﻿October, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  36< 
  

  

  The 
  Seats 
  Overlooking 
  the 
  Tennis 
  Court 
  

  

  Notable 
  American 
  Homes 
  

  

  By 
  Barr 
  Ferree 
  

  

  "Millbrook 
  Farm," 
  the 
  Country 
  Home 
  of 
  J. 
  Franklin 
  McFadden, 
  Esq., 
  Haverford, 
  Pennsylvania 
  

  

  AM 
  not 
  sure 
  but 
  the 
  term 
  "a 
  dear 
  house" 
  may 
  

   be 
  too 
  exclusively 
  feminine 
  for 
  masculine 
  use, 
  

   but 
  no 
  other 
  words 
  I 
  know 
  so 
  aptly 
  and 
  so 
  

   completely 
  describe 
  the 
  charming 
  country 
  

   house 
  "Millbrook 
  Farm" 
  at 
  Haverford, 
  Pa. 
  

   The 
  house 
  is 
  not 
  large, 
  but 
  mere 
  size 
  is 
  the 
  

   least 
  valuable 
  of 
  all 
  house 
  characteristics, 
  and 
  

   what 
  may 
  be 
  lost 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  is 
  compensated 
  for 
  many 
  

   times 
  by 
  the 
  very 
  real 
  and 
  penetrating 
  charm 
  of 
  the 
  whole 
  

   place. 
  Very 
  obviously 
  it 
  is 
  the 
  home 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  lover 
  and 
  

   the 
  garden 
  lover; 
  for 
  the 
  house 
  is 
  a 
  true 
  gem 
  of 
  its 
  kind, 
  

   charming 
  in 
  a 
  hundred 
  delightful 
  ways, 
  while 
  the 
  gardens 
  

   abound 
  in 
  picturesque 
  arrangements 
  and 
  beautiful 
  plantings. 
  

   Charm 
  and 
  restfulness, 
  calmness 
  and 
  repose 
  appear 
  to 
  be 
  

   indissolubly 
  attached 
  to 
  "Millbrook 
  Farm." 
  Its 
  area 
  is 
  not 
  

   large, 
  for 
  all 
  told 
  it 
  includes 
  but 
  twenty 
  acres, 
  and 
  even 
  these 
  

   are 
  divided 
  by 
  the 
  roadway 
  by 
  which 
  the 
  house 
  is 
  approached. 
  

   But 
  the 
  high 
  hedge 
  that 
  incloses 
  the 
  grounds 
  surely 
  shuts 
  

   out 
  care 
  and 
  trouble 
  — 
  everything, 
  in 
  fact, 
  but 
  quiet 
  and 
  

   peace; 
  for 
  within, 
  the 
  house 
  broods 
  quietly 
  on 
  a 
  gentle 
  knoll, 
  

   all 
  white 
  save 
  for 
  its 
  old-green 
  blinds 
  and 
  brown 
  shingled 
  

   roof, 
  and 
  the 
  vines 
  that 
  climb 
  around 
  its 
  porch 
  piers 
  and 
  on 
  

   the 
  rough-faced 
  sides. 
  An 
  old-time 
  house 
  it 
  is, 
  quite 
  gen- 
  

   uinely 
  Pennsylvania 
  Colonial 
  in 
  its 
  massing, 
  its 
  proportions, 
  

   its 
  detailing, 
  its 
  effect, 
  albeit 
  it 
  was 
  designed 
  only 
  six 
  years 
  

   ago 
  by 
  those 
  very 
  modern 
  architects, 
  Messrs. 
  Cope 
  & 
  

   Stewardson, 
  of 
  Philadelphia. 
  

  

  There 
  are, 
  of 
  course, 
  Colonial 
  houses 
  and 
  Colonial 
  houses. 
  

