The herald., 1895-10-27

D The grand central hall is Glx55 ieet in
size. Through the center runs a part-
ton, on each side of which there IS a
grand staircase leading 70 the second
story. This staircase and in fact the en-
tire finishing of the hall, is built of Caen
stone. beautiful material of a creamy
tint, brought from Caen, France, which
has been used in nearly every one Of
the recently built houses OF American
mIl1ionaires.
Both staircase and hall are beauti ully
decorated with artistic carvings and with
full-sized female figures in half length,
modelled from life by Carl Bitter. Their
graceful lines show to excellent I'D Ivan
tage in the spacious hall. Opening from
the hall are doors leading to the recep-
ton rooms. salons or drawing room and
dining rooms of both the north and south
houses. AT the rear other doors lead to
the picture gallery from both houses.
The picture gallery promises to rank as
the finest single apartment in the coun-
try. On festive occasions 1t will be used
as ball room, and all the science OF the
architects art was brought into play to
make the combination OF picture gallery
and ball room a success. 1t is 5OXOO feet
In size and in the daytime the sunlight
streams IN through great stained glass
dome forty feet above the floor. The i'm
mense height of the ceiling gives the
apartment dignity which is lacking in
the rooms of other fine New York houses.
Here, as in the grand hall, the com
manding genius and exquisite taste OF
Carl Bitter has been called upon In the
modelling of ngurs pieces. Perhaps the
most noticeable pieces OF figure work
which adorn this apartment are eight
ceryatides of heroic size, modelled direct
from Sandow, the strong man.
These figures stand upon the cornice
twenty feet from the floor and support
the rotunds. No two figures are alike,
but all are in stopping posture, rs If act.
ually bearing great weight. Shadows
massive figure. with its swelling muscles
and tendons, has lent itself admirably TO
the purpose, and there Is no doubt that
these caryatides will long be considered
among the most striking decorative fig
ures in the world.
But these are not the only figure deco
rations in the gallery by any means.
Upon the western wall and between the
entrances there are two heroic figures.
half human, half brute. taken from some
old-time mythology. Higher up, between
the Sandow figures IL the cove
which supports the rotunda, male and fe-
male, half length and full length figures,
some human and some of fauns, flank
ovoid panels. Over each panel is a head,
and each Is inscribed with sumo name ia
nous in the history of art. These in their
order, beginning at the southwest corner
of the gallery, are: Andrea del Sarto,
Rem brandt, Michael Angelo. A . Correg-
go, Murillo, Nelasquez. Leonardo da
Ninci, Paulo Neronese and Raffeie Sanzio.
Upon the eastern wall there are other
beautiful figures near the top. and below
them round panel for painting, which
is fianked by graceful figures of heroic
SIZE. AT night the animation Will he
furnished by hundreds of electric light
bulbs arranged around the upper cornice
of the cove" Just under the rotunda.
Some idea of the amount of interior
carving can be gained from the fact that
forty carvers 200 cutters, 10C polishers
and seventy-five helpers were employed
in the house continually for ten mon this.
The house was begun in the easily part of
1888 and has taken more than two years
and q half to Guild. 1t has given EMPLOY
ment on an average to 300 men since it
was begun. In wages alone $500, 600 have
been spent. Counting the cost of materi-
ais and the cost of the land. the house
without the furnishings represents an
outlay of 81 800. 900, ana when it is filed
with the multitude of TIE art treasures
the whole will sum up close to So, 900 0UO
This may seem an eXaggeration, but when
it is remembered that single gold din
ner service Belonging to Mrs. William
Astor cost $50, 900. and Gobeln tapestry
ST., 900, 1t can be seen that items of this
kind soon mount into enormous figures.
Mrs. William Astor's picture gallery