An I uteres ting Alteration 
First Flow- P/an 
■Second Floor Plan 
AN INTERESTING ALTERATION. 
2123 Sf^ruce Street, Phfladei.phfa. 
Designed by Wilson Eyre , Architect. 
T WO old houses in the middle of a char¬ 
acteristic Philadelphia row have been 
remodelled lor this building and a monoto¬ 
nous procession of pressed-brick house- 
fronts has been broken. The facade has 
a width of thirty-four feet. It is a rather 
vigorous rendering of the Georgian style, and 
relies less upon enrichment than carefully 
studied proportions. A well-designed door¬ 
way, a wrought iron balcony and railings, 
guarding the windows, assist the effect of a 
very simple scheme of fenestration. The 
front wall is of rough red brick, laid with 
joints one inch wide, and the cornice is of 
marble. The mansard roof was retained in 
its old position in order to save expense and 
to conform with the skyline of adjoining 
properties. The plan reveals the original 
two dwellings, a dual arrangement which 
is not suggested by the important semicircular 
arched windows of the second story. 
Eor the interior an effect of space was 
sought. A large vestibule, decorated with a 
reminiscence of Pompeian walls, leads to a 
living-hall open to the roof and surrounded 
by galleries at each floor. From the first 
landing of the stairway a small oriel opens into 
the vestibule. The dining-room is gothic in 
feeling, and is surrounded by a high wainscot 
of oak framework with panels filled with red 
leather, above which a plate shelf is sup¬ 
ported by brackets shaped into human figures 
and clustered fruit. All the woodwork is 
stained black. Windows are filled with plain 
leaded glass having an ornamental center. 
In the upper stories the library is in a simple 
Gothic style, and the other rooms become 
less distinct in treatment. 
102 
