Los Angeles herald., 1892-12-12
HENRY cLEwS BALLROOM.
It Il One OF the Finest Private Apartments
I'm the World

It Il One OF the Finest Private Apartments
in the World.
No city in the world, not excepting Lon
don and Paris, can show more beautiful
and stately apartments in it's private houses
than New York The bathrooms of New
York are particularly gorgeous.
Inc Clews ballroom is one Of the most
beautiful and artistically perfect rooms in
America There is nothing at all like it in
New York, and it will remain lasting
monument to the skill and taste of the late
John Fl. Sturgis, of Boston, who was its
designer.
The room, which is oval in shape and
connects with the conservatory, is IS feet
IN length, 35 feet in breadth and 25 feet
high. The style of decoration used is q
combination of the Renaissance and Colo
NAL, and the colors adopted in the decora-
tions and furniture are white, gold and
cream.
The double dome with which the room
Is surmounted is the most strikingly beau
tiful thing of its sort that has been at
tempted in New York. The frieze is a
row of dancing Cupids, with garlands of
flowers, not exactly a copy of, but similar
to, the one seen in some of the state apart
ments at Versailles. The first dome, that
adjoining the friezes, is ornamented with a
decoration of festoons in delicate cream
color on white ground, and beneath the
points of support for the fcstoons are me-
dallions, each one charged with the name
of a great musician in letters of gold.
The second dome, which springs grace
fully from the first, is also unique and at
tractive in design, and the skylight above
It is covered with a screen of iron ham
mered into an elaborate geometrical pat
tern and enameled in white. AT night
this is illuminated from behind, and the
effect produced by the particolored incan-
descent rays, Uttered through the screen,
IS peculiarly striking.
The wainscoting is of white and extends
but a short distance up the walls and other
woodwork, including the arches OF the
four Colonial alcoves, which are let into the
room at it's corners and are also of white.
Over the entrance to the adjoining con-
servatory, which is altogether in white
marble, is the musicians gallery, and this
for delicacy of conception and beautiful
workmanship is worthy of the rest of the
room. The base of the gallery is excep-
tionally attractive in design. Its decora-
tions are in arabesques and diapers, and the
series of curves by which it springs out
from the wall to meet the gallery balus-
trade is singularly graceful.
Thefloor is of inlaid wood, highly pol
ished, and it is an ideal surface for dane
ing. Upon ordinary occasions the room is
used for music, and it is furnished with a
grand piano cs white marble, inlaid with
ivory and gold, and harp. When the
floor is not needed for dancing it's center is
covered with Ghiordes rug of great size
and richness Of color.
Other changes in the Clews house are
quite as noticeable as is this beautiful ball
room. The hall, which is baronial in it's
proportions, was formerly dark and Of ba-
ronial gloominess. Now it has been modern
lied and is altogether in white, with the ex-
ception of the carpets, which are of scarlet.
The stairway, which cost a fabulous amount
and is winding, is elaborately carved, and
in the center OF the stairway spiral stands
a great palm tree, which extends nearly TO
the second floor, surrounded by smaller
palms and rare ferns. The size of the hall
has been increased seemingly fourfold By
huge mirrors set in the walls and draped in
geniously to represent tdoors.-Social Truth.