﻿April, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  125 
  

  

  Notable 
  American 
  Homes 
  

  

  By 
  Barr 
  Ferree 
  

  

  " 
  North 
  Farm," 
  the 
  Estate 
  of 
  Howard 
  L. 
  Clark, 
  Esq., 
  Warren, 
  Rhode 
  Island 
  

  

  ;N 
  CREATING 
  his 
  estate 
  near 
  Providence, 
  

   Mr. 
  Howard 
  L. 
  Clark 
  was 
  fortunate 
  

   enough 
  to 
  obtain, 
  at 
  the 
  outset, 
  a 
  half 
  of 
  

   the 
  former 
  estate 
  of 
  the 
  late 
  Dr. 
  George 
  

   R. 
  Hall, 
  a 
  physician 
  who 
  practised 
  medi- 
  

   cine 
  in 
  China 
  and 
  Japan 
  for 
  some 
  years, 
  and 
  

   who 
  was 
  the 
  first 
  American 
  to 
  send 
  Japanese 
  

   plants 
  to 
  the 
  United 
  States 
  in 
  considerable 
  quanities. 
  He 
  

   here 
  first 
  planted 
  numerous 
  Japanese 
  trees 
  and 
  shrubs, 
  many 
  

   of 
  which 
  have 
  since 
  grown 
  to 
  superb 
  maturity. 
  The 
  estate 
  

   is, 
  indeed, 
  not 
  one 
  of 
  exotic 
  trees, 
  but 
  it 
  contains 
  a 
  number 
  

   of 
  unusual 
  specimens, 
  and 
  Dr. 
  Hall's 
  interest 
  in 
  trees 
  led 
  

   him 
  to 
  plant 
  many 
  na- 
  

   tive 
  ones 
  as 
  well. 
  Mr. 
  

   Clark, 
  therefore, 
  came 
  

   immediately 
  into 
  pos- 
  

   session 
  of 
  much 
  beauti- 
  

   ful 
  tree-growth 
  which 
  

   has 
  given 
  his 
  place 
  un- 
  

   usual 
  charm 
  and 
  inter- 
  

   est. 
  His 
  first 
  purchase 
  

   of 
  a 
  half 
  of 
  the 
  Hall 
  

   property 
  was 
  followed 
  

   by 
  the 
  purchase 
  of 
  a 
  

   half 
  of 
  the 
  adjoining 
  

   farm, 
  so 
  that, 
  all 
  told, 
  

   his 
  estate 
  now 
  includes 
  

   ninety 
  acres. 
  

  

  The 
  outer 
  boundary 
  

   is 
  a 
  stone 
  wall, 
  man- 
  

   high, 
  in 
  no 
  way 
  differ- 
  

   ent 
  from 
  other 
  walls 
  of 
  

   the 
  neighborhood, 
  save 
  

   for 
  its 
  greater 
  height 
  

   and 
  more 
  symmetrical 
  

   alignment. 
  Without 
  it, 
  

   to 
  the 
  left 
  of 
  the 
  simple 
  

   road 
  opening, 
  is 
  a 
  

   thickly 
  planted 
  row 
  of 
  

   trees; 
  inside 
  a 
  row 
  of 
  

   maples, 
  more 
  thickly 
  

   planted, 
  never 
  thinned, 
  

   in 
  truth, 
  from 
  their 
  

   first 
  ingrounding. 
  The 
  1 
  

   present 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  

   grounds 
  is 
  new, 
  and 
  

   through 
  a 
  brief 
  recess- 
  

   ing 
  of 
  the 
  outer 
  wall. 
  

   Within, 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  driveway, 
  are 
  evergreens 
  some- 
  

   what 
  widely 
  spaced 
  in 
  grass. 
  To 
  the 
  left 
  is 
  a 
  hedge, 
  with 
  a 
  

   fine 
  old 
  orchard, 
  and 
  beyond 
  are 
  thickets 
  of 
  trees. 
  To 
  the 
  

   right 
  is 
  a 
  stone 
  wall 
  inclosing 
  broad 
  open 
  fields. 
  The 
  orchard 
  

   presently 
  gives 
  way 
  to 
  a 
  forest 
  of 
  young 
  trees, 
  planted 
  by 
  

   Mr. 
  Clark, 
  which 
  in 
  time 
  will 
  form 
  a 
  dense 
  wood 
  some 
  dis- 
  

   tance 
  before 
  the 
  house. 
  A 
  turn 
  in 
  the 
  drive 
  brings 
  the 
  house 
  

   into 
  full 
  view. 
  

  

  The 
  curiosity 
  which 
  has 
  been 
  whetted 
  by 
  the 
  long 
  entrance- 
  

   way 
  immediately 
  gives 
  place 
  to 
  delight 
  on 
  reaching 
  this 
  quiet 
  

   and 
  refined 
  structure. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  simple 
  rectangular 
  building, 
  

   with 
  a 
  slightly 
  projected 
  pedimented 
  center. 
  On 
  the 
  left, 
  as 
  

  

  A 
  Marble 
  Hermes 
  Stands 
  in 
  a 
  Clump 
  of 
  Retinospora 
  

  

  one 
  faces 
  it, 
  is 
  a 
  loggia; 
  on 
  the 
  right, 
  an 
  arcaded 
  structure 
  

   that 
  presently 
  discloses 
  itself 
  as 
  the 
  kitchen 
  and 
  service 
  wing. 
  

