Building for Hospitality 
GUEST HOUSES AND GUEST ROOMS THAT HAVE SOLVED THE PROBLEMS OF LIMITED SPACE—A NEW 
USE FOR OLD OUTBUILDINGS 
Dalton Wylie 
Photographs by Mary H. Northend 
P ERHxAPS it was Baron 
Stiegel who originated 
the idea. At any rate, that 
eccentric Colonist, whose 
beautiful glassware we have 
lately begun to appreciate and 
collect, built a guest house 
near Schaefferstown, Pa., as 
far back as 1769. Like every¬ 
thing the Baron did, it was 
an amazing piece of original¬ 
ity, and later became known 
as “Stiegel’s folly.” 
Overwhelmed by the re¬ 
sults of his own lavish hos¬ 
pitality, the Baron decided 
that his several residences 
were not large enough to ac¬ 
commodate all his guests. So 
he built this strange tower or 
Schloss on a hilltop some five 
miles north of Elizabeth Fur¬ 
nace. It was a wooden struc¬ 
ture built of heavy timbers, 
in the form of a truncated pyramid, seventy-five feet high, fifty 
feet square at the base and ten feet square at the top. On the 
ground floor were banquet halls, and above were richly appointed 
guest chambers. Here the princely manufacturer entertained on 
a grand scale so long as his money held out. 
It is quite likely that Stiegel borrowed the idea from his birth¬ 
place on the Rhine, and that the origin of the detached guest 
house dates back to antiquity. The fact remains that in this 
country it is by no means a 
common institution, in spite 
of the American aptitude for 
securing the highest efficiency 
in matters of household man¬ 
agement. 
Everybody, of course, has 
a guest room — or spare room, 
as we used to say. Many 
modern homes are built with 
two or three guest rooms that 
may be thrown en suite if 
desired, and well provided 
with bathroom facilities. But 
how about the day when the 
unexpected guest arrives, with 
the house already full, or 
when Harold brings five 
chums home from college un¬ 
announced ? The most capa¬ 
ble matron may be excused 
for being a bit put out on such 
occasions. Yet one cannot 
give up half a house to rooms 
A detached guest house will solve the entertaining problem both for hostess and guest. 
This vest pocket bungalow on the Parker estate at Nanepashomet, Mass., is an 
example of what can be done with little expenditure 
Pullmanize the beds and save space. Besides, guests like novel experiences, such as 
sleeping in berths that won’t bump and washing at basins that fold into the wall 
for guests alone. What then? 
The answer has been found 
in the detached guest house 
which may be made as attrac¬ 
tive and luxurious as you 
please, but which may, if de¬ 
sired, be inexpensively con¬ 
structed and simply furnished. 
One cannot treat one’s best 
guest room in quite that 
fashion. When not in use the 
visitors’ quarters are not tak¬ 
ing up valuable space in the 
house. The guest house may 
be closed up when unoccupied 
and need not be heated. 
Another thing: The aver¬ 
age guest room offers com¬ 
fort but no privacy. You may 
have an open fire and a desk 
and books in it, and do every¬ 
thing you can to make it com¬ 
plete and homelike, it never¬ 
theless remains a part of the 
house of the host and the guest lives continually under a certain 
amount of restraint and obligation. Particularly is this the case 
where young children are among the visitors in a home that is 
not accustomed to them. The detached guest house furnishes the 
desired freedom and the opportunity for privacy. There the 
children may romp without disturbing anybody. There mother 
may give way to her headache and lie down without fear of 
calling the attention of the household to her condition and caus¬ 
ing unnecessary inconvenience 
or embarrassment. 
The elaborateness of the 
guest house will depend, of 
course, on the needs and re¬ 
sources of the owner. A one- 
room, unheated bungalow, 
without running water, mav 
be put together for a hundred 
dollars or so, or the guest 
house may be well built, with 
living-room, porches, and 
chambers, heated and supplied 
with bathrooms, and co c t 
several thousand. So there is 
no rule about it. A few ex¬ 
amples cited will give a better 
idea of the possibilities than 
a long analysis. Some of 
these, it will be observed, are 
the results of remodeling, of 
utilizing buildings already on 
the place. 
Of this type is the guest 
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