August, 1907 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 297 



Quietly Resting Under the Spreading Trees Is the Old Farm House, from Which Broad Vistas Are Obtained of the Meadows 



to modern requirements, and Mr. Gage's renovation of his 

 house at Villa Nova is a fine illustration of this very point. 



The charm — the architectural, artistic or building charm 

 — of an old house is an undeniable quality of attractiveness 

 which many a spacious, costly modern dwelling wholly lacks. 

 It is the distinction of old age that wins one's admiration, 

 and no building can acquire this fine characteristic save by age 

 itself. The vaunted superiority of the new house is apt to be 

 thoroughly superficial, a mere veneer, as it were, on a founda- 

 tion by no means too extensive. If need be, much of this 

 veneer can be applied to an old house, which may thus obtain 

 the combined advantage of the beauty of old age with the 



excellence of modern conveniences, and all they imply. 



For the conveniences must not be forgotten. No building 

 is a fit habitation that fails to meet the personal requirements 

 of its owner, however whimsical those requirements may be 

 Our ways of living, our life, the matters that make up life, 

 and the methods of housekeeping which are now in vogue are 

 so thoroughly different from those of our forefathers, that 

 only by complete renovation can an old house be adapted to 

 modern needs. This, however, and most fortunately, need 

 not be an outward renovation, nor even a radical one, but 

 simply one that brings a long-used structure up to date in a 

 manner compatible with fine old age and good modern usage. 



The Servants' Hall and Quarters 



