Omaha daily bee., 1895-09-21
THE VIEW AsTon PALACE.
-
A Magnificent Structure which Hn
Ueen built In New York.


The new Astor palace, which will be COM
pleted about October /, will be one OF the
most beautifully decorated private houses In
America. 1t is of the modern style of renais-
sance. 1t looks very much like small Tuil-
leries, mansard roof and ALL but is more elab-
orstely decorated thai The palace Of Catherine
de Medicl, which was burned by the Com
mune. This elaboration of detail is carried
| into the ornamentaubn uof the house proper.
| Some OF the rooms -ars so profusely orna-
mented as to seem almost heavy.
| What looks from the outside like one house
| is in reality two, for though you enter in the
center of the house by fight of steps, there
| is doorway on each side leading to what
has been made two houses by partition run
ming through the middle This has necessi-
tated the grand staircase beng made narrower
than If there had been only one leading up
| through the center.
Mrs. William Astor's house is the northern
one. That occupied by John Jacob Astor is
the southern. Ultimately, at Mrs. William
| Astors death, the house will be thrown into
one. As 1t is, some of the rooms are equally
| divided. This Is the case with the ball room
| which occupies the center of the house. at the
rear OF which is also picturs galsry. her.
| wise, Mrs. Astor has suits of apartments
| which are almost precisely of the same size
as those the younger couple occupy on the
| southern end.
On entering Mrs. William Astor's house a
| small reception room decorated in tapestry
| apparently of Gobelin make, Is the first to the
| left. This room, like all others, is as yet un-
finished. Next to it, and reached by going
| into large marble hall, is the grand salon.
| This Is profusely decorated in gold 1t is an
| immense room, the decorations being in light
| colors. but gold everywhere. Directly back
| OF this apartment, separated by sliding doors,
is the dining ROOM which is about the same
| size as the parlor. These two apartments oc-
| cupy nearly the entire ground floor of the
| house.
This dining room is in strong contrast to
| the drawing room the decorations being all
| in black and gold. The general style gives
| an effect of heaviness, the ceiling, with its
pane cling and moliings, presenting such masses
| OF decoration that, were 1t not high, there
| would be feeling of suffocatlon. Yet 1t is
| all very beautiful and eXquisitely finished.
The service is made directly from an elevator
which goes to the kitchen below, to the other
side OF the dining room, and back of it is
| pantry great deal larger than the dining
| rooms in ordinary private houses. In fact
the effect of all these rooms seems to be i'm
menslty. One hundred persons could easily
sit down at one time in the dining room.
Along the hall, toward the south, through
small door, is the second Astor house, the
one that Will be occupied by John Jacob
Astor his wife and child, and some fifteen or
twenty servants.
The upper rooms, the living rooms, are
smaller than in Mrs. Astor's house. for the
reason that more people must be accommo-
dated The library Is about the same size
as the elder Mrs Astor's, which has a small
dressing room off. 1t is smaller than Mrs.
VIII, am Astor's, and shows that he has given
the best of it to his wife, for her bedroom is
one-third larger than his.
| Next to Mrs. Astor's bedroom is one of the
prettiest apartments in the house-Mrs. AS
tors private bathroom. 1t is Roman in de-
sign, the bath tub being made of one solid
block of marble and carved out The bath it.
self is almost round. 1t is intended to be sat
In rather than to lie in. A little Cupid Is
carved out Of the same piece of marble at the
back and he is looking at two dolphins, out
OF the mouths of which flow the hot and cold
water. The ceiling, which is rounded and
which seems to hang like canopy over the
bath, Is of Roman mosaic and of the most
beautiful finish. gs
Mrs. Astor's private parlor is good-sized
room. but the decoration is unfinished.
, Beyond this are two rooms, one for the
day nursery and the other for the night
nursery Then comes the nurses rooms and
her bathroom The two houses contain
twenty bathrooms, the servants being ac-
commodated in this respect almost as well
The ceilings in the hall are apparently
held up by series of female figures ex-
quisitely nodded, the work of Karl Bitter.
The figures are all female and of life size,
the position in every case being different,
, but each one graceful and refined. 1t is ap-
parent that the best taste has presided at
the selection of these different objects. At
the side of the house, but at the back, a
staircase unusually narrow leads to the upper
floors, but there two elevators, one at
the front and another for the servants at the
back.
The second floor is devoted to school rooms,
sewing rooms and Mrs Astor's maids room
next to which is her private bathroom al
!, , most as dantily finished as those on the
, lower floor. In the private rooms are found
simplicity and good taste. The mass of gold
| pnt ttnN
together for to which friends will be
invited and where the ceremonial receptions
will take place.
, The third floor is devoted entirely to the
servants and to storage purposes One room
, is given to the apparatus for controlling the
hot water with which the house is heated
and another to linen. All the rooms on this
floor are small, though comfortable, and are
given over to the numerous women who do
the work of the house. The finish of the
rooms is Just the came on the floors below
hardwood everywhere and tinted walls, a
light blue generally prevailing.
The ballroom is as gorgeous and beautiful
as it is possible to imagine. The style has
, evidently been modelled after the Francis l.
, room at Fontainebleau. Above your head as
you enter is the music gallery in wrought
, iron. Directly opposite and at the other end
of the room is panel picture of Queen Eliza
beth, and round about it are some colossal
figures, again designed by Karl Bitter. The
two most prominent are of women holding
,
head of the Virgin Queen
Around about the rooms. and appearing to
' be weighed down by the weight of the cell
ing, are more figures by Bitter, splendid in
+ their muscular proportions and In the ex-
e preston of face and tension of arm.
Pictures line every side of the hall, and
: above them the ceiling springs into canopy,
the whole being lighted from above. This
ballroom is about seventy feet in length and
fifty in breadth. 1t has a highly polished
floor This combination of picture gallery and
ballroom is most effective.
, He Protects His Home Once More.
3 Chicago Tribune: "Billiger
5 Mr. McSwat awoke.
r what Is it, Lobelia?"
81 hear a strange noise! There's somebody
| in the house!"
Seizng the revolver that lay under his pill
low Mr.. McSwat sprang out of bed and moved
Y toward the door.
: He stopped a moment to listen.
Then he cooked his revolver, assumed an
attitude of defiance and waited.
, moment later, with iron resolution, he
closed the door of the foom, locked it, rolled
II y