May, 1906 
fact that a house stood here, a house long the family home- 
stead, determined at once the situation of the present building 
and indicated in a certain general way its style and finish. 
Although the transformation has been quite complete, almost 
radical indeed, especially in its internal changes, it is well to 
keep this fact in mind in considering the house and in noting 
its prevailing characteristics. 
The entrance doorway leads immediately into the entrance 
hall. The floor is of black and white marble. The walls are 
of paneled wood painted white, with pieces of tapestry in the 
central panels. The stairs, which occupy the center of the 
hall and divide beneath the triple window, which is a conspicu- 
ous feature of the garden front, are of mahogany, with a red 
carpet. They are a survival from the older house, and con- 
stitute the chief feature that has been retained in the re-build- 
ing, carried out by Mr. Ogden Codman. ‘The doors to the 
adjoining rooms and corridors are round-arched, with glazed 
Ave RhGAN HOMES AND, GARDENS 301 
cornice supports a ceiling elaborately detailed in low relief 
in decorated panels. At the further end, as one enters the 
room from the gallery, is the mantel of white marble with 
mottled yellow columns. Above it is a painting of Charlotte, 
Countess of Dysart, and Lady Laura Keppel, by Allan Ram- 
sey. here are other fine old English portraits in the room, 
including one by Hoppner. The room is so large that it 
affords ample space for much furniture, and it contains a 
host of rare, curious and beautiful objects. The colors of the 
furniture are somewhat varied, some being red and others 
steel blue, while others are covered with tapestry. ‘There is 
an ancient spinet made by Clementi of London, once owned 
by one of the earlier members of the family. The ‘Sisters 
Cabinet,”’ a double desk with a bookcase on each side of it, 
is another large and interesting piece. A cabinet of old china 
should be noted, as well as many other old and interesting 
pieces of furniture. The further end of the room opens 
The Terrace Front Exhibits the Character of a Stately Country Mansion Which Is Also Indicated in the Entrance Front gecammess 
tympanums. A glass chandelier depends from the center of 
the hall. The white ceiling is treated in geometrical patterns. 
The first room to the right is called the gallery and par- 
takes in some nature of the character of a living-hall. It is 
a handsome room, paneled to the ceiling in oak, arranged 
in large square panels. There is no mantel, but a simple fire- 
place. Above it is a portrait of John Jay by Gilbert Stuart, 
given by John Jay to General Stephen Van Rensselaer. The 
curtains are of red velvet; the furniture is covered with red 
leather; the rug is red; this brilliant color being finely offset 
by the dark tone of the walls, on which are hung a number of 
old English color prints. The side-lights are gilt. 
Beyond is the drawing-room. This is a large rectangular 
room, occupying the whole of the right wing of the house 
and lighted by windows on three sides. The walls are white, 
with panels of red silk damask encased within molded 
frames. ‘The curtains are of the same material. The rich 
directly on to the semicircular piazza at the end of the house. 
The library adjoins the gallery and is approached by two 
paneled passages, one of which is a survival of the structure 
of the older house, and the other was necessitated by the re- 
quirements of symmetry. It is paneled throughout in pol- 
ished French walnut, with a plain ceiling supported by a 
plaster cornice. In the center of the side next the gallery 
is an elliptical recess, lined with built-in bookcases from the 
floor to the ceiling; the whole of one of the other sides is 
treated in a similar manner. The mantel is of red marble 
and supports a built-in mirror. The curtains are green. The 
window-seats at each window are of the same color. Green 
is also the color of the rug, and the furniture is green or 
tapestry. The latter embraces some fine old pieces, as well as 
some of more modern make. The portraits on the wall in- 
clude examples of the work of Romney and F. Cotes. The 
old brass fender of the fireplace is worthy of special mention. 
