October, 1909 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
The Modern Country House 
By Francis Durando Nichols 
HERE are certain features which are ab- 
% solutely necessary for a house that qualifies 
as a modern dwelling. Each of the dwell- 
ings illustrated herewith has an atmos- 
phere that distinguishes one from the other 
with candid accuracy. 
Messrs. Mclllraine and Roberts, of 
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, designed the house shown in 
Figures I, 2, 3, 4, and 5, and built for Charles C. Watts, 
Esq., at Germantown, Pennsylvania. It is a fine example of 
the modern American house. It is well placed on a “‘flat- 
iron’’ piece of property with a rapid rise from the roadway, 
and, on account of its position, access is obtained to it from 
three different points. 
The house is constructed of rock-faced local stone, laid 
with wide white mortar joints. The building is brought 
close to the ground 
by the massive roof 
of slate whichslopes 
down over the sec- 
ond story, forming 
a roof for the pi- 
ieee ~ he ereat 
massive stone piers 
and arch give solid- 
ity to the entrance. 
iaines tha lb urs 
trimmed with chest- 
nut finished in its 
natural soft brown 
eolos. It Shas a 
paneled wainscoting 
above which the 
walls are covered 
Wohi 2. t.w o- 
tone mustard-yellow 
wall-paper. dire 
ceiling is beamed 
and ribbed. The 
living-room is simi- 
larly treated and 
has a brick fireplace 
and mantel. The 
billiard-room adjoining is also trimmed with chestnut, and 
has a paneled wainscoting and a beamed ceiling. There are 
two bay-windows with window-seats in this room. 
There are five bedrooms and two bathrooms on the second 
floor; the bathrooms have tiled wainscotings and porcelain 
fixtures, with exposed nickelplated plumbing. The servants’ 
bedrooms and bath- and trunk-room are on the third floor. 
The cellar contains the heating-apparatus, fuel-rooms and 
laundry. 
Mr. Stanley Ward’s suburban home in Bronxville, New 
York (Figures 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11), is a high type of the 
ideal suburban home. It has fine lines which are well carried 
out and emphasized by its artistic coloring, which is further 
enhanced by the fine setting of trees with which it is sur- 
rounded. 
The house is of frame construction, covered with a rough 
plaster finish on metal lath. The trimmings are painted a 
soft brown color, while the roof is painted a reddish brown. 
The interior arrangement is quite complete and provides 
all the appointments to be found in the highest grade of 
Fig. 2—The solidity of massive stone piers and arches to 
houses. ‘The hall is at the front, and opening from it is the 
living-room and the dining-room, which has communication 
with the kitchen through the butler’s pantry. The hall has 
a white painted trim, with walls covered with a two-tone 
striped mustard-yellow wall-paper. The simple staircase has 
a white-painted balustrade with mahogany rail and treads. 
The living-room ceiling is low-studded and affords ample 
opportunity for the artistic hanging of pictures. The trim 
is painted an ivory white, which harmonizes with the soft 
green wall-paper, that has a striped design of a darker shade 
running perpendicularly from the floor to the ceiling. The 
open fireplace has a brick hearth and facings, and a Colonia] 
mantel of good design. Bookcases are built in at either side 
of the fireplace. The circular bay-window, built out at the 
corner of the room, is provided with a window-seat extend- 
ing around it. 
The dining-room, which connects with 
the living-room, 
has a white-painted 
trim. Its walls are 
covered with a two- 
toned green striped 
paper. The open 
fireplace has a red 
brick hearth and a 
Colonia] mantel. 
The butler’s pan- 
try is fitted with a 
sink and dressers 
complete. A door 
opens from the pan- 
try to the kitchen, 
which is fitted with 
a range, dresser, 
sink, and a_ large 
store pantry. There 
is also a large out- 
side entry contain- 
ing the stairs to the 
outside and the cel- 
lar, and an outside 
entry large enough 
provide — space 
for the ice-box. 
The second floor is divided into sleeping-rooms. These 
are four in number, each being decorated in one single color- 
tone. The trim throughout this floor is painted ivory white. 
One of the guest rooms has a blue and white striped wall- 
paper, while another has a two-tone yellow paper. The 
owner’s room has a flowered design of American beauty 
roses on a white ground. The bathroom has white 
enameled walls and ceiling, and is furnished with porcelain 
fixtures and exposed plumbing. 
The third floor contains two bedrooms for the servants, 
one extra guest-room and a trunk-room. The cellar contains 
all the necessary fixtures for a well-regulated house, in- 
cluding a furnace-room, fuel-room and laundry. Mr. Wil- 
liam A. Bates, of New York, was the architect. 
Mr. Alfred Rogers’ house at Milton, Massachusetts, is 
an interesting one for the reason that it is constructed on 
square lines, with its walls of stucco sufficiently pierced by 
quaint and attractive windows to give it the low elongated 
effect desired by the architects, Messrs. Coolidge and Carl- 
son, of Boston. 
