November, 1906 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



291 



A Colonial House 



By Francis Durando Nichols 



|OME ten miles out of Boston, in that quaint 

 New England village of Dedham, with its 

 plain, square houses, set in green yards, in- 

 closed with white painted picket fences 

 terminating with stately gate-posts placed 

 at the entrance ways, is situated the charm- 

 ing home of Francis W. Welsh, Esq. 



The site faces a broad avenue, from which a winding 

 roadway starts at either side of the estate and winds up to 

 the terrace at the front of the house, from which the house 

 is entered. 



The style of architecture is Colonial, and is quite charac- 

 teristic of its prototype built in the Colonial period in which 

 Dedham was settled. 

 The attractive fea- 

 tures of its prototype 

 which have been ex- 

 cellently reproduced 

 in the building of 

 this house, are the 

 elongated effects, the 

 quaint, low roof and 

 the little window- 

 panes. 



The main feature 

 of the front is the en- 

 trance porch which is 

 reached from a ter- 

 race raised two steps 

 from the grade. Be- 

 yond is a circular step 

 which forms a plat- 

 form for the columns 

 that support the 

 roof built for a pro- 

 tection to the front 

 door. This door 

 has windows at either 

 side of the entrance 

 and a transom hand- 

 somely glazed with 

 leaded glass. The 

 living-porch, a cov- 

 ered piazza, is placed 

 at the rear of the 

 house. It is open on 

 three sides and is 

 quite separate from 

 the entrance porch, 

 thereby precluding 

 any possibility of an 

 intrusion. Being open 

 as it is, it insures 

 good ventilation and 

 offers a charming 

 spot in which to 

 spend a sunshiny af- 

 ternoon, and when 

 in winter it is in- 

 closed with glass, it 

 forms a very attrac- 

 tive and convenient 

 sun-room. From it a 



i 



The Terrace Before the House is Faced with Rhododendrons 



beautiful view is obtained of the Charles River, which 

 winds itself in a serpentine form from Boston Harbor to 

 and beyond the house. 



The pink and white blooms of the peonies placed along 

 the terrace form a delightful note of contrast to the yellow 

 painted clapboards and the pure-white painted trim of the 

 exterior of the house. The entire building is surmounted 

 with a shingle roof, stained a silver-gray color and blending 

 itself into the variegated shades of green of the tall pines 

 on the banks of the river at the back of the house and which 

 form a very excellent setting for the house. The roof is 

 pierced with white painted chimneys with black painted tops. 

 The white painted quoins at the corners belong more to the 



later Colonial than to 

 the Puritan period, 

 yet, at the same time, 

 there is no incongru- 

 ity, for they are quite 

 in harmony with the 

 rest of the house. 



F^ntering the hall, 

 which is Puritan en- 

 tirely, one faces the 

 broad staircase with 

 a high, white painted 

 balustrade and ma- 

 hogany rail. The 

 chair rail extending 

 around the room 

 forming a dado, is 

 painted white and so 

 is the trim through- 

 out. This dado is 

 also painted white, 

 above which the 

 walls are covered 

 with a wallpaper con- 

 sisting of a highly 

 ornate yellow and 

 white decoration. A 

 hat table and a few 

 high-back chairs are 

 arranged against the 

 sides of the walls. 

 To the left is the 

 den, which is 

 trimmed entirely of 

 whitewood treated 

 with a forest-green 

 effect. A huge fire- 

 place is at one side of 

 the room, of red 

 brick, with red brick 

 facings and hearth — 

 and a mantel of 

 quaint design. Op- 

 posite is a cluster of 

 small paneled win- 

 dows and luxuriously 

 cushioned seats. 

 The "Mission" fur- 

 niture suits its severe 

 yet comfortable lines 



