House and 
Vol. XII JULY, 1907 
Garde 
No. 1 
The Swiss Chalet 
THE IDEAL MOUNTAIN HOUSE 
By WILLIAM ELLIS SCULL 
HE Swiss peasant, born amidst the 
majestic surroundings of the Alps, 
has developed in his chalet a style 
of architecture quite unique in its 
design and most appropriate in its 
appearance to its very rugged sur¬ 
roundings; also, in its material and 
construction there is a sturdiness 
well suited for protection from the very severe forces 
of the elements. The chalets of Switzerland may be 
divided into three classes: First, those of the higher 
regions, called mazots; secondly, those of the medium 
levels; and, thirdly, those of the valleys. The solidity 
of the building of those of the upper Iregion is the re¬ 
sult of material easily procured in the neighborhood, 
the wood used being yellow pine, hewn in the rough 
and unpainted, which time gradually changes to a 
rich reddish brown. The general construction is not 
unlike the log cabin of the frontier settler, with the 
difference that an artistic or architectural touch has 
been given to the appearance by good proportions, 
larger overhanging eaves, and here and there some 
rough bold carving, with frequently the date of 
construction, or a symbolic figure, cut in over the 
door. 
Fire has destroyed almost all of the very ancient 
buildings; nevertheless enough remains of the old to 
show that Swiss architecture, pure and simple, has 
undergone no material change. There has been no 
Renaissance, unless that name be given to the 
Copyright, 1907, by The John C. Winston Co. 
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