February, 1907 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



57 



rative effect, and on either side are retaining walls, with a 

 terrace one hundred feet long, on which large, quaint Italian 



with cedar logs, and beautiful with the prismatic tints of drift- 

 wood. Over the fireplace is a mantel of gray stone, on which 



are placed fitting ornaments. 

 The walls are hung with 

 heavy Flemish tapestry, and 

 with articles of old-time war- 

 fare. 



The dark and rich effect of 

 the hall is deepened by the 

 use of bog-oak for its fur- 

 nishings, and for the spacious 

 and handsome staircase, 

 which is an ornamental fea- 

 ture of the great room. As 

 one enters the hall, the eye is 

 delighted with the bright and 

 gorgeous hues of the large 

 circular conservatory in the 

 rear. Here are a generous 

 number of bay trees, palms, 

 azaleas, and other plants in 

 bloom. 



Nothing would be more 

 striking in contrast than this 

 glory of color as a back- 

 ground for the somber effect 

 of the hall, and yet, as the 

 visitor looks upward to the 

 next landing, the full splen- 



vases add quite perceptibly to the general picturesqueness. dor of it all comes to view. A grand organ crowns the hall. 

 The vestibule is finished in arched work of stucco, with built in part over the conservatory underneath, and giving a 

 a flooring of Grueby tiles; it is rich in the quaint 

 Dutch furniture of the early part of the eighteenth 

 century. The door of the main hall is opened by 

 a unique and artistic device, an antique-looking 

 figure in green bronze, which bears on its ex- 

 tended arms a large key. It is the work of H. H. 

 Kitson, the Boston sculptor, who presented it to 

 the hostess of the mansion in token of her cordial 

 hospitality. 



Entering the main hall, a scene of enchantment 

 meets the eye. The hall itself is English in effect, 

 but the knights in armor, one upon a steed also 

 in armor, makes one's thoughts revert to Warl- 

 burg Castle, in Eisenach. The furniture is mas- 

 sive, and the great tiled fireplace of old wrought 

 iron adds to the general effect of a baronial hall. 

 Here a cheerful fire burns constantly, fragrant 



The Ball-room Has Paneled Walls. The Color Scheme Is White and Gold. Furniture of the Louis XV. 

 Period Is Artistically Placed About the Room, While Handsome Cabinets Containing 

 Rare and Costly Vases Are Placed Along the Walls 



fine architectural effect, which is greatly heightened 

 by the presence of Mr. Hunt's "Flight of Night," 

 that superb picture which remains from the tragic 

 wreck of his mural paintings placed upon the walls 

 of the State Capitol at Albany, N. Y., only a few 

 months before his death, in 1879. This was 

 probably the most complete of all his studies, made 

 for the great final work, and has been cherished 

 tenderly by his family, and now finds its home in 

 this fitting and harmonious setting. The crowning 

 glory of this hall, indeed of the whole house. Is this 

 wonderful picture, never seen to such advantage 

 as now; placed in the organ, it has a deep signifi- 

 cance which only a poetic nature can wholly fathom. 

 It might be the theme for a great epic poem. 



On the right of the organ is a seat for the player, 

 the banks of keys, and the pedals. A unique bal- 

 cony of wrought iron extends around the conserva- 

 tory and leads to a small piano, which fills the 

 space on the opposite side of the organ. 