   Most 
  of 
  them 
  are 
  Colonial 
  in 
  name 
  rather 
  than 
  in 
  style 
  or 
  

   spirit; 
  and 
  few 
  indeed 
  there 
  are 
  that 
  are 
  Colonial 
  in 
  furnish- 
  

   ings, 
  and 
  consistently 
  so, 
  both 
  within 
  and 
  without, 
  in 
  so 
  far 
  

   as 
  modern 
  needs 
  and 
  modern 
  opportunities 
  permit. 
  "Mill- 
  

   brook 
  Farm" 
  is 
  one 
  of 
  those 
  rare 
  houses 
  that 
  can 
  rightly 
  be 
  

  

  termed 
  truly 
  Colonial; 
  there 
  is 
  so 
  much 
  old 
  furniture 
  of 
  the 
  

   same 
  period 
  within 
  it, 
  old 
  prints, 
  old 
  bric-a-brac, 
  old 
  articles 
  

   of 
  every 
  sort, 
  that 
  hardly 
  anything 
  is 
  modern 
  in 
  appearance 
  

   save 
  the 
  beds, 
  the 
  floor 
  coverings, 
  the 
  kitchen 
  furnishings, 
  

   the 
  heating 
  plant 
  and 
  the 
  bathrooms. 
  Even 
  the 
  china 
  and 
  

   glass 
  for 
  daily 
  use 
  are 
  of 
  the 
  period 
  in 
  design 
  though 
  not 
  of 
  

   origin. 
  The 
  old 
  Canton 
  and 
  Nankeen 
  look 
  out 
  of 
  their 
  

   cabinets, 
  but 
  for 
  practical 
  reasons 
  known 
  to 
  every 
  house- 
  

   keeper 
  are 
  not 
  in 
  daily 
  use. 
  

  

  The 
  doctors 
  of 
  architecture, 
  when 
  setting 
  forth 
  the 
  various 
  

   rules 
  whereby 
  their 
  art 
  is 
  practised, 
  put 
  down 
  as 
  a 
  cardinal 
  

   principle 
  that 
  the 
  designing 
  of 
  a 
  house 
  should 
  proceed 
  from 
  

   its 
  plan: 
  in 
  other 
  words, 
  you 
  begin 
  with 
  the 
  plan 
  and 
  then 
  

   go 
  on 
  with 
  anything 
  else 
  you 
  have 
  to 
  do. 
  The 
  first 
  step 
  in 
  

   the 
  building, 
  even 
  before 
  the 
  designing 
  of 
  the 
  house 
  of 
  "Mill- 
  

   brook 
  Farm," 
  was 
  something 
  quite 
  different 
  from 
  this; 
  it 
  

   was 
  unique, 
  indeed, 
  if 
  the 
  use 
  of 
  that 
  much-used, 
  and 
  much 
  

   mis-used, 
  word 
  be 
  permitted, 
  for 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  interior 
  ar- 
  

   rangement 
  was 
  determined 
  by 
  the 
  shape 
  and 
  size 
  of 
  the 
  

   doors 
  ! 
  That 
  is 
  to 
  say, 
  so 
  far 
  as 
  the 
  general 
  plan 
  could 
  be 
  de- 
  

   termined 
  by 
  such 
  a 
  matter. 
  But 
  this 
  was 
  no 
  idle 
  fancy, 
  for 
  

   the 
  doors 
  in 
  question 
  — 
  and 
  they 
  are 
  hung 
  at 
  every 
  doorway 
  

   in 
  the 
  house 
  — 
  are 
  genuine 
  old 
  mahogany 
  doors! 
  Think 
  of 
  

   that, 
  if 
  you 
  will, 
  and 
  you 
  will 
  the 
  better 
  realize 
  the 
  exceeding 
  

   care 
  with 
  which 
  an 
  old-time 
  atmosphere 
  has 
  been 
  given 
  to 
  

   this 
  house. 
  

  

  This 
  begins 
  on 
  the 
  very 
  threshold. 
  The 
  entrance 
  porch 
  

   has 
  a 
  bricked 
  floor, 
  level 
  with 
  the 
  ground. 
  But 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  true 
  

   porch, 
  embowered 
  with 
  roses 
  and 
  clematis 
  and 
  comfortably 
  

   furnished 
  with 
  chairs 
  and 
  tables 
  and 
  decorated 
  with 
  plants. 
  

   The 
  rough 
  white 
  walls 
  — 
  the 
  house 
  is 
  of 
  stone, 
  rough 
  dashed 
  

   and 
  whitewashed 
  — 
  and 
  the 
  solid 
  green 
  shutters 
  have 
  a 
  de- 
  

   lightful 
  old 
  look, 
  an 
  impression 
  that 
  is 
  heightened 
  by 
  the 
  

  

  