Page:Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal, Volume 1, 1869.djvu/208

 174 Sloan's Architectural Review and Builders' Journal. [Sept., a square bay-window with a balcony, K, and on the front, two windows, all of which extend to the floor ; with a porch, P, along the front, the whole length of the room. Continuing through the hall, and into the stair-hall, are the main stah's, leading to the upper stories. On the left hand of the stairs, just at their foot, is a door leading into the library, G, a room of pleasing proportions, 19 X 21 feet. This room has on one side, a circular bay with three large windows ; and on the back are two, that open on a porch, P, extending the whole length of the room and main hall. This will af- ford abundance of light, so requisite for a library, an apartment which has now be- come an indispensable necessity in every American dwelling-house of any extent. The arrangement of the upper story will be very much that of the floor just described; only, of course, substituting chambers, dressing-rooms, &c. We will not, therefore, give any detailed descrip- tion of the accommodation beyond the main floor, as such seems unnecessary ; for, from a close examination of this plan, it will be readily seen, that there is ample accommodation for the wants of a^family consisting of at least ten persons. The materials of which this dwelling may be constructed, we should recom- mend to be either stone, or brick with stone dressings. The Western bricks, those of Milwaukee, for instance, are ad- mirably adapted for this purpose, and would have a veiy beautiful and pleasing- effect. Stone, however, on the whole, would be preferable, and wherever it can be obtained at a moderate and at all reasonable rate, should, by all means, be employed. The probable cost of such an edifice, built throughout in a substantial man- ner, and fitted with all modern conveni- ences, would, if erected in the vicinity of Philadelphia, be thirty thousand dol- lars. Much depends, however, upon the locality, and the facilities that may exist for procuring materials. The foregoing estimate is based upon the understanding, that the whole of the interior finishing of the principal rooms on the first, or main floor, will be entirely of hard wood ; and, also, that all the windows throughout will be pro- vided with inside shutters and blinds, to be made in three folds to the jamb, two of which should be pivot-blinds, and the jamb-shutter loaneled and moulded : soffits to be formed throughout, to re- ceive them. A plate — representing in detail, the manner in which these inside- shutters are to be made, and the finish within is intended to be executed — has already been given by us ; and will be found in our Number II., pages 141, 142 and 143. In another part of the present issue — page — we have given more detailed drawings, in connection with this villa, to which we would draw the reader's attention. DESIGN FOR A BLOCK OF SIX DWELLINGS. Style : Franco-American. In presenting this design, our object is to vary, in some degree, the painful monotony of street architecture, in so far as our dwelling-houses are concerned. Continuous ranges of houses, street after street, of almost exactly similar exte- rior appearance, weary the eye ; and any change, which may, at one and the same time, break up this seemingly intermi- nable sameness, and this uniformity — either of which speaks but little for our taste and love of the beautiful — will, we are confident, be fully appreciated. That such a very desirable effect can be produced, by the erection of just such blocks of dwelling-houses, as we are now describing, is undeniable ; and as we endeavored to show in our work on " City and Suburban Architect tire," this can actually be accomplished at a much less expense, if built simultane- ously — even taking into consideration additional exterior ornament — than, if