   The 
  house 
  is 
  built 
  of 
  Harvard 
  brick, 
  with 
  trimmings 
  of 
  white 
  

   marble 
  and 
  wood. 
  There 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  entrance 
  porch, 
  sup- 
  

   ported 
  on 
  Roman 
  Doric 
  columns 
  standing 
  on 
  pedestals 
  and 
  

   surmounted 
  with 
  a 
  balustrade. 
  Than 
  this 
  there 
  is 
  scarcely 
  

   an 
  ornamental 
  feature 
  on 
  the 
  entrance 
  front, 
  the 
  other 
  detail 
  

   — 
  the 
  window 
  frames, 
  the 
  string 
  course 
  between 
  the 
  first 
  and 
  

   second 
  floors, 
  the 
  simple 
  cornice, 
  and 
  the 
  leaders 
  — 
  being 
  

   wholly 
  structural 
  and 
  functional 
  in 
  purpose. 
  The 
  opposite 
  

   front, 
  which 
  overlooks 
  the 
  upper 
  waters 
  of 
  Narragansett 
  

   Bay, 
  is 
  quite 
  different 
  in 
  design, 
  the 
  windows 
  being 
  arranged 
  

  

  in 
  bays, 
  and 
  the 
  frames 
  

   decorated 
  with 
  small 
  

   columns. 
  Here, 
  in 
  the 
  

   center, 
  is 
  a 
  recessed 
  

   porch, 
  decorated 
  in 
  the 
  

   Pompeiian 
  style, 
  with 
  

   a 
  floor 
  of 
  cement 
  tiles 
  

   and 
  painted 
  and 
  decor- 
  

   ated 
  walls. 
  The 
  loggia 
  

   and 
  the 
  service 
  wing 
  

   are 
  also 
  quite 
  distinc- 
  

   tive 
  in 
  their 
  external 
  

   treatment 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  

   whole 
  of 
  the 
  exterior 
  

   is 
  entirely 
  harmonious, 
  

   and 
  the 
  various 
  parts, 
  

   notwithstanding 
  their 
  

   separated 
  uses 
  and 
  

   treatments, 
  have 
  been 
  

   welded 
  together 
  in 
  an 
  

   eminently 
  delightful 
  

   manner. 
  

  

  The 
  house 
  has 
  no 
  in- 
  

   closed 
  vestibule, 
  but 
  

   one 
  enters 
  immediately 
  

   into 
  a 
  small 
  space, 
  be- 
  

   yond 
  which 
  are 
  steps 
  

   to 
  the 
  main 
  hall. 
  The 
  

   whole 
  space 
  consti- 
  

   tutes, 
  in 
  fact, 
  a 
  single 
  

   hall, 
  with 
  two 
  wood 
  

   columns 
  at 
  the 
  steps 
  to 
  

   the 
  upper 
  part, 
  with 
  

   the 
  stairs 
  to 
  the 
  second 
  

   Boor 
  rising 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  

   and 
  carried 
  across 
  the 
  

   entrance 
  door. 
  The 
  woodwork 
  here, 
  and 
  throughout 
  the 
  

   house, 
  is 
  of 
  a 
  most 
  delightful 
  color 
  and 
  texture, 
  being 
  white- 
  

   wood 
  specially 
  treated 
  with 
  a 
  water 
  walnut 
  stain 
  and 
  wax, 
  a 
  

   device 
  of 
  the 
  architect 
  of 
  the 
  house, 
  Mr. 
  Charles 
  A. 
  Piatt, 
  of 
  

   New 
  York. 
  The 
  hall 
  has 
  a 
  high 
  plain 
  wainscot 
  of 
  this 
  wood, 
  

   with 
  a 
  frieze 
  of 
  yellow 
  and 
  buff. 
  The 
  ceiling 
  is 
  of 
  white 
  

   plaster, 
  and 
  there 
  are 
  Oriental 
  rugs 
  on 
  the 
  hardwood 
  floor. 
  

   In 
  the 
  center 
  is 
  a 
  round 
  table 
  from 
  Bologna, 
  of 
  a 
  type 
  char- 
  

   acteristic 
  of 
  that 
  city. 
  Immediately 
  in 
  face, 
  as 
  one 
  enters, 
  is 
  

   a 
  glazed 
  door 
  which 
  opens 
  onto 
  the 
  Pompeiian 
  porch 
  on 
  the 
  

   opposite 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  house. 
  It 
  has 
  olive 
  and 
  drab 
  velvet 
  

   curtains; 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  is 
  a 
  small 
  square 
  window 
  with 
  thin 
  

  

  