December, 
1917 
A SMALL SEMI-TOWN HOUSE 
The Residence of John E. Mooney, Esq., St. Louis, Missouri 
Preserves an English Atmosphere in its Details and Matcrials 
GUY STUDY, Architect 
was taken from a little house in Holland built in 
1590. The second floor dormers are of an earlier 
period but have been given similar details to the first 
floor bay, thus lending the house a uniformity of 
detail that is pleasing. The wrought iron hangers 
supporting the hanging gutters, the tile ridge of the 
gables and the heavy mottled slate are architectural 
details found on the better types of English houses. 
There is, perhaps, no other detail that helps more to 
give the house what English character it may pos¬ 
sess than the cut-off gable ends. These gables have 
only about an inch and a half projection of the 
slate, the slate being set in cement so as to form 
a small molding. These gables and the plaster sof¬ 
fits of the cornices help considerably to lend an 
English look. 
The door is quite Gothic in character. It is of 
heavy oak studded with iron nails making it quite 
an uncommon entrance for 
an American home. 
T HEY say that wherever an Englishman goes he 
carries England with him. And that is the story 
of this little town house which is in St. Louis. 
The owner had lived for several years in England and 
when he came to build his house he wanted it English. 
He had spent several summers near Braddow in 
Essex and while there was greatly taken by a small 
but famous house dating from the 14th Century, 
known as “Great Sir Hughes” home. After that point 
it was up to the ingenuity 
and skill of the architect to 
satisfy this interesting wish 
and still regard the limita¬ 
tions of cost and the size of 
the lot. A compact plan was 
absolutely necessary. The 
lot was only an average city 
size of 60' and it offered 
nothing in its immediate sur¬ 
roundings to act as a setting. 
However, here was a client 
who actually knew the true 
English character, and this 
fact counted for a great deal. 
Interesting Details 
The composition of the 
fagade is extremely simple. 
It was only in the details 
that something of an English 
character was possible. The 
selection of materials such 
as the brickwork and the 
slate also gave an opportu¬ 
nity for an English touch. 
The pitched roof was de¬ 
cided on in order to conform 
with the general lines of the 
houses on the street. The 
brickwork is of special note. 
It is a common red brick 
varying from a light salmon 
red to a rich dark red. This 
brick is laid in English gar¬ 
den wall bond in a mortar 
almost black. Additional 
texture is obtained by the 
introduction of a small per¬ 
centage of black-headers and 
stretchers and a few small 
vitrified paving bricks, laid 
in at random. This is the 
favorite brickwork used by 
Mr. William B. Itter who 
has devoted much time and 
thought to the different com¬ 
binations of brick used with 
such happy results. 
There is precedent behind 
the house. The idea for the 
large bay on the first floor 
The Plans 
A study of the plans shows 
that the greatest possible 
amount of living space has 
been compacted into small 
compass without sacrificing 
convenience or comfort or 
an interest of room disposi¬ 
tion. Thus, the stair hall is 
not large, but it is in scale 
and is so devised as to make 
for quick service and abun¬ 
dant hospitality. The broad 
landing half way up affords 
light and variety. A rear hall 
to the kitchen and the rear 
stairs keep the service depart¬ 
ment separate. 
From the front bay win¬ 
dow in the living room 
through the dining room to 
the sun porch in the rear, 
the plan is open, affording 
a house depth ventilation. 
Kitchen and pantry fill the 
remaining space. 
On the second floor are 
four bedrooms, one bath and 
a sleeping porch. Each room 
has closet space and plenty 
of ventilation and light. The 
plan is square, with hall 
space reduced to a minimum. 
Servants’ rooms and store 
rooms are under the roof and 
lighted by dormers. 
The house is an example 
of the distinction in a small 
town residence which can be 
had by making the necessary 
concessions to space limita¬ 
tions and by building with a 
definite architectural purpose 
and design in mind. It is 
simple, inexpensive, yet indi¬ 
vidual withal, an English 
house in an American set¬ 
ting, a successful adaptation 
to our Western requirements. 
English precedents are shown in the 
fagade. The large bay window on the 
first floor is Dutch. The bricks are 
laid in English garden wall bond in 
black mortar. In the limitation of 
the space the architectural atmos¬ 
phere has been successfully estab¬ 
lished 
A main hall adds to the 
size of the living room and 
gives the stair hall an in¬ 
teresting approach. The 
plan is open, well venti¬ 
lated and provided with 
sufficient sunlight 
Compactness characterizes 
the second story plan. The 
bay windows add interest 
to the front chambers. A 
sleeping porch at the rear 
is a convenient adjunct 
