158 AME‘ RTCA NEO MES 
which must be traversed before the grounds before the en- 
trance front are reached. ‘The other side of Mrs. Oelrichs’s 
house overlooks the sea, and is finely situated. 
The design of the house is very obviously based on that 
of the Grand Trianon at Versailles. It is in no sense a re- 
production of that famous palace, for no attempt has been 
made to reproduce its vast scale, and the second story, which 
in this design is treated as an architectural attic, does not 
appear in the prototype. But this addition was obviously 
necessitated here, since a residential mansion in America 1s 
required to be a structure of more than one story in height; 
and, as a matter of fact, a third story is built behind the 
crowning balustrade of the center of the house for the ac- 
commodation of the servants. 
The Grand Trianon is a somewhat cold building of not 
very great architectural interest. Quite the contrary needs 
to be said of Mrs. Oelrichs’s house, for it is smaller, more 
compact, more ornate; and being an American residence con- 
taining a suite of splendid modern rooms—the whole struc- 
ture, in fact, being adapted to modern American requirements 
—it is apparent that the design is original, although like 
many original designs, it is based on a distinct historical idea. 
While the chief interest of this house may be considered 
to lie in its design and its architectural qualities, its structural 
aspects are of the most unusual kind and merit earnest con- 
sideration. At the first glance, and even on close considera- 
tion, the house appears to be built of white marble; as a 
matter of fact it is built of China glazed terra cotta, and it 
is not only the first house ever built of this material in 
America, but the first building in which it was used. ‘The 
terra cotta received a full white China glaze. It was then 
The Library is Walled with Old Rhenish Oak and has a Ceiling with 
AND GARDENS 
March, 1906 
had ag io 6 
Interlaced Curves 
put under a sand-blast and reduced to a dull ivory finish. 
The result is practically that of old marble, which has suc- 
cessfully stood the test of severe winters. ‘There can be no 
doubt of the success of this material, and the interest that 
attaches to its use gives a special importance to this exterior. 
The whole design is characterized by great simplicity. 
The general plan is after the form of the letter H, giving 
an open court on each side. Both fronts are, quite rightly, 
very similar in design, or, more properly speaking, represent 
but slightly different phases of a single design. The leading 
feature consists of a series of large round arched windows, 
inclosed within pilasters that support an entablature that is 
carried continuously around the building. Each end of each 
wing contains one of these windows, supported, on either 
side, by a smaller flat topped window, above which is a small 
oval window, open in some instances, closed as a medallion 
in others. ‘The three central windows of the entrance front 
are emphasized by coupled columns standing before the 
pilasters. “This feature is omitted on the garden front, where 
the pilasters alone appear. Above the columns are four 
groups of statuary, which constitute the most elaborate fea- 
ture—the most notable decorative feature—of the exterior. 
The second story, as has been said, constitutes an archi- 
tectural attic; that is to say, a story designed as an attic to 
the parts below. As befits an atic, its design is of the sim- 
plest possible nature, consisting of rectangular windows be- 
tween pairs of plain shallow pilasters. The bases of these 
pilasters rest on an ornamental band which is interrupted by 
each window frame, and their capitals extend into the frieze 
that is carried below the crowning cornice. The attic win- 
dows differ somewhat in design in each front. Those at 
