The Portland daily press., 1895-01-18
USEFUL AND ORNAMENTAL.
Deering Park Building Officially Ac-
cepted by Commission.

Full Description of the Handsome Little
| Stone Structure, and How Commission
er Smith Saved the City $1,000 and Sc
| cured a New Feature of Attraction.
The handsome little stone building in
| Deering Park is practically finished, and
| Thursday afternoon was officially visited
and accepted by Park Commissioners
Smith, Raymond and Jordan. This
building is thing of beauty, ana is also
| built so substantially that it will no
doubt be a joy forever.
| The outside is very pleasing architect
urally, and quite rivals the ornamental
! buildings in the parks Of larger cities
Inside it is place of elegance and COM
| fort. The room is 16x25 feet, and is
| feet in height. At one corner opens the
large round alcove, under the tower. In
front of this is counter in handsome
wood, over which the man who is to
| have charge of this waiting room will
dispense refreshments. The floor and
ceiling are finished in hard wood, but
| the windows and fireplace are the real
masterpieces of this attractive interior
| In beauty and elegance they would be
worthy of the private home of any rich
man. The windows all have round or
| oval centre of clear glass, about which
are grouped and clustered small panes
| of many and beautiful colors Set in
| the thick stone walls the effect is very
| charming. 4t
| The fireplace is large one, and roar
| ing fire greeted the commissioners, just
as similar fires will greet cold aud tired
skaters and other visitors to the park in
the near future. There will be plenty
of.wood, cut from the Oaks in the park
itself, to supply this great fireplace.
Above the ornamental wooden mantel
is handsome picture frame of oak.
made from stump cut in the park, two
years ago, and which Commissioner
Smith has been seasoning ever since.
Inside of the frame is a slab of slate, set
into che brick of the chimney, on which
in golden letters is that immoral verse
from Longfellow, ending with
"A boys will is the winds will.
And the thoughts OF youth are long,
long thoughts. !"
Just opposite the door is that famous
picture of Mount Washington from In
tervale, N. H." 1t was contributed by
Colonel F. L. Boothby, of the Maine
Central. There are. seats along the walls
except the end where the fireplace is,
and in the summer there will be tables
where ice cream will De served.
Perhaps ones first thought may be
allow can Portland justly afford such
an elegant and luxurious little stone
building with a constant fire in the fire.
place, JUST for waiting room in the
park" But wait minute. 1t is all
real, and just as rich and substantial,
but-not so expensive as it looks
Commissioner Smith has shown even
more interest in this than other features
of the park, if that is possible, and has
been determined to have such useful
building and have it an adornmenE of
and credit to the city as woll. He has
spared no effort TO secure every contribu-
ton posi- BILE from Portland citizens
who could. aid in furnishing material
The ornamental bricks of the fireplace
are donation from Mr.. K. B. Winslow,
as is the large granite doorsill from Mr..
E. Redlon. Mr.. Melvin Hamblett of
Deering furnished the brick for the
chimney and walls at a large reduction,
and Frank |. Larrabee supplied the slat-
l. 49, 11x-
best of all, theTgranite blocks, of which
the greater portion of the walls are
built, and which would have been an
item of several hundred dollars, were
no expense at all. They are refuse paw
ing blocks, contributed by the, street
pose but what they were cut expressly
for this particular building, so skillful-
ly have they been piled together on
edge, and end, and side, and framed
here and there by bands and patches
of red brick.
Mr.. Frederick A Tompson is the arch
itect of this building, and it will always
be a graceful tribute to his artistic
taste. We learn from him that Mr.. W. j.
Dunscomb was the mason, and that
| his bill was S348; also that Mr.. G. W.
Gushing was the carpenter, and his bill
was $500; also that the whole thing has
| cost only $780, and that with the extras
| that always come, it will not cost over
! $1,000; also that had the usual prices been
| paid for everything it. could not have
| cost less than $4,000.
| So. no matter how you figure it, Com
missioner Smith has saved the city $1,000
and also secured for it an ornamental
and useful park building that is certain.
| ly worthy of our beautiful "Oaks," ant
| still more beautiful city.
Wheelmen's Meeting at Reception Hall
Arrangements are being made by thu
| officers of the Maine Division League O
| American Wheelmen. for meeting o
| wheelmen in Reception Hall next Mon
day evening, the 21st, for the purpose o