August, 1910 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



307 



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None of the cottages is 

 alike, but all are comfort- 

 able. Even the nineteen 

 open fireplaces are unlike 

 one another, and are a 

 study in the construction. 

 Some of the cottages are 

 on the "bluff" 100 to 140 

 feet above the water level, 

 and have different views of 

 the sound and bay, the 

 quaint village of Mt. Sinai 

 and the distant cities. 

 Others are on the "slope" 

 facing on the west Mt. 

 Ararat and other portions 

 of Belle Terre. Some of 

 these also have glimpses of 

 the Sound. One of the cot- 

 tages ("Weehut") is in the 

 woods. "Windy Knoll," 

 on the extreme northern 



portion of the bluff, just beyond the "Overlook" (a part of 

 the property preserved as a public park), has the most 

 comprehensive view. No cottage is built within 100 feet 

 of another and most are several hundred feet apart, and 

 one must not cut 

 off the view from 

 another. This last 

 requirement is pos- 

 sible on account of 

 the peculiar configu- 

 ration of the land, 

 as knolls are of va- 

 rious length with 

 valleys and vales 

 between them. On 

 the bluff, looking 

 towards the water, 

 are twelve such 

 knolls. 



The time has ar- 

 rived when a few 

 more families and 



cottages are desirable. After these are obtained no more 

 will be accepted, as Crystal Brook must ever remain an 

 ideal country place with plenty of room, fresh, pure air, 



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First floor 



sirable. Year by year the 

 season grows longer and 

 the cottages will be so ar- 

 ranged that a sojourn in 

 them will include very early 

 spring and late fall, and 

 suitable resorts for 

 Thanksgiving and Christ- 

 mas holidays. 



In order that the Board 

 of Trustees, who are an- 

 nually elected by the stock- 

 holders, may be able to 

 prevent the presence of un- 

 desirable persons and nuis- 

 ances, none of the property 

 is sold outright but is 

 leased for ninety-nine 

 years, with the privilege of 

 renewal at the end of that 

 period. It seems to be 

 generally agreed that in 

 some such way only can property be really restricted. In 

 Crystal Brook the owners of cottages cannot keep swine, 

 cows or chickens, unless given special consent by the Board 

 of Trustees, and private stables are restricted to one por- 

 tion of the prop- 

 erty. No one can 

 transfer property 

 without the consent 

 of the Board, which 

 also seems a wise 

 provision. The Club 

 House, which is 

 primarily a dining 

 club, is centrally 

 situated and con- 

 sists of a dining- 

 r o o m thirty by 

 forty feet, with im- 

 mense windows on 

 four sides and a 

 ceiling twenty-five 

 feet high. The 

 pantry and the kitchen extend out diagonally from the 

 dining-room. This club is not run for profit, but 

 is a co-operative affair established for the benefit of those 



•BEPROOM- 



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BED ROOM 



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 15" *ia- 



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■E>EP ROOM 



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Second floor 



song birds and all that goes to make a summer home de- who wish to be relieved of the care of housekeeping dur- 



South side, "Jessamine Lodge" 



"Jessamine Lodge," Mr. Hobart Walker's cottage 



