October, 1911 
AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 
An architect often meets with an ‘‘ugly’’ house to be remodeled. 
formal vestibule shown in the accompanying photograph. 
Mr. Olcott’s house, at New Canaan, Connecticut, is an 
An unattractive old house can be made into a pleasing structure 
and mantels. This old house was reclaimed with soap and 
water and white paint from its use by the previous owner 
old house that is of artistic interest from the beauty of its as anegro tenement. I suppose that even with its splendid 
woodwork, both on the exterior and within. It stands at woodwork and its impressive old box bushes, it required a 
the corner of two old roads, and has a porch facing on 
The porches are similar in treatment, all what it would look like to-day. 
and are, I believe, among the most perfect specimens of 
each one of these. 
keen imagination on the part of its new owner to realize at 
Messrs. Albro and Lindeberg have made something 
the Connecticut Colonial porch in existence. Of particu- charming out of the commonplace old house that served 
lar interest is the 
leading in the fan 
and sidelights. By 
the way, do you 
know that the glass 
at the side of the 
doors of these old 
houses is not leaded 
at all, in the modern 
acceptance of the 
term? The mul- 
lions, or divisions. 
which go through 
the glass are of 
wood, not lead, and 
the circles and other 
plain pieces are of 
bent wood, and the 
molded ornament 
only is of lead—the 
buttons, leaves, ro- 
settes, efc. — and 
they are fastened 
with nails to the 
wooden members 
beneath. It is a cur- 
ious thing how char- 
acteristic of Connec- 
ticut this type of 
pore is: have 
never found it fully 
developed in old 
_ work anywhere else, 
while there are 
many variations of 
it within the limits 
of the State. 
In the interior of 
this delightful New 
Canaan house, no- 
tice the interesting 
illustrated details 
of the doors, trims 
House of Mr. Howard McWilliams of Plainfield, New Jersey, along old-time lines 
The garden side of Mr. Howard McWilliams’ house is picturesquely treated 
in its altered state 
as Dr. Fahnestock’s 
farm cottage. 
In Mr. Carring- 
ton’s house, the 
same architects have 
produced a _ result 
delightfully home- 
like. The old house 
was as unhappy 
looking as the pic- 
tures of the un- 
named structure al- 
tered by them as 
shown in the illus- 
trations and the re- 
sults are equally 
successful. 
Somewhat diter- 
ent is the house of 
Mr. McWilliams, 
which enjoys the 
distinction of pre- 
serving old-fash- 
ioned characteristics 
even in its remodel- 
leissea far. cry 
from an _ English 
Gothic cathedral to 
an American Colon- 
ial farmhouse, but 
in each the varia- 
tions in symmetry, 
which are due to the 
work of different 
hands and different 
designers at varying 
periods of their ex- 
istence, add much 
to their charm, as 
here the variations 
make no break in 
continuity. 
