The daily gazette., 1881-09-20

'oA nooliy turoo years, DeblOe mhkluB
an elaborate model in plaster Of the
outside Of the house, costing several
thousand dollars. Upon the stone
carvings OF the two street fasades Of
this house sixteen sculptors have been
employed for two years, all the fine
carving having been done after the
stones were In place. The house il
not yet finished.
Three brown-stone houses In the
block on the west side of Fifth avenue,
between Fifth-f1rst and Fifty second
streets, attracts much attention. The
larger, which 10 Mr.. w. II. Wander
Diit's, and the others are for two mar
RED daughters OF MIR. Vanderbilt
Mrs. Elliott +. Shepard and Mrs.
henry T. Shane. Brown stone is
used throughout, and the style is q
nondescript blending of renaissance
with cabinet work in details. A band,
four feet wide, of grape leaves, is cut
into the stone, and runs around the
two houses. There are two Of these
bands at different heights.
The three houses referred to above
are three stories high, surmounted by
a fourth, the windows Of which are
hidden BY an open fretwork Of stone.
The only material except brown stone
which is used In the facades is bronze
OF which an elaborate cresting is used
at different points. The main stair
case, thirteen feet wide, is of oak, oil
ed. The stairwell of the house rises
to the roof and foods the inside of the
house with light, coming through
some good specimens of glasswork.-
On the second floor is Mr.. VanderbiIt's
bedroom, finished in white marble,
rosewood and ebony, the walls being
hung with silk. The ceiling is to be
covered with q painting by the French
artist, Lefebyre, representing the
dawn of day. Through all the rooms
Of the second floor much use is made
Of tapestries, silver, marble and diff
ferent costly woods polished to mirror
like surface. The height of the ceiling
is fifteen feet. The gas fixtures are
from the firm Of Darbedi nne & Co, of
Paris. Much of the woodwork Of the
second story, the carpets. tapestries,
leather, silk haugings and decorative
paintings also come from there. A
series of eighty small panel paintings,
done in Paris at cost of 500 each,
will adorn the rise Of each step in the
chief staircase, two panels finding o
niche in every rise, on each side OF the
strip OF carpet, or tapestry, or gold
cloth, upon which persons will be ex-
pected 10 walk up and down STAIRS
The window sashes throu shout the
house are finished in mahogany aud
brass.
The houses Of Mrs. Shepard and Mrs.
Sloane are extravagantly rich In decora-
tion. One Of the best bits Of work Is q
maRtlepiece OF oak, iniaid with red mar
BILE, In the hall of Mrs. Shepard's house,
aud mantel of blue stone in the IL
orary. These two houses are more su-
perbly finished, SO far as expense goes,
than any house in this city. Mr.. Van
derbilps house Is six times as large as q
'sfull-sized" house, 25 fest wide and go
feet deep. The house Of Mr.. W. II.
Vanderbilt Is connected with the others
by covered portico, the steps leading to
which are about 40 feet back from the
avenue. The entrance to this portico 10
at the middle Of the block, the sidewalk
1T that point consisting OF one enormous
slab of bluestone, Is feet wide and 25
long, which weighs forty tons, and cost
$1,000. The other fagstones which sur
round the house are each 13 feet wide
and 10 feet long. TIE inside of the por.
tico Is room 40 feet square, the walls
being panelled In Scotch granite, highly
polished.
Mr.. Vanderbilt's and Mrs. Sloans's
houses are entered from the portico, the
entrance to Mrs. Shepard's house being
on FIfty-second street. The doors Of
Mr.. Vanderbilps house are to be OF
bronze, and are said to cost $2U, 900.
The entrance to the house is narrow
Its immense size-74 feet
wide by lis feet deep. The ceiling Is II
feet high. Facing the visitor who crosses
the threshold Is monumental fireplace
as wide as 1t Is high, ascending to the
ceiling, one mass Of carved wood and
marble. The walls are frescoed In red
and gold, very solid and bright. To the
left, on the Fifth avenue front, are three
rooms--a parlor in cherry, library In
ebony and drawing-room in mahogany
On the Fifty first street front 10 the
% feet wide by 36 feet
long, containing q manteipiece of oak
almost rs large as that in the hall, and
bu ffsts Of oak and porcelain. There are
sixteen panels around the walls In which
paintings Of sporting scenes. fish and
game are to be placed. The buffers
pantry, adjoining the dining-room, 10
panelled In oak, ceiling AMI all, In
sty le which would be considered extrav-
agant for most drawing rooms. The
western half of Mr.. W. 81. Vanderbilt's
b ouse is given up TO picture gallery 48
feet long, 80 feet wide and 33 feet high.
There is q smaller room adjoining to be
used for water-colors. A balcony in the
picture gallery will be used by the or.
chestra at balls.
Mr.. Vanderbilt went to Europe with
n ester to order all the glass work, chan.
deliers, carpets, hangings, marble work
and much OF the funiture. The only ar.
work done In this country for the house
are the brohze railings around the house
! md the bronze cresting around the roof.
This work WAS done In nine months BY
firm for $4,000. The
Oh and deiiers, including one Of solid silver
weighing half q ton, for the ballroom or
picture gallery, are now being made BY
Derbedienne uf Paris. Vanderbilt has
two of Hester's men securing Europe
for whatever may be unique IN furniture.
Cost is said TO be of no importance what
eyer. From careful estimates 1t Is thought
that the three houses In that one plot OF
ground will have cost. when ready for
house warming, about "a 100000.
= IA 80 -