November, 1906 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



285 



Notable American Homes 



By Barr Ferree 



The House of James H. Proctor, Esq., Hamilton, Massachusetts 



R. PROCTOR'S estate at Hamilton has an 

 air of aloofness which is more apparent 

 than real. It is due, primarily, to the fact 

 that it is about two miles from the station; 

 Ipswich is two miles to the north of it, 

 Hamilton about three miles to the west. It 



is, therefore, somewhat apart from the railroad centers, and 



enjoys a fine isolation that is at once a distinction and an 



advantage. The value of this isolation is the more marked 



since the house is built near the summit of a hill, affording 



a superb outlook over the adjacent country. It is beautiful 



rolling country in this region, and the higher one's point of 



observation the more one can see. Yet there are drawbacks 



to too great altitude; for if your house happens to be placed 



exactly on the top of a hill it will be swept with the winter's 



breezes in a manner thoroughly typical of the bleak New 



England winter. 



Hence Mr. Proc- 

 tor's house does not 



occupy the precise 



summit, but is 



placed somewhat 



down the slope so as 



to be protected on 



the north. 



Yet this but adds 



to the beauty of the 



site: it gives the 



house a beautiful 



backing of green 



and it in no way in- 

 terferes with the 



splendid outlook be- 

 fore it. Standing on 



the hill loggias or 



the terrace one over- 

 looks a superb view. 



Down below the 



base of the hill on 



which the house is 



built is the entrance 



driveway, a splendid 



sweep of road, 



stretching around 



the base of the hill 



in magnificent 



curves, passing the 



house stables and 



then curving up to 



the entrance on the" 



further side of the 



house. There are 



no short cuts on this 



estate, but beautiful 



roads, finely built 



and planned with a 



very keen perception 



of their landscape 



possibilities. The 



house — and its di- 



A Semi-octagonal Enclosed Porch Contains the Entrance Door Admitting 



to the Vestibule 



mensions are so generous that it may be rightly termed a 

 mansion — is of red brick with white stone trimmings. Draw- 

 ing his inspiration from the Tudor style, its architect, Mr. 

 Ernest M. A. Machado, of Boston, has designed a pic- 

 turesque and stately dwelling that is admirably harmonized 

 with its situation. Its merits are purely architectural; that 

 is to say, it is a house whose charm and interest are achieved 

 by architectural means alone, by the proportions and di- 

 mensions of the plan, by the silhouette or general outline, 

 by the walls, windows and window frames, by the roofs and 

 dormers, by the crests and copings. Of sculptured enrich- 

 ment there is scarce any; none at all, indeed, save the delicate 

 foliage in the spandrils of the doorway and the windows of 

 the vestibule. A balustrade over the latter and a pierced 

 parapet at the base of the roof of the central portion con- 

 stitute almost the whole of the carved ornament on the 



building. But it is 

 a house full of life 

 and interest, the 

 mullioned windows, 

 emphasized with 

 hood moldings, and 

 grouped in twos, 

 threes and fours be- 

 ing the chief vehicle 

 by which its effect is 

 produced. 



The general plan 

 of the house may be 

 compared to the let- 

 ter H. It consists 

 of two great wings 

 connected by a cen- 

 tral structure. The 

 wings, however, are 

 neither symmetrical 

 nor identical in de- 

 sign, although in 

 thorough harmony 

 with each other. A 

 very delightful va- 

 riety is given to 

 them by extending 

 one further forward 

 on one front, and 

 the other further 

 forward on the 

 other. It is a clever 

 device, insuring a 

 picturesque eleva- 

 tion and mass at the 

 outset. Both wings 

 have gabled ends, 

 and the long stretch 

 of the side walls is 

 broken by other 

 gables and by dor- 

 mers, so that the 

 roof scheme is also 

 thoroughly diversi- 



