266 
veniences adapted to 
modern needs, and 
this Mr. Philip has 
very ably demon- 
strated in the re- 
claiming of this old 
house. The artistic 
and building charm 
of an old house has 
an undeniable qual- 
ity of attractive fea- 
tures which a home 
of more spacious 
style and more costly 
does not possess. It 
is this distinction of 
old age that arouses 
one’s admiration, 
and no building can 
acquire this fine 
characteristic save 
by age itself. 
The seeming su- 
periority of the new 
house is apt to be 
thoroughly sup er- 
ficial); as it 1s on a 
foundation by no 
means too extensive. 
Much of this veneer 
can be applied to an 
old house, which 
may thus obtain the 
combined advan- 
tages of the beauty 
of old age with the 
excellence of mod- 
ern — convenience, 
which are to be well 
considered, for no 
building is a fit habi- 
tation that fails to 
meet the personal 
requirements of its 
owner. The present 
mode of living and 
the methods of 
housekeeping which 
are now in vogue are 
so thoroughly dif- 
ferent from those 
prevailing a century 
ago, that by only a complete renovation can an old house be 
This, however, need be neither 
an outward nor a radical renovation, but simply one that 
adapted to modern needs. 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
The living-room is furnished with antique furniture 
The dining-room is treated with lilac-green and white 
brings a long-used house up to date, and in a manner that will _ setting of old trees. 
July, 1909 
meet all the present- 
day requirements. 
The most enthusi- 
astic charactefistic 
of the man who te- 
models an old house 
into a livable one is 
reflected in the pleas- 
ure he has had in 
transforming it ac- 
cording to his own 
fancy, and _ seeing 
how cheaply and 
economically it can 
be done. 
A few years ago 
an old house such as 
this was considered 
to be past redemp- 
tion, but the rapid 
increase in the cost 
of building ma- 
terials, and the 
higher wage for the 
building mechanics, 
have been the cause 
of developing every 
possible means by 
which a home may 
be obtained at a 
small cost. 
To those eco- 
nomically inclined, 
the thought occurred 
some time ago that 
an old house, valued 
by the owner at a 
nominal price, could 
be transformed into 
something more 
beautiful, and at a 
very small expense. 
These ideas have 
been published in 
the various maga- 
zines, AMERICAN 
HoMEs AND GAR- 
DENS included; so 
that to-day there are 
many old _ houses, 
especially old farm- 
houses, while of no 
use in their present state of delapidation, that have become 
very attractive to the country home-seeker, and especially so 
when they are surrounded, as in present case, by a splendid 
