Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1884-02-14
THE FLOOD MANSION.
Description of One of CALIFORNIA; Bo-
nanza Kings New Palaces.

After many months of study, plan
ming and elaboration, the plans for the
Flood mansion, to be erected on the
brow of Mob Hill, have been perfected,
and another proud palace will be erect
ed. But unlike most of the railroad
magnates' ''huts," their new neighbor
is not to be a compendium of all the
styles of architecture already discover
ed or yet to be invented. 1t will not
tlaunt to the world planing-mill bric-a-
brac of all known or unknown orders.
It is to be built of stone, and like Solo
mons temple, the stone is to be OBJ
tanned and cut abroad, and like Solo
mons temple once more, every stone
when cut will be numbered and sent to
our city, there to be placed in position
on Mob Hill as part and parcel of q
mining magnate's domestic monument.
Connecticut is the land which will fur
nish the material, the brown stone
which New Workers love to see in the
fronts of their dwellings,, and Connect
icut will shape and cut it. But al
though the Connecticut brown stone
may be reflection upon CALIFORNIA;
mineral resources, and while the man
ner of its preparation may give offense
to California workmen, the bonanza
king does not intend to infiict upon the
public an idiosyncratic pile of stone.
On the contrary, the style of the build
ing is to be as severely pure and una
dulterated as is confOrmable to modern
notions of elegance and architectural
beauty.
THE EXTERIOR.
The front of the building is to be but
two stories in height, the lower Doric
and the upper Ionic, both modified by
Roman suggestions of ornamentation.
The building will form a paralIelogram
107xl27 feet in size, the only break in
the even lines of the four walls being a
portico and a square central tower,
containing the veStibule in it's base at
the front and similar portico extend
ed into port cOcbere in the rear. The
front and rear portico will be alike
Both will be supported by fourteen col
umns, purely Doric, carved out of sin
gle stones, and supporting q balcony
of corresponding design. Everything
about the portico is to be of brown
stone, with the exception of the floor,
which will be laid in marble. From
the ground to the top of the tower the
distance will be seventy-tiye feet A
stone wall, fitted with an elegant iron
railing, between the massive piers, Will
surround the building.
The interior of the house is to be di-
vided by q series OF halls, separated by
architraves supported by two columns
on each side, one of which is to be
square and engaged, the second to be
round and stand free. These will be
in the Ionic order, as are to be all the
columns, pilasters, wainscoting, banis-
tiers and balustrades in the interior.
What the cost of this establishment
will be cannot be ascertained. But
when it is considered that all the stone
has to be shipped from the east, that it
will require from two to three years to
construct the building and perhaps an
other year to fresco its extensive walls,
it may be safely assumed that it will
require the expenditure of consider
able portion of j. G.. Floods accumu-
lated millions. Francisco Chr0ni-
Gle.