  

   dividuality 
  — 
  but 
  the 
  

   plans 
  and 
  details 
  for 
  

   anything 
  with 
  as 
  

   much 
  character 
  as 
  

   the 
  accompanying 
  

   illustrations 
  show, 
  

   require 
  unending 
  

   pains 
  and 
  patience 
  

   for 
  which 
  ten 
  per 
  

   cent, 
  of 
  the 
  cost 
  

   barely 
  remunerates 
  

   elevation 
  drawings 
  

  

  There 
  Is 
  a 
  Quiet 
  Charm 
  About 
  this 
  Quaint 
  Country 
  House 
  with 
  Its 
  Small 
  Paned 
  

   Windows 
  and 
  Its 
  Shed 
  Piazza 
  

  

  But 
  observe 
  this 
  woodshed 
  opening 
  from 
  

   the 
  dining-room 
  and 
  ventilated 
  by 
  louvers 
  

   in 
  pairs 
  so 
  tipped 
  as 
  to 
  afford 
  a 
  current 
  of 
  

   air 
  without 
  a 
  draught. 
  Being 
  convenient 
  

   to 
  both 
  kitchen 
  and 
  pantry, 
  the 
  woodshed 
  

   transforms 
  itself, 
  with 
  no 
  additional 
  house- 
  

   work, 
  into 
  an 
  out-of-door 
  dining-room, 
  

   perfectly 
  screened 
  from 
  both 
  kitchen 
  and 
  

   front 
  entrances. 
  People 
  will 
  more 
  readily 
  

   accept 
  the 
  taffy-pulled 
  and 
  meaningless 
  

   motives 
  of 
  New 
  Art, 
  or 
  the 
  equally 
  mean- 
  

   ingless 
  newly 
  invented 
  architecture 
  of 
  

   which 
  the 
  Chicago 
  Auditorium 
  is 
  an 
  ex- 
  

   ample, 
  than 
  legitimate 
  historical 
  develop- 
  

   ment 
  overflowing 
  with 
  delightful 
  tradi- 
  

   tions. 
  Such 
  is 
  the 
  inconsequence 
  of 
  popu- 
  

   lar 
  taste. 
  

  

  Occasionally 
  we 
  meet 
  with 
  an 
  unex- 
  

   pected 
  advantage. 
  Favorable 
  to 
  the 
  Witch- 
  

   Colonial 
  scheme 
  of 
  the 
  architect's 
  was 
  Mrs. 
  

   Cromwell's 
  idea 
  of 
  an 
  entry 
  in 
  lieu 
  of 
  a 
  

   hall. 
  She 
  had 
  no 
  space 
  to 
  spare 
  for 
  a 
  hall, 
  

   she 
  said, 
  which 
  is 
  

   true 
  in 
  a 
  tiny 
  cot- 
  

   tage, 
  and 
  wanted 
  

   every 
  square 
  foot 
  

   obtainable 
  for 
  her 
  

   two 
  best 
  rooms. 
  

   This 
  decision 
  gave 
  

   the 
  architect 
  an 
  op- 
  

   portunity 
  to 
  take 
  a 
  

   mental 
  trip 
  to 
  the 
  

   old 
  colony 
  in 
  Massa- 
  

   chusetts. 
  He 
  recalled 
  

   the 
  glimpse 
  he 
  once 
  

   had 
  of 
  the 
  bewitch- 
  

   ing 
  entry 
  and 
  angu- 
  

   lar 
  staircase 
  in 
  the 
  

   house 
  of 
  Dr. 
  Gray 
  

   at 
  Hingham. 
  It 
  was 
  

   an 
  inspiration 
  ! 
  The 
  

   thing 
  had 
  the 
  per- 
  

   sonality 
  he 
  wanted. 
  

   It 
  is 
  the 
  personal 
  

   reminiscence 
  every 
  

   time 
  that 
  makes 
  suc- 
  

  

  the 
  architect. 
  The 
  

   for 
  Mr. 
  Cromwell's 
  

   cottage 
  "Witch 
  Wood" 
  placed 
  beside 
  the 
  

   elevation 
  drawings 
  of 
  the 
  average 
  cottage 
  

   proposition 
  would 
  appear 
  as 
  the 
  drawings 
  

   for 
  a 
  tessellated 
  pavement 
  beside 
  an 
  area 
  

   to 
  be 
  flagged. 
  Simply 
  to 
  copy 
  them 
  would 
  

   require 
  more 
  time 
  than 
  a 
  draughtsman 
  

   would 
  ordinarily 
  spend 
  tracing 
  the 
  plans 
  

   for 
  several 
  cottages 
  ; 
  and 
  speaking 
  of 
  copy- 
  

   ing 
  leads 
  the 
  writer 
  to 
  insert 
  a 
  word 
  about 
  

   an 
  extremely 
  elastic 
  if 
  not 
  entirely 
  obsolete 
  

   code 
  of 
  honor 
  between 
  architects 
  called 
  

   "professional 
  courtesy." 
  

  

  To 
  his 
  country 
  place 
  Mr. 
  Cromwell 
  

   gave 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  "Witch 
  Wood," 
  embrac- 
  

   ing 
  an 
  enviable 
  piece 
  of 
  property 
  of 
  per- 
  

   haps 
  twenty 
  acres, 
  overlooking 
  the 
  valley 
  

   and 
  village 
  of 
  Highland 
  Mills, 
  N. 
  Y. 
  In 
  

   common 
  with 
  other 
  works 
  by 
  the 
  same 
  

   architect 
  it 
  has 
  no 
  veranda, 
  that 
  is, 
  no 
  

   acknowledged 
  veranda. 
  What 
  it 
  has 
  in- 
  

   stead 
  is 
  a 
  woodshed. 
  That 
  sounds 
  queer. 
  

  

  One 
  of 
  the 
  Bedrooms 
  Shows 
  An 
  Artistic 
  and 
  Effective 
  Treatment 
  

  

  