February, 1910 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



47 



look for in Farmington, and, admirably suited to the lo- 

 cality in a general way, it is especially suited to the particu- 

 lar place, the precise spot on which it is erected. 



The house is actually much larger than any single pho- 

 tograph is apt to suggest; for in addition to the dwelling 

 the ample back buildings are connected with shed, carriage 

 house and stable, all of which can be reached under cover, 

 a convenience by no means to be despised in a cold New 

 England winter. This group of buildings is, therefore, an 

 extensive one, and as each part is ample in size in itself, the 

 whole series covers a good deal of ground. Of land, how- 

 ever, there is an abundance, the estate comprising about two 

 hundred and fifty acres. The house stands on an elevated 



a slender railing, meets the steeper slope of the house roof, 

 which is pierced by three dormers, the middle one being the 

 largest, and having a triple light. The roof is shingled, the 

 house walls boarded; the piers of the porch square and 

 panelled, and its cemented Hoor but two steps above the 

 ground. The motif of the piers — a plain recessed panel in 

 each face — appears again and again in every part — on the 

 house angles, on the bay window, on the lesser piers of the 

 wing porches; nothing could be simpler, yet it is the leading 

 detail-motif in the whole design. 



As originally built the house was symmetrical in design, 

 with identical wings, one on each side of the centre struc- 

 ture. They were provided with great sloping roofs that 



The hall is of the old type, and is a rectangular passage through the centre of the house 



plateau; behind it rise a range of hills; below it, the land 

 slopes gradually down to the town. 



To all intents and purposes, therefore, we have here a 

 fine old time farm house; not a reproduction, not a duplica- 

 tion of another building, not a grouping together of various 

 parts from various structures; but a quiet harmonious de- 

 sign, worked out in the style of its period, with detailing of 

 the most careful kind, a house that is at once scholarly and 

 refined, modern and old. Entirely consistent in all its parts, 

 it has the fine character of the old house, and all the com- 

 forts and conveniences of a new one. 



There is a great central building, rising in generous di- 

 mensions behind a porch whose ceiling is above the windows 

 of the second story. Its sloping roof, partly hidden behind 



came down to the porch eaves in front, but which at the back 

 were stopped above the windows of the second story. This 

 structure still remains, but the porch on the left has been 

 enclosed and now forms a part of the new library added to 

 that side of the house. It has a bay window similar to the 

 older one built beneath the great portico, an arrangement 

 that adds to the symmetry of the main front, although the 

 parts are actually irregular. Everywhere there is ample 

 wall spacing, with large rectangular windows, broad sloping 

 roofs and completely restrained detailing. A very minute 

 detail is the exposure of the nail heads in applying the outer 

 sheathing. The house is painted white, with green blinds. 



The interior plan presents no points of complexity. The 

 rooms are large and square and offer a direct relationship 



