﻿April, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  139 
  

  

  "Phelcroft" 
  

  

  The 
  Residence 
  of 
  Professor 
  A. 
  C. 
  Phelps, 
  Ithaca, 
  New 
  York 
  

  

  By 
  Francois 
  Picard 
  

  

  HELCROFT," 
  the 
  home 
  of 
  Professor 
  A. 
  C. 
  

   Phelps, 
  at 
  Cornell 
  Heights, 
  Ithaca, 
  N. 
  Y., 
  

   is 
  situated 
  on 
  the 
  southwest 
  slope 
  of 
  a 
  hill 
  

   overlooking 
  the 
  valley 
  and 
  Cayuga 
  Lake. 
  

   The 
  idea 
  of 
  the 
  owner, 
  who 
  designed 
  the 
  

   house, 
  was 
  to 
  build 
  a 
  simple, 
  unostentatious 
  

   home, 
  fitted 
  to 
  the 
  surroundings 
  and 
  en- 
  

   vironments, 
  and 
  embodying, 
  without 
  affectation, 
  something 
  

   of 
  the 
  home 
  feeling 
  to 
  be 
  found 
  in 
  the 
  old 
  Dutch 
  Colonial 
  

   houses 
  of 
  Long 
  Island 
  and 
  New 
  Jersey. 
  

  

  The 
  site 
  is 
  conspicuous, 
  being 
  surrounded 
  on 
  three 
  sides 
  bv 
  

   public 
  roads, 
  and 
  it 
  seemed 
  desirable 
  to 
  avoid 
  anything 
  like 
  a 
  

   "back-door" 
  treat- 
  

   ment 
  at 
  the 
  rear, 
  but 
  

   without 
  concealing 
  

   or 
  disguising 
  such 
  

   necessary 
  parts 
  of 
  

   the 
  house 
  as 
  the 
  

   kitchen 
  and 
  rear 
  en- 
  

   trance. 
  

  

  The 
  external 
  

   walls 
  are 
  built 
  of 
  

   local 
  stone, 
  which 
  is 
  

   a 
  blue 
  slatey 
  lime- 
  

   stone. 
  The 
  stone 
  

   employed 
  was 
  taken 
  

   from 
  an 
  old 
  mill- 
  

   dam 
  and 
  laid 
  so 
  as 
  

   to 
  expose 
  as 
  much 
  

   of 
  the 
  weathered 
  

   and 
  water-worn 
  sur- 
  

   f 
  a 
  c 
  e 
  as 
  possible. 
  

   The 
  joints 
  were 
  not 
  

   pointed, 
  but 
  raked 
  

   out 
  with 
  a 
  blunt 
  

   stick 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  

   laying, 
  so 
  as 
  to 
  

   avoid 
  the 
  appearance 
  

   of 
  mortar 
  with 
  

   which 
  the 
  stones 
  

  

  A 
  Simple 
  Porch 
  with 
  Seats 
  Forms 
  the 
  Entrance 
  to 
  the 
  House, 
  of 
  Which 
  the 
  Walls 
  

  

  Are 
  Built 
  of 
  Field 
  Stone 
  

  

  were 
  laid. 
  The 
  roof 
  is 
  covered 
  with 
  red 
  stained 
  shingles, 
  

   and 
  the 
  gables 
  and 
  dormers 
  with 
  white 
  cedar 
  shingles 
  left 
  

   unstained 
  to 
  weather 
  a 
  silver 
  gray 
  color. 
  A 
  growth 
  of 
  Japa- 
  

   nese 
  ivy 
  has 
  been 
  effectively 
  started 
  on 
  the 
  stone 
  walls- 
  

  

  The 
  house 
  was 
  planned 
  to 
  accommodate 
  a 
  small 
  family. 
  

   The 
  floor 
  plan 
  is 
  twenty-eight 
  feet 
  by 
  forty-four 
  feet, 
  ex- 
  

   ternal 
  dimensions; 
  the 
  arrangement 
  being 
  shown 
  in 
  the 
  ac- 
  

   companying 
  drawings. 
  The 
  living-room, 
  front 
  hall, 
  and 
  

   dining-room 
  form 
  practically 
  one 
  large 
  room 
  extending 
  the 
  

   whole 
  length 
  of 
  the 
  house, 
  with 
  the 
  study 
  at 
  one 
  side, 
  having 
  

   a 
  separate 
  entrance 
  from 
  the 
  veranda. 
  Sliding 
  doors 
  are 
  

   provided 
  to 
  shut 
  off 
  one 
  room 
  from 
  the 
  others 
  when 
  desired. 
  

  

  The 
  effect 
  upon 
  en- 
  

   tering 
  the 
  front 
  hall 
  

   is 
  not 
  that 
  of 
  a 
  lack 
  

   of 
  room, 
  so 
  often 
  

   felt 
  in 
  small 
  houses, 
  

   but 
  of 
  the 
  feeling 
  of 
  

   spaciousness 
  on 
  ac- 
  

   count 
  of 
  the 
  open- 
  

   ness 
  of 
  the 
  plan. 
  

   The 
  kitchen, 
  though 
  

   small, 
  is 
  well 
  lighted 
  

   and 
  ventilated 
  

   and 
  conveniently 
  ar- 
  

   ranged. 
  

  

  The 
  second 
  story 
  

   plan 
  explains 
  itself. 
  

   The 
  large 
  family 
  

   chamber 
  is 
  toward 
  

   the 
  lake. 
  Besides 
  

   this 
  there 
  are 
  four 
  

   rooms 
  that 
  can 
  be 
  

   used 
  as 
  bedrooms, 
  

   but 
  two 
  of 
  which 
  are 
  

   occupied 
  as 
  a 
  sewing 
  

   and 
  store 
  room 
  re- 
  

   spectively. 
  A 
  large 
  

   linen 
  closet 
  opens 
  off 
  

   from 
  the 
  bathroom, 
  

  

  CHAMBER 
  

  

  G-UEST 
  S 
  ROOM 
  

  

  SEWING- 
  ROOM 
  

  

  i 
  r"n 
  rn 
  r 
  

  

  