October, 1906 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



229 



Character 



Ellis Welch 



Si Needs 



00 MUCH importance can not be impressed 

 upon the mind of the intending house- 

 builder in the selection of a design for his 

 house, for while the house often does, as it 

 should, present a personal expression of 

 one's taste, it should also meet the necessary 

 requirements, such as are demanded by the site upon which it 

 is to be built. The surroundings and setting for a house 

 form a very strong factor in the selection of its design. 



In the planning of the houses illustrated in the accompany- 

 ing photographs, much care has been given to the arrange- 

 ment of the various rooms and the utilization of all the 

 available space. In doing this it means something more 

 than the getting of 

 the largest number 

 of rooms in a given 

 area, for the rooms 

 must be properly re- 

 lated to each other 

 and thoroughly 

 adapted to the use 

 for which each 

 apartment i s i n- 

 tended. After the 

 plans were settled 

 came the designing 

 of the elevations and 

 the work was done. 

 Mr. W. K. Bene- 

 dict, architect, of 

 New York, made a 

 distinct departure 

 from the Colonial 

 house shown in Figs. 

 10 and 1 1 and the 

 English half-tim- 

 bered house shown in 

 Figs. 5 and 9, when 

 h e designed the 

 house for Mr. Wil- 1— A Brick Fireplace Adorns the 



Ham D. Peck at University Heights, New York, shown in 

 Figs. 1 and 2. The site is a hilly one, receding with rapid 

 descent from the street grade, and, in consequence, it was 

 necessary to build the house in accordance with its site. It 

 has, therefore, three stories in the street-front, and four at 

 the rear. 



The building is unusually interesting, presenting, as it 

 does, a foundation of local rock-faced stone with hints of 

 red and green in the gray of the stone, which add a subtle 

 touch to the color harmony of the whole. The superstruc- 

 ture is built of stucco in gray for the first story, and brown- 

 stained shingles for the second story. The porch at the 

 front is an attractive feature with its white-painted bal- 

 ustrade. The house 

 is crowned with a 

 massive over-hang- 

 ing roof covered 

 with shingles stained 

 a moss-green, and 

 fi n i s h e d with a 

 terra-cotta cresting. 

 Red brick chimneys 

 also add an extra 

 tone to the whole 

 general color- 

 scheme. 



The lower floor 

 of the house, Fig. 3, 

 is arranged so as to 

 give a delightful 

 feeling of space and 

 freedom within a 

 comparatively small 

 compass. The square 

 hall, Fig. 1, reached 

 from the front, 

 through a vestibule 

 with tiled floor and 

 ^^^ paneled wainscoting, 

 Hall, Whichiis'^Trimmed with Oak occupies the center 



