Wichita eagle., 1889-02-03
A WICHITA MANSION.
DESCRIPTION OF ANOTHER OF
WICHITA'S HOMES.
Residence of Col. b 81. Campbell on the
Bank Of Little Rivera Massive,
Elaborate and Beau6-
full Edidce.

Every stranger that visits Wichita is
surprised at the signs of architectural
beauty displayed in her public buildings
and business blocks. But his surprise aud
admiration are most aroused by her NUM-
erous handsome and strising residences,
some of which are excelled by none in the
west. A few weeks since the EAGLE de-
scribed the elegant residence of Mr.. J. o.
Davidson in Riverside This morning il
takes pleasure in presenting description
of another which, although of entirely diff
ferent material and design. is none the less
entitled to be ranked as equally as grand
mansion as any in this whole western
country. 1t is also in Riverside
The one which is here described is the
home OF Colonel B. H. Campbell.
THE RESIDENCE.
The house is built of gray magnesia
limestone from Butler county, 75xS5 feet.
two stories basement and attic. The style
of architecture is composite. The tower
and north and east front and roof are of
the Norman style of architecture of feudal
times. The south front, covered by the
porch and porte-cochere, are of heavy stone
arches CT the Roman type The stone
work is done in the style generally known
as rock faced range" in heavy courses.
From the grade line TO the top of window
sill line, the courses average % inches
thick and various lengths, some as long rs
II feet. The walls, like all the piers and
arches, are heavy. The exterior basement
walls are 80 inches thick. The interior
! basement walls are Is inches wide. All
walls are supported by heavy footing
stones. All walls above the basement
are a inches thick. All exterior walls are
| furred with 2x4 inch Turing, leaving a
two inch dead air space between the plas-
tering and stone wall.
The roof is covered with the best Bangor
| black slate. There is a basement under
| the entire house eight feet deep, the whole
| provided with concrete flooring. This
| space Is divided into seven rooms, used for
| laundry, servants bath, furnace room,
fuel rooms and fruit and vegetable cellars.
The two stories above the basement con-
| tain fourteen rooms, besides halls and
closets. The principal approach is from
Riverside avenue to the east front over a
stone walk eight feet wide of broad flag
stone This leads to the main entrance,
| which is reached by seven broad steps,
which are also of lime stone, long and
massive scroll buttresses.
The tiled floor of plaza, thirteen feet
wide, brings you 10 the front doors. These
are made of quartered white oak, three
inches thick, hand carved and like all the
wood finish, heavy and substantial
THE MAIN HALL
is forty feet long and like all the halls,
finished in quartered white oak.
The main hall is twenty feet wide, begin
ming at the east end and continuing this
width until the main staircase is passed
where it is intersected by cross hall,
which is the entrance from the porch and
porte cochere on the south side. This hall
also divides the parlor from the library,
while continuation sof the main
hall divides the library from the
dining room and continuing past these
two rooms, opens into the back hall.
These halls are finished with heavy raised
paneled wainscotting of quarter sawed
white oak, while the main hall is finished
with exposed oaken beamed ceilings. As
you enter the main hall, the tower is upon
your right. This is circular, twenty feet
in diameter and four stories high. In the
first story of the tower is the reception
arated from the main hall by an elabo-
rately hand-carved Romanesque screen of
Quartered white oak One of the features
of the hall is a heavily covered stone
mantel, which stands on the north side of
the hall, and directly between the en-
trance to the reception room and the main
stair case.
THE MAIN STAIR CASE
T. e l.
hand rails. deliberately hand carved. This |
stair case starts from the center of main
hall and rises toward the north hall, to a
platform. From the platform it rises to
the south to landing in second story hall |
Back of the platform of main stairs in |
north wall, is an art glass Mullion window
five feet wide by fifteen feet high, of ar /
original design, which is in itself 81 study. |
A convenient lavatory with tile floor and |
marble safes is entered from the main /
hall to the west of stair case. On the left, /
upon entering the main hall is the parlor, /
eighteen by twenty-four feet and /
finished in San Domingo mahogany. |
THE LIBRARY.
Directly west of the parlor, across the I
hall, is the library, which is finished in
cherry and provided, with book cases of the
same wood and finish. This room is fifteen
by twenty feet. North of the library and i
across the west hall is the dining room,
sixteen by twenty-five. and finished with
quarter sawed white oak in pannelled
wainscoting similar to that in the halls,
but in addition the wood work is elabor-
ately carved in relief with figures of game
of all kinds and animals The very large
arched window occupying nearly the whole
north end of the dining room is of exceed
ingly novel design and is one of the many
beautiful features of this room.
ALL ONE IMMENSE ROOM.
The doors leading from these rooms into
the halls are all large, double sliding doors
and so arranged that when thrown open
the dining room, library, parlor and halls
are practically one large room which
makes this house in which company OF
three to four hundred can be delightfully."-
and easily entertained, as the main hall on
the second floor is as well adapted to that
PURPOSE as the lower hall
The Buffers pantry, the kitchen, etc,
are on the first floor and are in keeping
with the rest of the house. In addition
those portions mentioned as On the first
floor are one bed room and roomy con-
THE SECOND FLOOR
contains several large, light and very airy
bed rooms, besides the great hall, billiard
room and bath room. The hallway has a
massive stone mantel and fire place, with
an 'Ingleside" chimney corner seat, are
striking features Of this hall Each room
and the main halls has an open wood fire
place and beautifully carved mantel The
mantels in the halls are Of massive stone