﻿November, 
  1907 
  

  

  AMERICAN 
  HOMES 
  AND 
  GARDENS 
  

  

  405 
  

  

  Notable 
  American 
  Homes 
  

  

  By 
  Barr 
  Ferree 
  

  

  " 
  Brick 
  House," 
  the 
  Home 
  of 
  Anson 
  Phelps 
  Stokes, 
  Esq., 
  Noroton, 
  Connecticut 
  

  

  RICK 
  HOUSE" 
  is 
  built 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  a 
  fine 
  

   country 
  road 
  on 
  the 
  extreme 
  end 
  of 
  Col- 
  

   lender's 
  Point. 
  It 
  stands 
  on 
  a 
  narrow 
  

   tongue 
  of 
  land, 
  washed 
  on 
  three 
  sides 
  by 
  

   the 
  waters 
  of 
  Long 
  Island 
  Sound. 
  Its 
  

   stately 
  outlines 
  loom 
  attractively 
  among 
  the 
  

   trees 
  which, 
  just 
  without 
  the 
  borders 
  of 
  its 
  

   territory, 
  grow 
  luxuriantly 
  on 
  each 
  side 
  of 
  the 
  road. 
  The 
  

   entrance 
  gateway 
  admits 
  to 
  an 
  open 
  court, 
  low-walled 
  with 
  

   brick, 
  with 
  gateways 
  to 
  the 
  right 
  and 
  left, 
  while 
  a 
  fourth 
  

   stands 
  at 
  the 
  head 
  of 
  the 
  avenue, 
  which 
  runs 
  straight 
  on 
  to 
  

   the 
  house. 
  This 
  is 
  a 
  broad 
  and 
  spacious 
  roadway, 
  bordered 
  

   with 
  a 
  wide 
  band 
  of 
  sward 
  on 
  either 
  side, 
  in 
  which 
  grows 
  

   pyramids 
  of 
  box; 
  then 
  a 
  path, 
  and 
  beyond, 
  lawns 
  and 
  shrub- 
  

   bery 
  and 
  trees, 
  all 
  beautifully 
  planted 
  and 
  kept 
  in 
  the 
  finest 
  

   condition. 
  A 
  tall 
  iron 
  railing, 
  supported 
  by 
  piers 
  of 
  brick, 
  

   marks 
  the 
  limit 
  of 
  the 
  avenue 
  and 
  forms 
  the 
  outer 
  boundary 
  

   of 
  the 
  forecourt 
  before 
  the 
  house. 
  Within 
  and 
  without 
  it 
  is 
  

   banked 
  with 
  shrubs 
  and 
  flowering 
  plants; 
  great 
  pottery 
  jars 
  

   are 
  filled 
  with 
  plants 
  and 
  vines; 
  bay 
  trees, 
  and 
  other 
  orna- 
  

   mental 
  shrubs 
  grow 
  in 
  boxes 
  and 
  tubs; 
  and 
  on 
  the 
  right 
  is 
  a 
  

   wall 
  fountain 
  beneath 
  a 
  window. 
  

  

  The 
  house 
  is 
  H-shaped, 
  with 
  an 
  open 
  forecourt 
  toward 
  

   the 
  avenue, 
  partly 
  inclosed 
  on 
  the 
  sides 
  by 
  the 
  wings, 
  and 
  

   partly 
  by 
  the 
  iron 
  railing, 
  which 
  is 
  brought 
  forward 
  to 
  give 
  

   greater 
  space. 
  The 
  brickwork 
  throughout 
  is 
  red 
  and 
  black 
  

   and 
  the 
  trimmings 
  white. 
  The 
  center 
  of 
  the 
  entrance 
  front 
  

   is 
  brought 
  slightly 
  forward, 
  and 
  has 
  a 
  pediment 
  supported 
  

   by 
  four 
  Corinthian 
  pilasters. 
  Although 
  eminently 
  simple 
  

   and 
  restrained, 
  this 
  device 
  is 
  the 
  chief 
  decorative 
  feature 
  of 
  

   the 
  front. 
  The 
  other 
  elements 
  are 
  briefly 
  described: 
  large 
  

   round 
  arched 
  windows 
  in 
  the 
  first 
  story; 
  simple 
  rectangular 
  

   windows 
  in 
  the 
  second; 
  a 
  plain 
  but 
  sufficient 
  cornice; 
  and 
  

   then 
  the 
  high 
  shingled 
  roof 
  in 
  which 
  are 
  modest 
  dormers, 
  

   arranged 
  singly 
  and 
  in 
  pairs. 
  

