House & Garden 
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IN THE KITCHEN-GARDEN MX. VERNON 
The Gate beyond opens to the Lawn 
extension and adornment of the grounds. 
He made his own plans, drew up the specifi¬ 
cations, and superintended the work in person. 
Leaving the old house of Lawrence Wash¬ 
ington practically intact he added to each 
gabled end, extending the roof in hipped 
form over the new wings. The mansion 
stands to-day as he left it—the outbuildings 
and grounds as well, I may add. It has two 
stories and a generous garret, is about ninety- 
five feet long by thirty wide, and on the east 
toward the river, it has a broad piazza reaching 
to the eaves—its flat roof carried on square 
columns, above the entablature of which runs 
a light balustrade. Three dormer windows 
pierce the river side of the roof; there are 
two and a pediment, about thirty feet wide, 
on the west, and one on each end. A small 
observatory—or lantern—with a spire rides 
the ridge. The house is entirely of wood 
and very solidly framed. The outer covering 
is of broad and thick boards, worked into 
chamfered panels to give the appearance of 
cut and dressed stonework. This has held 
its own as well as any other part of the staunch 
old building. The plan shows a wide cen¬ 
tral hallway into which open, on either hand, 
two rooms. In the west end of the hall a 
broad heavy stairway ascends in two runs to 
the floor above, the arrangement ot which is 
practically the same as that below. 
North or left of this hall on the ground 
floor are reception-room and parlor, opening 
through into the great drawing-room which 
was the principal feature of Washington’s 
additions. Occupying the full width of the 
house this is a handsome room, with panelled 
walls and a high ceiling richly ornamented in 
stucco relief. The pitch of the older rooms 
is low. T hose south or right of the hall are 
a second parlor and the dining-room through 
which one enters the library and breakfast- 
room of the south addition, where there is 
also a small stair to the second floor. This 
is in short a plan of the house. 
At noon we were making toward the old 
kitchen-garden on the south side of the lawn, 
and first stopped behind the kitchen for a 
draught at the well-house against the wall. 
T here is a generous brick pavement here. 
469 
