Page:Architectural Review and American Builders' Journal, Volume 1, 1869.djvu/234

 190 Sloan s Architectural Review and Builders' Journal. [Sept., In the city of Philadelphia, where room is so abundant — with such easy communication with the suburbs, where ground is plenty and cheap — we should have at least the greater part of our new houses put up on a lot sufficiently broad to admit of a wide hall, in the centre, on each floor, permitting a free circulation of fresh air, at all times, through the house ; and allowing the sun to play freely on the walls and pavements, thus effectually preventing the accumulation of green mould, at any time. A lot for a double house, with a yard the full width of the house, does not contain any more superficial feet, than that for a single house ; and is infinitely preferable. Our finish for the interior of our houses is also monotonous, the same as the exterior, if not worse. In the ex- terior, we have the relief of white mar- ble, granite, Pictou stone, brown stone and mastic for variety, which, by a little ornamentation, relieves the sameness but in the interior, Philadelphia houses are almost all alike. That is, a long, narrow hall, with the main stairway at the-apparent end of it ; two doors opening into the parlor, cutting its blank wall into sections, with the doors opening back to the wall, leaving no place for furniture when the door is open wide ; and an ugly blank, when the door is closed. On the other side of the par- lor, one or two marble mantels which occupy a great part of the wall. In front there are two windows ; in the rear usually one, opening on the narrow side- yard. Around these windows the car- penter has attached enormous mould- ings—sometimes twelve inches wide — thinking, no doubt, that he is making an elegant job ; and that the room, as from his hand, is really finished, not knowing that the cabinet-maker is obliged to spoil the proportion of the furniture, to enable him to avoid those same mould- ings ; and, that the upholsterer is also obliged to mar the shape of his cornices and drapery, in trying to hide, with the curtains all the wood, which the carpen- ter had so much trouble to put up. Where drapery is to be hung, the less woodwork there is around the win- dows, the better the upholsterer can work ; and the more graceful the folds of the curtains. A bead three-quarters of an inch to one inch wide, to protect the corner of the plaster, is all that is re- quired. After all, what is the use of the immense frames and mouldings around the doors, unless it is intended to benefit painters, and entail a great amount of extra labor on the domestics ? A narrow wood protection for the plas- ter, with a frescoed panel down the sides and an ornament of some pretty design, in fresco over the door and win- dow-heads, would certainly be more graceful. In plain houses the paper- hanger could accomplish the same effect at a very small expense. Again, what is the necessity for cum- bering the parlor with immense marble mantels, where the house is heated with hot air or steam. But it is the fashion to have mantels, with a mirror on top of them, reaching to the ceiling ; the height of the mantel just allowing a person to see his or her face in the mirror — with all of the upper part serving only to re- flect the ceiling all awry, as is the usual case. Why not stud the wall out to the chimney jamb, and have no mantel, but only an ornamental heat-register or low- down grate ; and reserve the walls for mirrors to the floor ; and for furni- ture and paintings. The amount ex- pended in useless wood-work around windows and doors, likewise in marble mantels, would nearly furnish the win- dow drapery and long mirrors. The writer, called in, not long since, to furnish a house, was made pain- fully aware of another one of our mo- notonies. The house was all doors, there actually being no place for furni- ture, unless doors were closed up. In fact, the bricklayer and carpenter had made a most convenient house for com-