Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1883-12-07
A NEW YORK PALACE.


lrlom INC new YORK Sun.1
MIR. Wizards new house, or rather houses,
occupies an entire block, having q frontage
on Madison avenue of 200 feet The mart
which he will occupy is on the corner of
Fifty-first street. Its frontage is 90 feet and
Its depth 100 feet. The other wing will be
precisely similar Except that IL Is divided
into three houses, and between tho two
wings is court 80 feet in width and 70 feet
In depth. That portion OF the building back
OF the court extends back 10 feet beyond the
wing and Is a double house of itself. In the
center OF the court will be placed magnifl.
cent fountain, around which will DO broad
drive, and in each corner grass plat Each
house Will communicate directly with the
court. The exterior of the great building is
more grand than beautiful, It is the result Of
combination OF Roman and Florentiue
architecture, plans of the Chancellcria palace
at Rome and the Farncz palace be.
ing copied by the architects. The ma
terial is Belleville IN. J.) sandstone, the
light greyish amber stone of which Trinity
church was built. Everything is massive,
and there ia little attempt at ornament.
Huge blocks OF stone are piled one upon an.
other and overtopped by heavy cornice of
The same material. Entering the spacious
portal OF the Willard residence, your cores
pondcnt found himself in magnificent re-
ception room IA feet by 2S in depth. Every
thing here was in inlaid wood-floor, ceiling,
walls and columns On either eide opened
me drawing rooms. They are each 10 by
~ iect, and are being finished in mahogany,
lIlall with light woods, satin wood aud
maple being noticeable. Between the plas
tiers viii be hung lrich embroidered stuffs.
Inc predominating tones are a light reddish
bro"n and light yellow. The drawing rooms
and reception rooms are so arranged that
they can hc thrown into one spacious apart
nlent l0O feet in width and 2s in depth.
FROM the reception room hall IA feet in
wdlh and AZ in length leads to the music
room. Aladdin's lamp never revealed q hall
m )rc magnificent II is entirely in mosaic.
The material is yellow Italian marble. The
noor Is in chnillon marble in small pieces
woven into beautiful designs.
The mamie! is masterpiece OF the sculp-
Tor from an Italian design, and the whole
apartment was executed by Italian artists in
tue style oil modern Pompeiian palaces. The
nan IS spanned by three semi.circular arches
IN Sienna marble, with sculpture by Louis
ST. Gaudens. A vestible in the s,me design
leads out Of the hail, back of the drawing
room. The music room is the chief d'euvre
OF The decorators art. 1t is n diminutive
theatre, 4S by "a feet in dimension and 90
le.t from loor to ceiling, extending to the
llird story. 1t is in the style of the Francis
room OF Fontnnbleu place. The coors
are white and gold. A wainscoting eight
ieot in height, in carved pine, surrounds the
room. AZ one end Is gallery for the musi-
cans. The ceiling is an elliptical vault, and
every detail shows the skill of the artist.
Between The music room aud vestibule mar
bic stairs IL feet broad lead to the upper
stories. Again the tone isyelow. An clab-
CRATE renaissance ceiling spans the stairs
An elevator way occupies the remaining
space. Across The hall are the main dining
room ard breakfast room, which can BE-
thrown into one apartment 20 by so feet in
SIZE. Carvcd woods again replace the mar
BE. The room is executed in English oak
nlaid with mahogany. The ceiling is divid-
ca with beams c.scd with English oak, and
The carved friezes, three feet in width, are
inlaid with floral designs. The two mantels
are OF rcd Verona marble, and arc copies of
III use which Mr.. Mead was sent to Italy to
select, but which arrived in a somewhat
damaged condition and were presenter by
him to the museum of art. Here also ST.
Gaudens's skill is seen. The upper stor-
les are in keeping with the splendor below,
although not so elaborate. The general style
is Italian renaissance. The furniture will be
magnificent. That of the drawing
room Will be upholstered aud of colors har-
monizlng with the decorations, the reddish
brown tone prcdominating. II was designed
by the architects who executed the rooms
The other houses will he flushed in q style
becoming their prc'cnsions although nothing
ike this. The cost Of the building un-
furnished will be an even million dollars.
or this amount the decorations Of the
drawing rooms cost $50 900; the dining
rooms, $4,000 the hail, 100000, ard the
music rooms SEQ, 1000. AS much more will be
expended on other work in the latter room
year hence. To iniah tnc interior of Mr..
Wizards house necessitates the expenditure
OF S25O,OOO. The upper floors ore now
about completed and the furniture is arriv.
inI. DR. Wizards family will occupy them
in two or three weeks, and the remainder OF
thcshouse will he finished by midwinter.
MIR. Willard has disposed of the two houses
10 the main part of the building to Messrs.
Holmes and Adams, the wealthy railroad
lawyers, who will occupy them. The struc-
ture, when completed, will be the most mag.
nificent residence building in the country,
far surprising The Vanderbilt houses. 1t is
Tie first attempt made TO reproduce an Ital-
Ian alacc in America, and the architects are
Ieservingly proud Of their success Henry
Wizards house may well be said to be pala.
lia'. II is palace in fact.