The Sunday herald and weekly national intelligencer., 1891-06-14
WHITE HOUSE REPAIRS.
HOW MRS. HARRISON WILL LAY
OUT $4,000.
The Green Room to he Redecorated in
RecoCo style, and the State Dining
Room and Other Portions of the Man
sion to Be ArtisticalIy Touched Up.

1t is fortunate that at this particular time
there is lady In the Executive Mansion who
unites practical knowledge Of the details of
good housekeeping with refined and culti-
waited sense Of the appropriate and beautiful,
as Mrs. Harrison does. AS the time draws
near for the availability of the Congressional
appropriation made for repairs and incidental
improvements in the White House Mrs. Har-
rison and Maj. Ernst, who has charge of pub
lie buildings and grounds, have had several
consultations as to how twenty-four OF the
thirty-fve thousand dollars appropriated shall
be spent. There have been no contracts yet
awarded, but the presumption is that w. H.
Post & Co., OF Hartford, Conn, who deco
rated and refurnished the dainty Blue Room
last year, will get the contract for this work,
since they now have under consideration plans
submitted to them to make estimates upon.
The other eleven thousand dollars of the ap-
preparation will be expended for the usual
current expenses Of the year. The improve
ments will probably begin with the Green
Room, in the parlor suite. This room is to re-
main green room as to tone, but is to be cor
respondingv light and delicate as the Blue
Parlor, and Peachblow is to be combined with
it in decorative work and in furnishing. The
style is what is known as rocco. The state
dining-room has long been in lamentably
shabby condition, incompatible with the de-
mands of the Presidents surroundings, and it
will have thorough renovation, such as it
has not had since the Grant regime. 1t is to
be fitted up in colonial style, probably in four
coiors that harmonize in deicacy of tone
with it.
There is lamentable deficiency of china
and glassware in the White House pantry,
none but occasional pieces having been pur-
chased since Mrs. Hayes was first lady of the
land To make the state dining-room com
plete in its appointments Mrs. Harrison pro-
poses purchasing o limited amount OF each
before the next official season is inaugurated
She expects to give much personal attention
to all these smaller and more womanly de-
tails, so that whether the President succeeds
himself or not somebody will enjoy living
comfortably in the refurnished and rejuven-
ated Executive Mansion, much more than its
present occupants have been able to do. The
main corridor and front vestibule are to re-
ceive attention, and are to be finished in
continuation of the style of the corridor on
the official side of the house on the second
foor which was begun last year and left in
complete on account of the funds giving out.
1t is of dull gold color in comb-work on the
walls, with q deep freize of darker tone shad
ing into bronZe-brown The parlor suite,
consisting of the Red, Blue, and Green draw
ing-rooms will be closed from the public as
soon as the work of renovation begins, which
will be about July l, but the East Room will
be used for the Presidents one-o'clock re-
ceptions, as usual, although it is also to re-
ceiye sprnklIng Of improvement in the
shape of new carpets and furniture covers to
harmonize with the decorative style on the
walls and woodwork. The furniture will go out
a few pieces at a time, and return upholstered
in white and bronze, with perhaps SOME
notifications as to shades. On going up
stairs the improvements will follow, and Mrs.
Harrison's bedroom is to be repapered and
such other incidental repairs on that
floor as may be needed to put and keep
the living-rooms in perfect order will be
made. But nothing will be attempted of
more expensive character than would be re-
quired by any householder of means and
standing. The plumbing throughout the
house has not been satisfactory for long
time, and it will receive especial attention.
The bath-tubs are to be raised up the old
style with woodwork frames taken out and
iron tubs, done over with white enamel paint
and lined with porcelain put in, and the floors
and walls tiled. Every effort will be made to
put the basement in perfect sanitary con-
dition. The laundry is to be modernized, the
walls and floors tiled TO correspond with the
improvements made in the kitchens last sea
son, and drying-room is to be added to the
accommodations In the basement corridor
the brick floors are to be concreted under the
wood and the basement bathrooms, sclllery,
by introducing the most approved modern
improvements. Thus it will be seen that the
twenty-four thousand dollars will be none too
much to do all that is absolutely needed to
put the Executive Mansion in comfortable
shape.