January, 19 lo 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



Notable American Homes 



By Barr Ferree 



"Eirianva, ' the Tuxedo Home of the Rev. Canon George William Douglas, D. D. 



SOLATION is one of the obvious advan- 

 tages of a large country estate; it ensures 

 privacy and gives distinction but it does 

 not imply remoteness. The large land- 

 owners who have done so much to open 

 up the country and to beautify it, are quite 

 right in insisting on a certain degree of 

 isolation for their dwellings. But it is a special kind of 

 isolation that is required. The house must not be inac- 

 cessible nor too remotely situated; there must be communi- 

 cation with the outer world and, if possible, direct contact 

 with it. Of beauty and quiet and peace there must be an 

 abundance; and the place, above all, must be livable. 



All of this and much more is provided by Tuxedo Park, 

 the most famous park colony within easy reach of New 

 York. There are many notable houses there, and many 

 fine estates, but few of them are at once so accessible and 

 so isolated, so remote and yet so near, as the mountain 

 home of Dr. Douglas. The metropolis is, In truth, at his 

 very door, for the motor car will take you as quickly to 

 New York as the 

 train, and the tow- 

 ers of Manhattan 

 are distantly visible 

 from one of the 

 craigs in his diversi- 

 fied estate and from 

 the windows of his 

 home. It is scarce 

 more than a drop 

 down to the village 

 and station at the 

 foot of the hills, yet 

 the telephone keeps 

 him in immediate 

 contact with the 

 outer world, and a 

 splendid driveway 

 winds from the val- 

 ley to the hilltop on 

 which he has built 

 his home. These 

 advantages are so 

 numerous elsewhere 

 as to be quite com- 

 monplace in any 

 well developed 

 country region ; 

 they give conveni- 

 ence to this place 

 but add no distinc- 

 tion to it. The lat- 

 ter quality, which, 

 after all, is its 

 greatest and most 

 supreme charm, is 

 its distinct isola- 

 tion. Here is a 

 large and splendid 



house, perfectly accessible in every way, easy of approach 

 by train or motor, close to the metropolis, yet actually lo- 

 cated in a mountain region that is a wilderness, so far as 

 any outlook from any part of it is concerned. It is a home 



The entrance doorway 



in a mountain forest, yet scarce more than a stone's throw 

 from New York. The combination is a rare one and of 

 deep and unusual interest. 



The house is a stately dwelling designed by Mr. R. Clips- 

 ton Sturgis, architect, of Boston. It is H-shape in general 

 plan, with two gables on each end, front and within, and 

 a large service wing applied to one end. It is built of Har- 

 vard brick, with sandstone trimmings and is designed with 

 the refined taste and excellent workmanship for which this 

 capable architect is distinguished. The main doorway is in 

 one of the gable ends, and is an archway enclosed within 

 columns supporting an entablature; the door is of carved 

 oak; within is a vestibule, panelled in wood to the ceiling 

 and painted white. The floor is laid with large square tiles, 

 imported from England, light brown in color, and very 

 beautiful. A second door, richly veiled in lace, leads to an 

 inner vestibule or entrance hall. The walls here are panelled 

 in wood in small panels, white painted, and surmounted, 

 above the door heads, with a cornice. Over this is a band 

 of gold Japanese grass cloth that extends to the ceiling. 



The floor, like the 

 outer vestibule, is 

 laid in brown tiles, 

 on which are spread 

 handsome Oriental 

 rugs. Directly in 

 face is a monu- 

 mental doorway, 

 with Roman Ionic 

 columns supporting 

 a plain entablature. 

 Two Japanese 

 carved dragons 

 guard the entrance 

 which opens into 

 the dining room. 

 There are some fine 

 old pieces of furni- 

 ture here. 



On the right is 

 a corridor that ex- 

 tends along the en- 

 trance front. It is 

 a rich and splendid 

 apartment, panelled 

 in oak to the ceil- 

 ing, which is ellipti- 

 cal in form and is 

 decorated with a 

 graceful geometri- 

 cal pattern In white 

 plaster. There are 

 Oriental rugs on 

 the floor and many 

 paintings, chiefly 

 f a m i 1 v portraits. 

 Here also, among 

 other treasures, are 

 some antique 

 Roman marble busts. The windows, which add greatly to 

 the gallery-like effect of this apartment, have casement 

 openings with diamond-shaped panes; the curtains are old 

 red tapestry; each window has its seat, provided with cush- 



