H ouse and Garden 
series of structures of 
exotic styles, Japanese, 
Moorish and sundry 
other manners being 
juxtaposed fantastical¬ 
ly enough to cause ex¬ 
clamations of surprise. 
Pergolas are found 
topping roofed balcon¬ 
ies ; a bridge connects 
one corner of the house 
with a Japanese sum¬ 
mer pavilion and gar¬ 
den. 'There are as 
many differences of 
level within the house 
as one would imagine 
from without, and the 
whole effect, notwith¬ 
standing certain admi¬ 
rable features, is of a profusion and variety 
rather interesting than wholly fortunate. 
Yet the house, like the garden, is, after all, an 
experiment of piquant charm, and it is ingen¬ 
ious and wayward to the last degree. The 
designer has crowded into this meager half 
acre an amount of thought and resource 
simply amazing. 
Since the first cause of Rochelle Park was 
a financial one, it is pertinent to inquire how 
THE HOUSE OF H. PETTIBONE, ESQ 
THE HOUSE OF NATHAN F. BARRETT, ESQ. 
the experiment has turned out for those who 
tried it. 'The total investment represented 
by the original mortgage, plus the improve¬ 
ments put upon the tract, it is not possible 
to state here, but the amount was doubtless 
a good deal more than $t 00,000. To offset 
this, the insurance company has sold some 
fifty lots, at an average of perhaps $2,000, 
and it still holds about thirty building sites, 
of a half acre each. Its risk has therefore 
been much reduced, 
and promises to grow 
steadily less. 'The 
company protected it¬ 
self and the buyers of 
its real estate by exact¬ 
ing agreements that no 
house be built fronting 
the Boulevard to cost 
less than $5,000. On 
the other roads, 
$3,000 is the irredu¬ 
cible minimum. The 
average cost of existing 
structures has been 
much greater. Stables 
and outbuildings are 
allowed in the park, 
but only one dwelling 
may be erected on any 
lot. A further step was 
the organization, after 
some twenty-five 
241 