  

  The 
  water 
  front 
  is 
  quite 
  as 
  simple 
  but 
  necessarily 
  very 
  dif- 
  

   ferent 
  in 
  design, 
  although 
  in 
  entire 
  harmony 
  with 
  the 
  other 
  

   parts. 
  The 
  house 
  wall 
  here 
  presents 
  a 
  straight 
  unbroken 
  

   line. 
  Below, 
  on 
  either 
  side, 
  but 
  brought 
  in 
  from 
  the 
  wall 
  

   ends, 
  is 
  a 
  porch, 
  almost 
  square 
  in 
  form, 
  supported 
  by 
  clus- 
  

   tered 
  columns. 
  Large 
  round 
  arched 
  windows 
  are 
  beyond 
  

   and 
  between 
  them; 
  while 
  within 
  arr 
  "ecesses 
  which 
  extend 
  to 
  

   the 
  main 
  cornice 
  above 
  the 
  second 
  story. 
  The 
  upper 
  win- 
  

   dows 
  are 
  singles 
  or 
  groups, 
  and 
  the 
  cornice, 
  roof 
  and 
  dormers 
  

   are 
  identical 
  with 
  those 
  on 
  the 
  entrance 
  front. 
  At 
  the 
  base 
  

   is 
  a 
  terrace, 
  inclosed 
  within 
  a 
  balustrade. 
  The 
  sides 
  are 
  less 
  

   formal 
  in 
  treatment 
  than 
  either 
  of 
  the 
  two 
  main 
  fronts. 
  

   The 
  distinguishing 
  feature 
  of 
  these 
  lesser 
  fronts 
  is 
  the 
  great 
  

   brick 
  gable, 
  which 
  also 
  surmounts 
  the 
  end 
  walls 
  of 
  the 
  wings 
  

   on 
  the 
  entrance 
  front. 
  The 
  roof 
  is 
  high 
  pitched, 
  and 
  the 
  

   gables 
  rise 
  to 
  a 
  height 
  of 
  quite 
  two 
  stories. 
  East 
  and 
  west 
  

   they 
  are 
  capped 
  by 
  two 
  chimneys; 
  on 
  the 
  entrance 
  wings 
  by 
  

   one. 
  The 
  terrace 
  of 
  the 
  water 
  front 
  is 
  continued 
  below 
  the 
  

   west 
  side, 
  but 
  on 
  the 
  east 
  the 
  road 
  is 
  dropped 
  to 
  give 
  entrance 
  

   to 
  the 
  kitchen, 
  which 
  is 
  in 
  the 
  basement 
  of 
  this 
  wing. 
  

  

  The 
  distinguishing 
  qualities 
  of 
  this 
  house 
  are 
  its 
  solidity 
  

   and 
  its 
  simplicity. 
  It 
  is 
  a 
  house 
  of 
  large 
  size, 
  designed 
  and 
  

   built 
  in 
  a 
  large 
  way; 
  this 
  is 
  completely 
  true 
  notwithstanding 
  

   the 
  fact 
  that 
  its 
  great 
  size 
  is 
  not 
  immediately 
  apparent. 
  It 
  is 
  

   not, 
  indeed, 
  until 
  the 
  house 
  has 
  been 
  viewed 
  from 
  every 
  

   aspect 
  that 
  its 
  great 
  magnitude 
  is 
  thoroughly 
  realized. 
  The 
  

   length 
  of 
  the 
  entrance 
  front 
  is, 
  of 
  course, 
  broken 
  by 
  the 
  

   wings 
  which 
  form 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  it; 
  but 
  the 
  water 
  front 
  presents 
  

   a 
  great 
  length 
  of 
  line 
  whose 
  dimension 
  is 
  not 
  broken 
  by 
  the 
  

   porches 
  and 
  the 
  recesses, 
  but 
  rather 
  increased 
  by 
  them; 
  for 
  

   standing 
  beneath 
  them 
  one 
  realizes 
  their 
  considerable 
  size, 
  

   although 
  they 
  occupy 
  but 
  a 
  portion 
  of 
  its 
  length. 
  The 
  great 
  

   height 
  of 
  the 
  gable 
  ends 
  also 
  adds 
  to 
  the 
  effect 
  of 
  size, 
  as 
  

   they 
  tower 
  high 
  above 
  one 
  on 
  the 
  terrace, 
  and 
  seen 
  from 
  the 
  

   road 
  of 
  the 
  kitchen 
  entrance 
  have 
  a 
  truly 
  vast 
  height. 
  That, 
  

  

  A 
  Finely 
  Planted 
  Driveway 
  Leads 
  Directly 
  to 
  the 
  Entrance 
  Front 
  

  

  