﻿294 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  August, 
  1907 
  

  

  "Meadowbank 
  

  

  HOW 
  CLINTON 
  GAGE, 
  ESQ., 
  TRANSFORMED 
  A 
  FARM 
  

  

  INTO 
  A 
  DELIGHTFUL 
  COUNTRY 
  SEAT 
  

  

  AT 
  VILLA 
  NOVA, 
  PENNSYLVANIA 
  

  

  By 
  Francis 
  Durando 
  Nichols 
  

  

  'OME 
  two 
  years 
  ago 
  Mr. 
  Gage 
  found 
  at 
  

   Villa 
  Nova, 
  Pa., 
  an 
  interesting 
  old 
  farm, 
  

   with 
  a 
  quaint 
  old 
  house 
  and 
  farm 
  build- 
  

   ings 
  surrounded 
  with 
  run-down 
  farm 
  lands. 
  

   The 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  place, 
  so 
  isolated 
  in 
  

   aspect, 
  and 
  yet 
  within 
  close 
  proximity 
  to 
  

   the 
  city, 
  appealed 
  strongly 
  to 
  Mr. 
  Gage, 
  

   and 
  so 
  he 
  purchased 
  it, 
  and 
  subsequently 
  transformed 
  it 
  into 
  

   a 
  delightful 
  country 
  seat, 
  which 
  the 
  photographs 
  presented 
  

   herewith 
  illustrate. 
  

  

  The 
  entrance 
  to 
  the 
  estate 
  is 
  ornamented 
  by 
  field 
  stone 
  

   posts 
  laid 
  up 
  in 
  a 
  rough 
  manner, 
  from 
  which 
  posts 
  swing 
  

   white 
  gates. 
  Another 
  attractive 
  feature 
  is 
  the 
  whitewashed 
  

   split 
  rail 
  fence 
  which 
  surrounds 
  the 
  estate 
  and 
  carries 
  out 
  

   the 
  character 
  of 
  the 
  old-time 
  farm. 
  A 
  straight 
  road 
  enters 
  

   the 
  place, 
  passing 
  by 
  the 
  servants' 
  quarters 
  and 
  farm 
  barns 
  

   placed 
  at 
  the 
  left, 
  and 
  on 
  to 
  the 
  circle 
  from 
  which 
  an 
  en- 
  

   trance 
  to 
  the 
  house 
  is 
  obtained. 
  The 
  house 
  rests 
  on 
  the 
  side 
  

   of 
  a 
  hill, 
  overlooking 
  the 
  meadows 
  below, 
  from 
  which 
  it 
  gets 
  

   its 
  name, 
  and 
  on 
  

   across 
  to 
  the 
  hills. 
  

   When 
  Mr. 
  Gage 
  

   found 
  this 
  house 
  it 
  

   was 
  typical 
  of 
  the 
  

   old-time 
  farm- 
  

   houses 
  so 
  frequently 
  

   seen 
  along 
  the 
  coun- 
  

   t 
  r 
  y 
  highways 
  of 
  

   Pennsylvania, 
  but 
  

   fortunately 
  of 
  such 
  

   a 
  character 
  that 
  the 
  

   form 
  of 
  the 
  build- 
  

   i 
  n 
  g 
  s 
  and 
  grounds 
  

   could 
  be 
  maintained, 
  

   thereby 
  reducing 
  

   the 
  problem 
  of 
  its 
  

   transformation 
  to 
  a 
  

   slight 
  alteration, 
  

   combined 
  with 
  a 
  

   thorough 
  renova- 
  

   tion 
  bringing 
  the 
  

   whole 
  property 
  to 
  

   its 
  proper 
  condition. 
  

   The 
  house 
  was 
  too 
  

   good 
  to 
  be 
  torn 
  

  

  CiflMfi 
  In 
  ' 
  

  

  down, 
  and 
  if 
  it 
  had 
  been 
  replaced 
  by 
  a 
  more 
  modern 
  building 
  

   it 
  would 
  certainly 
  have 
  lost 
  the 
  charm 
  which 
  it 
  now 
  possesses, 
  

   standing 
  under 
  the 
  shade 
  of 
  the 
  fine 
  old 
  elms 
  and 
  walnut 
  

   trees 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  place 
  is 
  surrounded. 
  With 
  the 
  excep- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  roof 
  being 
  broken 
  and 
  raised, 
  the 
  main 
  lines 
  of 
  

   the 
  house 
  remain 
  unchanged, 
  and 
  the 
  problem 
  presented 
  to 
  

   Mr. 
  Gage 
  was 
  confined 
  to 
  a 
  cleaning 
  up, 
  as 
  it 
  were, 
  and 
  the 
  

   place 
  put 
  in 
  a 
  sanitary 
  condition. 
  

  

  The 
  entire 
  absence 
  of 
  ornament, 
  and 
  solidity 
  and 
  per- 
  

   manence 
  of 
  the 
  walls 
  of 
  the 
  house, 
  which 
  were 
  of 
  stone, 
  

   made 
  it 
  desirable 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  building 
  intact; 
  and 
  the 
  only 
  

   necessary 
  repair 
  was 
  to 
  apply 
  a 
  coat 
  of 
  rough 
  stucco 
  and 
  

   then 
  a 
  coat 
  of 
  whitewash. 
  The 
  blinds 
  were 
  painted 
  bottle 
  

   green. 
  The 
  only 
  ornament 
  added 
  to 
  the 
  house 
  is 
  the 
  quaint 
  

   little 
  "Bambino," 
  with 
  which 
  the 
  outer 
  wall 
  is 
  pierced 
  and 
  

   which 
  was 
  brought 
  from 
  an 
  old 
  house 
  in 
  Italy 
  by 
  the 
  present 
  

   owner; 
  its 
  dull 
  green 
  color 
  adds 
  a 
  quaint 
  touch 
  to 
  the 
  white- 
  

   washed 
  walls. 
  The 
  house, 
  in 
  its 
  origin, 
  was 
  built 
  for 
  one 
  

   family, 
  and 
  was 
  only 
  one-half 
  of 
  its 
  present 
  size, 
  with 
  a 
  

  

  kitchen 
  on 
  the 
  first 
  

   floor 
  and 
  two 
  bed- 
  

   rooms 
  on 
  the 
  second 
  

   floor, 
  reached 
  by 
  a 
  

   staircase 
  from 
  the 
  

   kitchen. 
  When 
  the 
  

   master's 
  son 
  "John" 
  

   married, 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  

   the 
  house 
  was 
  

   pushed 
  out 
  and 
  a 
  

   duplicate 
  of 
  the 
  

   original 
  house 
  was 
  

   built 
  to 
  accommo- 
  

   date 
  "John 
  and 
  his 
  

   family." 
  This 
  was 
  

   what 
  Mr. 
  Gage 
  

   found 
  when 
  he 
  ex- 
  

   amined 
  the 
  house. 
  

   He 
  remodeled 
  one 
  

   kitchen 
  into 
  a 
  living- 
  

   room, 
  cut 
  a 
  door 
  

   into 
  the 
  other 
  

   kitchen 
  and 
  turned 
  

   that 
  into 
  a 
  dining- 
  

   room. 
  Outside 
  of 
  

   the 
  kitchen 
  door 
  

  

  iWBSw*'' 
  

  

  The 
  Entrance 
  to 
  " 
  Meadowbank 
  " 
  with 
  Its 
  Stone 
  Posts 
  and 
  White 
  Painted 
  Gates 
  

  

  