33 
THE COMMUTER BUILDS A REST HOUSE 
He Flees io a High Tower 
and Makes it Habitable 
G. CAMPBELL 
I T is not all sunshine in the life of the 
commuter. I'rue, he knows the delight 
of shaking off the dust of the city as he 
boards the suburban train and the comfort 
of resting in his motor as it scurries along 
the quiet country roads. And fortunate in¬ 
deed is he if, upon arriving home, there is 
still saved for him a comfortable spot on the 
veranda where he may leisurely smoke the 
after-dinner pipe, while he watches the star¬ 
lit sky or gazes out across rich meadow and 
farmlands that stretch silvery in the moon- 
light. 
But it is strange what a host of forgotten 
friends loom up in the country home when it 
is completed! Dinner guests, parties for 
bridge with dancing afterwards, make him 
yearn for the quiet corner and an evening 
to himself. 
Over yonder comes a motor, eating up the 
dusty road, bearing guests to overcrowd the 
already burdened house. Down from the sky 
drops the aeroplane with more guests. It 
seems that unexpected guests invariably ar¬ 
rive when we are servantless and the larder 
has run low. 
Let no commuter refute this. Alas I, too, 
have been one myself—forced to relinquish 
my summer home on account of too many 
uninvited guests. Not a. day but I am ques¬ 
tioned to solve this problem, and I suggest 
building a rest house in some quiet spot, 
remote from the chatter and gossip—a place 
where rest and quiet can be enjoyed. 
The tower stands on the crest of a hill 
in the woods, a large square field stone 
structure about 20' high, housing the 
water tank below. The top is finished 
in half-timber with large windows and 
wide overhanging eaves 
On his place at Magnolia, Mass., William 
H. Coolidge has taken a water tower and 
capped it with a little apartment pleas¬ 
antly furnished in old Belgian pieces and 
Chinese accessories. From the living room 
he commands a view of the surrounding 
country 
One of the most successful solutions of 
this problem has been worked out on the 
William H. Coolidge estate at Magnolia, 
Mass. Following Biblical advice, he has 
run into a high tower and is safe. The 
solution was made possible because the place 
has many acres and it possesses a water 
tower. Passing through the entrance you 
cross the road to re-enter a rocky gravel 
driveway which winds picturesquely past 
farm lands and pasture until you find your¬ 
self at the entrance of an extensive stretch 
of woodland. 
Here, treading the grassy tree-shaded path, 
you come to the crest of the hill where has 
been built a picturesque water towej. Bolted 
to the rock, it stands in a small clearing in 
the heart of the forest trees. It is a large 
square structure, constructed of field stones 
that have been gathered on the grounds. 
'Fhese are laid in black mortar for a distance 
about 15' to 20'. As a topping a half-timber 
room has been designed, finished with a 
fireproof roofing. 
This gives to it a picturesque effect, as you 
come upon it suddenly in an opening of the 
wood. 'I'he site has been carefully chosen. 
It towers high above the tree tops, com¬ 
manding a magnificent view of the rolling 
country. 
The main tower is oblong in design, about 
14' by 16'. One enters the entrance door 
{Continued on page 94) 
In the living room is a large field stone 
fireplace with Chinese straw raincoats on 
either side. The ceilbig is beamed and 
the walls paneled in oak. There is a 
kitchenette off this room to one side and 
a little entrance vestibule on the other 
