The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-10-20
CLEVELANDSKEEP HOUSE
HOME OF THE Ex-PREsIDENT AND
HIS WIFE.

lands Delight at Beginning House
keeping-Her Love of Antique Fur
niture-An Artistic Hellway-Parlors
and Bedrooms in the Old Colonial
Style-Some Famous OLD Mahogany
Pieces-How the Rooms Appear.
Copyright 1880
| NEW YORK, Oct 19.-"I think I'm the
happiest woman in the world" said Mrs.
| Cleveland, when she had concluded the
tour Of inspection of her new home, at No.
SIG Madison avenue, yesterday.
In company with few personal friends,
almost the whole forenoon had been spent
by the young and handsome wife of the
ex-President in the pleasant work of exam
lining the newly fitted and decorated house.
Mrs Cleveland had been all over it, from
cellar to garrett Her husband had taken
look at 1t in her company earlier in the
day; but feminine curiosity was not to be
denied, so, with her friends she went over
1t all again IN detail They looked admir-
ingly at the wide, bright-lOoking hall, done
In antique mahogany, and praised the
decorators work on the stately ceilings of
the perlors. the shining, hardwood floors
mantels and The great mirrors that reflected
their own faces as they entered. They
| cwelt on the furnishings which the hostess
had purchased with housewifely care and
with excellent Judgment, too; tine cabinets,
tete-a- tetes, ottomans and easy chairs, the
| solid looking antique tables with heavy
| legs that might have come from the hands
| OF craftsman of the oldsn time; the
| bureaus and armoires upstairs; the sconces
| OF silver aud crystal and the Empire chan
/ dellerS which refec ed in hundred hues
! the rays of the October sun thai stole in
between draperies in the deep windows.
Mrs. Cleveland was happy, because for
| the first tine she was about to begin house
| keeping. Ever since her marriage. as she
| had confessed TO her intimate friends. it
mad been her ambition to keep house. Her
| four years experience as mi stress OF the
white house, where the domestic establish
ment had been of ssni-offcial character.
streng thened her desire 10 have her own
home by-and-by, and woman-lIke she had
done good deal of castle-building since
le wing Washington last spring. For
months past she has been picking up the
choicest antiques she could afford to buy,
and her agent, Mr.. Marquand, who has
been most industrious when everybody was
out OF town, succeeded in ge ting together
lot OF furniture that would delight the
heart of connoisseurs.
With Mrs. Cleveland the antique is a
hobby. She knew, of course. that it was
an expensive one; for genuine antiques are
eagerly bought, almost as soon as t1ey are
put on the market, by men commissioned
by rich society people for that purpose
but she bought shrewdly and well
The four-story brown stone dwelling
which MIR. Cleveland last winter leased for
$4,000 year with the privilege of pur-
chase for 500, 900 has been in the hands of
HRnnFa two he
Lathrop, brother Of George Francis
Llthrop, the author, and brother-in-law Of
Rose Hawthorne Lathrop, his talented wife.
has had the work in charge. MIR. Lathrop
Is one of the most sought after decorators
III the city, and his artistic de igns in fringe.
dado, aud pardueterie adjrn the halls
and parlors of many of Gothams most dis
distinguished residents. A short, stoutly
built man, with full beard of grayish
brown, he bears striking resemblance to
his brother.
For two months or more Mr.. Lathrop has
been the presiding genius of the new home
OF the Clevelands, His workmen moved
out last week. after 81 wing the last touches
| TO the decorations. Then for few DAYS
the house was turned over to the furnishers.
and innumerable boxes. little and big, were
| deposited there. Meanwhile Mr.. and Mrs.
| Cleveland were paying a visit to their
| friends the Whitneys at Lenox, where q
reception was given in their honor. Tnen
they moved back to town and took posses
sion.
| was privileged with a glimpse of the
| interior of the new home which is now
to call Mrs. Cleveland IN stress. The main
| hall and veStibule are decorated in
soft brown and reddish tntS. In
| the vestibule the chief attraction is a
! fine old Moorish chalarde, chandelier
| veritable antique-with dozen or more
TNNck lnnk .,II u,,-k.N IL.
| low. Entering, l found that the hall occu-
pies the center of the house. Iu is spacious
| and noble LOOKING, and is solidly ished ia
| oak and mahogany. The grand staircase
| is contained in the hall and it goes all the
way to the top of the house. its great carved
newell posts and broad flights making it an
| object of attention.
| In front is the reception room, which is
| decorated from wainscot to cornice and
| beautifully finished, the walls being in
bronze and gold, relieved with borders Of
subdued colors and with gold. The gas
fixtures are in LEmpire stvle, also ii nished
with bronze and gold. Tho whole effect is
| rich aid pleasing.
On the same floor, in the rear. is the
dining room, IS feet by IS. Here the
woodwork is in old oak and the designs on
the walls are in blue and gold. The ceiling
is oak paneled. Adjoining the dining 70 )m
and between it and the main hall are the
buffers pantry on one side and the china
closet on the other. The latter is packed
| full of Mrs. Clevelandis household treasures
including several costly sets received as
gifts at her wedding, and since. The
kitchen staircase and elevator occupy one
side of the hall, opposite the grand stair
| case.
Ascending to the second floor entered
the front room, which is to be Mrs. Cleve-
lands salon or drawing ROOM It has been
decorated u 1der the express direction of its
fair mistress, who has several times vii ed
1T during the progress of the WORK. The
woodwork is in cha to white and gold
| light, graceful and antique in design. TIE
ceiling is rose color, WI lovely running
pattern of h)wers in white and gold. Ali
the furnishings of the drawing room are in
harmony with its decorations There are
some wonderful inl4id cabinets and invit-
ing Turkish lOunges but in the main the
style OF the furniture here, as elsewh here in
the house, is colonial. 1t includes many
very foe old mahogany pieces as well s
some old painted wood.
Immediately to the rear of the drawing
room, and occupying the full width of the
house, is the library or study. Here the
woodwork Is mahogany and the dec ,rations
are in quiet yellows ard browns. The room
has cheerful and inviting air. Along tue
walls are ranged well-filled mahogany b ok
cases in which, l observed, there was a
varied collection of madam auth sc No ,,o n