August, 1909 
form, very heavily carved, while without the surface is carved 
in low relief. Like the walls, the ceiling is, throughout, of 
California redwood, but the plain rich wood alone is used 
for the center. The furniture is of English walnut with 
tapestry seats. On either side is a carved gilded sideboard 
with top of polished green marble. 
The breakfast-room, in the opposite end of this wing, is 
articulated with the dining-room by a spacious butler’s pan- 
try, within which is a stairway to the kitchen and service 
rooms below. Its size is practically identical with that of the 
dining-room. It has a low wood wainscot, above which the 
walls are covered with a figured pattern in low relief and 
cream and yellow in tone. The geometric ceiling is of 
plaster, and is very rich in design, with numerous hanging 
pendants. The window curtains are of red velvet. ‘The 
chief decoration of the room, however, is obtained from the 
magnificent tapestries which hang on the center of each wall, 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
393 
crowned. ‘The general form of the plan has already been 
stated, but the pergolas and pavilions without the house 
which face the terrace front, and in which its total area is 
greatly extended, should be mentioned. ‘The treatment of 
the terrace front is, indeed, entirely monumental, the great 
grassed terraces being reached with long flights of stone 
steps, while the retaining wall that supports the upper ter- 
race is covered with ampelopsis, roses and clematis. On the 
entrance front, the lower terraces are in process of transfor- 
mation at this writing; but an ample esplanade here is en- 
closed within a balustrade, while a great bed of rhododen- 
drons and lilies give a wonderful color-note to the center. 
The entrance doorway itself is encased within an ornamental 
facing of Indiana limestone that is the most ornate feature 
of the exterior. 
That the lower terraces here are in process of transforma- 
tion by no means suggests unfinished grounds. ‘The estate is 
The service entrance and one wing of “ Darlington” 
and which are among the most valuable of Mr. Crocker’s 
large collection. The room is entered from one corner, the 
doorway, within, being enclosed within a triangular screen 
of English oak that gives a quaint aspect to the apartment, 
while harmonizing completely with its general style and 
treatment. 
The interior of this great house possesses so much interest 
that the larger part of space has been necessarily given to it. 
Yet outwardly it is exceedingly fine and impressive. The 
design of Mr. James Brite, architect, of New York, the 
mansion stands on the summit of a ridge that rises somewhat 
steeply as it is approached from the railroad station, but 
which affords ample room for spacious terraces and gardens 
on the inner side, where the entrance front is located. The 
lofty walls of Harvard brick rise high above the whole of 
the surrounding landscape, the house being three full stories 
in height, with a fourth story in the roof that is partly con- 
cealed behind the pierced balustrade with which the whole is 
a large one, including eleven hundred acres, and various 
works are naturally undertaken from time to time. The 
grounds immediately around the house are in perfect order 
and entirely complete. Rare old boxes have been success- 
fully transplanted to without the entrance door. Farther on 
a splendid grove of Japanese maples, a truly remarkable col- 
lection, has been permanently rooted. In the nearby woods, 
to the left of the entrance, whole forests of rhododendrons 
have been set out, and in their season cover the hillsides 
with carpets of the loveliest blooms. Off on the right are 
the conservatories and greenhouses, truly mammoth struc- 
tures, devoted to all sorts of practical and beautiful uses. 
The house lawns are in perfect condition, and the planting 
everywhere, whether it be of evergreen, of shrubbery or 
perennials, is beautiful and decorative. One may literally 
tramp miles through this estate and see some new object of 
interest almost at every step. It is, in a very true sense, a 
notable home, one worthy to be loved and admired. 
