

AMERICAN HOMES 



AND GARDENS 



? 



"TED 



CCT 



Volume X 



January, 1913 



Numb 



er 



A Practical Treatment of An Abandoned Farmhouse 



By Mary H. Northend 

 Photographs by the Author 



EVER has the abandoned farmhouse been so 

 popular as it is to-day. House-hunters are 

 scouring the country around to find old 

 houses, especially those almost too dilapi- 

 dated for habitation, yet showing good lines 

 that lend themselves readily to remodeling. 

 Many of these which have been abandoned are of historical 

 interest, and but for the present day movement would have 

 been demolished. They are, however, reclaimed in many 

 instances and stand as typical remodeled farmhouses, doubly 

 interesting because of the effect of this new influence, and 

 also because of their historical connections. 



There is undoubtedly a peculiar fascination connected with 

 the remodeling of an old house. One reason for this lies in 

 the fact that it is always a delight to create new and prac- 

 tical ideas for interior conveniences, — the bringing into 

 harmony of disjointed rooms that show simply four bare 





walls with little or\io; suggeWon of charm or unison. A 

 second reason which appeals to the, house-owner is that these 

 old houses were most substantially built, the huge beams 

 and framework being of the stanchest of timber, while the 

 boards were of that solid wood which is rarely found in the 

 houses of to-day. 



The more practical or cautious mind will always ques- 

 tion the advisability of purchasing the abandoned farm- 

 house, feeling it is less expensive to erect one that is designed 

 by the modern architect, rather than to spend time and 

 money on an old house. Nevertheless, the good work goes 

 on and the careful planning creates a fascinating interest 

 in the most lukewarm aspirant for successful remodeling. 



The most gratifying results along this line are shown in 

 Medfield, Massachusetts, where standing at one side of the 

 main road is the interesting house owned by Mr. Davenport 

 Brown, of the reconstruction of which Mr. E. T. Putnam of 



The home of Mr. Davenport Brown at Medfield, Massachusetts. An early Colonial farmhouse remodeled 



