The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1881-09-22
lDERscN, S. c., THURSDAY MORNING. SEPTEMBER % 1881


by 100 deep. Vanderbilt's plot of lsnd i.
exactly square, two hundred feet on the
avenue and the same on tho street. He
paid $1,l40,000 Cor the land and go
It cheap, the cc:aer Oil Tho next block
above being included. Upon this upper
corner w. X. Vanderbilt, the son, i,
putting up house designed by Richard
NJ. Hunt, which will undoubtedly be the
finest city house in America. 1t is O
French chateau. Whether French cha
tau is appropriate to the spot is p'ooted
point, but the house is unquestionabIy
beautiful. To go back to the fathers
house, it looks as if two separate houses
were upon his plot, and in reality there
are three, the northerly pile of brown.
stone being divided into two separate
houses, one for Mrs. Elliot +. Shepard
and one for Mrs. J. c. Sloane, both
daughters of Mr.. Vanderbilt Mr.
Eanderbilts house occupies the
southerly corner of the lot and is
seventy.four feet wide by one hundred
and fifteen feet deep. The other house
to be occupied by tho daughters is not
quite so large. Both are three stories
and attic in height, and both are iden.
tical i'll outside finish. Thetwo enormous
piles of brownstone are joined by n ves-
tibule or portico which forms the connec
ting link and entrance for both houses.
II is in front Of this vestibule that is laid
the enormous sidewalk slab of blue
stone, fifteen feet wide and twenty. five
feet long, which cost $4,000. AT the
entrance of the vestibule, facing the ave.
nue., are to swing the famous bronze gates
or doors ordered in Europe ut cost of
$4,000. Once inside the vestibue,
which is walled with polished ied gran
itc, you turn 10 the south to enter
Nanderbilt's house, aud TO the north to
enter that of the daughters.
WHERE WORDS FAIL.
1t is mere waste Of words to give de.
tailed account of every room, or of the
chief rooms of the Vanderbilt house.
eyenlif l could do SO, without having been
able to take notes. My supply of ad-
jectives would bo used up before could
get through the main hall. shall there.
fore, sketch briefly what impressed me
as being cfun;isiiai cost, effect, or novel
ty. The entrance hall is small for the
immense size ofthe house and the height
Of the ceiling, sixteen feet. 1t is barely
twelve feet wide and lands tho visitor
In square hall out Of which open the
library, drawing. room and parlor on the
east or Fifth avenue side, the dining room
on the west; to the north are the entrance
hall of which I speak and the grand
staircase. The chief feature of the hall
which is thirty feet square, is a monu-
mental fireplace and chimney piece TWEEN
ty feet wide and reaching TO the ceiling.
1t is of mahogany and Egyptian marble,
and is said to have occupied eleven men
for two years. The parlor, library and
drawing room are twenty-five feet square
each and are finished respectively in
cherry, ebony and mahogny the finish of
the wood work is so perfect that it is like
velvet to the touch Through all the
rooms, and through the whole house
in fact, the magni6cence is monot-
onous. Every room has its chimney
piece upon which fortune has been Law
ished in the way of carving. Through.
out the first and second floors there is not
one inch of plaster wall to be seen,
the walls from floor to ceiling
being panelled with marble wood
leather or tapestry. Upstairs silk and
satin are the chief wall coverings; down.
stairs it is marble and wood. The dining
room, superb apartment, thirty-six feet
long by twentyeight feet wide, has q
chimney piece almost as big rs a house
and bnffets Of oak to match. The whole
room is panelled a'oak minutely carved
in most superb style at cost of $l60 for
every square yard, the cost of the wood
carving for this room alcne footing up
$4,000. Sixteen panels in the walls
will contain paintings of sporting scenes,
fish and game by famous artists. The
lutler's pantry is room eighteen feet
square, finished in style which would
bo considered very costly for handsome
drawing room, and contains five ponder
Gus steel safes built into the walls to con-
tain, | suppose, the service Of solid gold
which Vanderbilt is said to have ordered
in Paris.
A JEWEL. BON FOR AN ELEVATOR.
The elevator is not yet in place It is
said to be an exact copy on big scale Of
a silver jewel box made for Diana de
Poitiers. 1t will be seen from all four
sides as it rises and falls ut one side of
the main staircase, and will be entirely
of frctted silver lined with silk cushions.
The main staircase is OF oak, thirteen
feet wide and presents an exceedingly
beautiful and novel feature. Each rise
Of the steps contains two long panels,
one on each side Of the strip of Persian
stair carpet. These panels are to be
filled with paintings done in France at q
cost of 800 apiece. Each one is six
inches wide by two feet long. There are
eighty of these in all. Mrs. Vandcrbilts
bedroom will be wonder if only on &C.
count of the painting for the ceiling or
dered from Lefebyre, the Frenchman, for
$4,000. IL represents the dawn Of day.
The room IS finished in amaranth and
white marble, and hung with white silk.
The other rooms are only little less
magnificent. There are eight rooms on
the first floor, eleven on the second, and
sixteen on the third. From cabinet
maker who went through the house last
week I learned that not one of these
thirty-fiye rooms on the first three floors
cost less than 1000 TO finish.
MOST OF THE WORK NOT AMERICAN.
The houses of Mr.. Vanderbilts daugh-
ters are palaces, and are finer than any
houses in the city. But after going
through the large palace everything
seems insignificant.
Vanderbilt has been criticised because
he went to Europe with Hertcr to order
all the glass work, chandeliers, carpets
hangsingsa, marble @c-i:, :ad :.::c!: &C :h;o
furniture. Having made his money in
America he ought to spend il here. The
only art work done in this country for
the house are the bronze railings around
the house and the bronze cresting around
the roof This work was done in nine
months nv n Philadelnh;a firm, for GO