﻿390 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  October, 
  1907 
  

  

  with 
  a 
  high 
  wainscoting 
  finished 
  with 
  a 
  plate 
  rack. 
  The 
  stair- 
  

   case 
  to 
  the 
  second 
  story 
  is 
  recessed 
  into 
  an 
  alcove 
  just 
  be- 
  

   yond 
  the 
  space 
  occupied 
  by 
  the 
  study. 
  Opening 
  from 
  the 
  

   alcove 
  is 
  the 
  lavatory. 
  

  

  The 
  kitchen 
  is 
  conveniently 
  arranged 
  with 
  a 
  large 
  pantry, 
  

   range, 
  sink 
  and 
  laundry 
  tubs. 
  The 
  shop 
  off 
  the 
  living- 
  

   room 
  is 
  fitted 
  with 
  all 
  the 
  appliances 
  for 
  work. 
  The 
  

   room 
  could 
  be 
  util- 
  

   ized 
  for 
  a 
  dining- 
  

   room 
  under 
  ordi- 
  

   nary 
  circumstances. 
  

  

  There 
  are 
  two 
  

   bedrooms 
  and 
  a 
  

   large 
  bathroom 
  on 
  

   the 
  second 
  floor; 
  the 
  

   bathroom 
  is 
  wain- 
  

   scoted 
  with 
  tiles 
  and 
  

   is 
  furnished 
  with 
  

   porcelain 
  fixtures 
  

   and 
  exposed 
  plumb- 
  

   ing. 
  

  

  The 
  house 
  cost 
  

   five 
  thousand 
  five 
  

   hundred 
  dollars 
  

   complete, 
  and 
  was 
  

   designed 
  by 
  Mr. 
  C. 
  

   Schubert, 
  architect, 
  

   of 
  Dyker 
  Heights. 
  

  

  A 
  Concrete 
  Block 
  

  

  House 
  on 
  

  

  Staten 
  Island 
  

  

  The 
  blocks 
  of 
  

   which 
  the 
  main 
  

   walls 
  of 
  this 
  house, 
  

   which 
  was 
  built 
  by 
  

   Mr. 
  James 
  W. 
  

   Hughes, 
  were 
  con- 
  

   structed 
  were 
  made 
  

   in 
  a 
  Normandin 
  ma- 
  

   chine, 
  a 
  small 
  shed 
  

   supplying 
  the 
  neces- 
  

   sary 
  shelter 
  for 
  the 
  

   blocks 
  until 
  hard- 
  

   ened 
  enough 
  to 
  be 
  

   piled 
  in 
  the 
  yard, 
  

   where 
  they 
  werekept 
  

   wet 
  for 
  about 
  ten 
  

   days. 
  While 
  the 
  

   blocks 
  were 
  hard 
  en- 
  

   ough 
  to 
  be 
  laid 
  in 
  

   the 
  wall 
  in 
  two 
  

   weeks, 
  it 
  was 
  possi- 
  

   ble 
  to 
  make 
  enough 
  

   in 
  advance 
  so 
  that 
  

   the 
  majority 
  were 
  

   nearer 
  a 
  month 
  old 
  

   before 
  moving 
  them 
  

   from 
  the 
  yard. 
  

   Three 
  sizes 
  of 
  blocks 
  

  

  were 
  used, 
  12 
  inch 
  for 
  the 
  basement, 
  8 
  inch 
  for 
  the 
  walls 
  

   and 
  6 
  inch 
  for 
  the 
  interior 
  partition 
  walls. 
  The 
  blocks 
  were 
  

   made 
  of 
  Atlas 
  Portland 
  cement 
  and 
  coarse 
  sand, 
  in 
  the 
  pro- 
  

   portion 
  of 
  one 
  of 
  cement 
  to 
  four 
  of 
  sand. 
  The 
  walls 
  were 
  

   laid 
  up 
  in 
  a 
  cement 
  mortar. 
  These 
  blocks 
  are 
  easily 
  laid, 
  

  

  )-AHc 
  

  

  Built 
  

  

  for 
  they 
  require 
  a 
  small 
  number 
  of 
  joints 
  and 
  little 
  mortar. 
  

