NEW 
“ TO IMPROVE THE SOIL AND MIND.” 
SERIES. 
Vol. v. 
ALBANY, JANUARY, 1848. 
No. 1. 
miTKAl* AHCHITECTVttEMHOPi: COTTAGE. 
**' These is nothing,” observes A. J. Downing, 
** that more powerfully affects the tastes and habits of 
% family"—especially the younger members of it—than 
the house in which it lives. An uncouth, squalid hab¬ 
itation, is little likely to awaken that attachment to 
home r that love of good order, and that sense of pro¬ 
priety and elegance in social deportment, which are so 
much promoted, so much developed, by that home 
where a certain proportion, a certain fitness, and a 
sense of beauty, are ever where visible.” 
With such views as these, every observing person 
must hail with much satisfaction, the great improve¬ 
ment, within the past few years, in country architec¬ 
ture. A rapid change for the better, in the adoption 
of styles adapted to rural and picturesque scenery, has 
taken place throughout the country. Inexpressive 
square blocks, and right-angled parallelograms, are 
yielding to the more free and tasteful erections in neat 
Gothic and Italian. The stately and formal Grecian, 
formerly considered the utmost limit of perfection for 
a country dwelling, has had its day. It may, indeed, 
do very well for the compact city, and is admirably 
fitted for the ambitious capitol, or the massive banking 
house. It may also suit the stiff, geometric style of 
plantingj but this mode of planting has long since 
given place to the infinitely superior manner of imita¬ 
ting the graceful and picturesque in nature. The 
Gothic and Italian are divested of formality, and the 
ease with which the outlines of buildings in these two 
styles may be broken and varied, render them perfectly 
adapted to modern landscape gardening, and to main¬ 
tain that harmony which should exist between build¬ 
ings and the surrounding grounds. 
On the ground of strict utility, these modes possess 
peculiar advantages for rural erections. The conveni¬ 
ent juxtaposition of rooms, in Grecian buildings, is 
often sacrificed to exterior uniformity. But in these, 
what is regarded as a defect in the Grecian, becomes, 
in judicious hands, a source of real beauty, by afford¬ 
ing a varied and picturesque outline against the sky. 
In so rapid an introduction of these new styles, it 
was not to be expected that every one should at once 
fully appreciate their peculiar characteristics. Vague 
and undefined notions must at first exist when a sub¬ 
ject entirely new engages the attention. Hence we 
are not surprised to see many examples of bad taste; 
the plain, simple, and chaste, being excluded by a pro¬ 
fusion of gingerbread work, and fantastic and unmean¬ 
ing decoration. A more, thorough knowledge of cor¬ 
rect principles in architecture of this kind, will gradu¬ 
ally dissipate these defecj^k; and appropriate and taste¬ 
ful ornament be only sparingly introduced, instead of 
superfluous and flimsy carvings. This change, which 
t 
has already made great advances, promises a most 
pleasing improvement in the scenery of our country; 
when true taste, without increase in cost, shall be ex¬ 
hibited in neat cottages, as well as in farm houses and 
mansions. 
Principal Floor—Fig, % 
For the purpose of inviting more particular atten¬ 
tion to the Italian style of architecture, we havq,se- 
lected for a frontispiece to our present number, a view 
of u Hope Cottage,” one of four, recently erected by 
Second Floor— Fig. 3. 
E. P. Prentice, Esq., on his estate at Mount Hope,, 
on the west bank of the Hudson, just below this city. 
Almost exclusive attention has been given hitherto to 
the Gothic style, by those erecting country residences 
according to the principles of taste and picturesque 