   There 
  is, 
  of 
  course, 
  some 
  objection 
  to 
  the 
  uneven 
  breaks 
  in 
  

   the 
  blocks 
  about 
  the 
  windows 
  and 
  doors 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  corners 
  

   of 
  the 
  building, 
  but 
  this 
  is 
  very 
  easily 
  overcome, 
  as 
  in 
  the 
  

   present 
  case, 
  by 
  giving 
  the 
  whole 
  structure 
  a 
  coat 
  of 
  cement 
  

   mortar 
  finished 
  with 
  a 
  pebble 
  dash. 
  

  

  There 
  have 
  been 
  quite 
  a 
  few 
  houses 
  built 
  with 
  solid 
  re- 
  

   inforced 
  concrete 
  

   walls, 
  but 
  this 
  hol- 
  

   low 
  block 
  construc- 
  

   tion 
  has 
  an 
  ad- 
  

   vantage 
  over 
  the 
  

   former, 
  for 
  the 
  rea- 
  

   son 
  that 
  the 
  hollow 
  

   spaces 
  keep 
  out 
  all 
  

   possible 
  dampness 
  

   and 
  also 
  form 
  good 
  

   ducts 
  for 
  the 
  run- 
  

   ning 
  of 
  ventilating 
  

   flues, 
  pipes 
  and 
  elec- 
  

   tric 
  wires. 
  

  

  The 
  exterior 
  

   walls 
  are 
  tinted 
  a 
  

   cream 
  yellow, 
  while 
  

   the 
  sashes 
  and 
  the 
  

   smooth 
  spaces 
  about 
  

   the 
  windows 
  are 
  

   painted 
  white. 
  The 
  

   blinds 
  are 
  painted 
  

   bottle 
  green, 
  and 
  

   the 
  roof 
  is 
  covered 
  

   with 
  shingles 
  

   stained 
  a 
  moss 
  

   green. 
  The 
  plans 
  

   practically 
  reproduce 
  

   an 
  earlier 
  house. 
  

   The 
  hall 
  is 
  trimmed 
  

   with 
  oak, 
  and 
  it 
  has 
  

   an 
  ornamental 
  stair- 
  

   case 
  with 
  turned 
  

   balusters 
  and 
  newel 
  

   posts. 
  The 
  parlor 
  

   and 
  dining-r 
  00m 
  

   are 
  separated 
  by 
  

   sliding 
  doors, 
  and 
  

   each 
  is 
  trimmed 
  

   with 
  oak. 
  The 
  din- 
  

   ing-room 
  has 
  an 
  

   open 
  fireplace 
  built 
  

   with 
  brick 
  facings 
  

   and 
  hearth 
  and 
  an 
  

   oaken 
  mantel. 
  The 
  

   den 
  is 
  also 
  trimmed 
  

   with 
  oak 
  and 
  con- 
  

   tains 
  an 
  open 
  fire- 
  

   place 
  the 
  same 
  as 
  the 
  

   dining-room. 
  The 
  

   kitchen 
  and 
  its 
  de- 
  

   pendencies 
  are 
  com- 
  

   plete 
  in 
  their 
  ap- 
  

   pointments. 
  There 
  

   are 
  four 
  bedrooms 
  

   and 
  a 
  bathroom 
  on 
  the 
  second 
  floor, 
  and 
  one 
  servants' 
  bed- 
  

   room 
  and 
  trunk 
  room 
  on 
  the 
  third 
  floor. 
  The 
  bathroom 
  is 
  

   finished 
  with 
  porcelain 
  fixtures 
  and 
  exposed 
  nickelplated 
  

   plumbing. 
  The 
  cellar, 
  cemented, 
  is 
  provided 
  with 
  a 
  hot- 
  

   water 
  system 
  of 
  heating, 
  fuel 
  rooms 
  and 
  storage 
  space. 
  

  

  3£coNojLooaPln/si 
  

   of 
  Concrete 
  Blocks 
  

  

  