The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-01-08
HOUSE WITHOUT CORNERS.
Built to Accommodate Ghosts in
San Francisco

San Francisco
There is one house in San Francisco
the interior of which has no corner.
This is the Occidental club building on
stockton street. which recently became
the property of Chris Buckley. Where
there commonly are corners in anart-
ments OF residences. in this house are
only gentle, well rounded curves The
vertical walls fail to describe a right
angie 10 the ceiling. The base of the
vertical walls melts by a curve into the
hoor' ana where ordinarily are corners
OF room are other curves Archi+ec
turally in this respect the interior of the
cup mouse is unique. When the archi-
tecturaI fact first daWned ON The an
prehension OF Buckley's followers they
sDeculated awhile over the proposition
and finally gave it up as to why rooms
should be built on this plan In the
basement is large apartment, which is
supplied with numerous rows of chairs.
ana there. as one of the members of
the club expressed it, lis where de bovs
90 dc rough work. 1t is large enough
lot a meeting room. Its ceiling is high
above the floor. 1t is far enough re-
moved from the main apartment on the
next hoor above and shut off with suffi-
Gent thickness of floor and tight-fttine
doors. so that the enthusiasm which ac-
cuhaulates there on occasions never dis
turbs the more tranquil politicians as
sembled above. In this room originated
the idea architecturally expressed
througout the interior. The property
Vas formerly owned by Mrs. John NJ.
Peck, who was a Spiritualist, and lis
tened TO the promptings of mediums
Ihere IS a staircase which, in it's pres
sent shape, is the product of three at
IelHpts 10 make something satisfactory
1t was twice pulled down and a third
time allowed to stand. At the foot of
the staircase a. magnificent bird. with
oenca5e and timely elaborated plumage,
carved out of a single block of hard
WOOD stands as a warder to its beau
tleS. There are only fifteen rooms i'm the
entire building, and yet within a very
snort period between $4,000 and $1,000
were pald 10 painters for painting and
fepalntlng in different tints and colors.
A small fortune. in fact, went into these
adornments and changes, all of which
mad something of the eerie about them,
Judgment was either guided or approved
by ShoStly voices. Her imagination was
troDical-classcal and humorous by turns
Large sums of money were spent in il
lumlnatng glass windows. In the smok-
ing room there is a series of tropical
views, highly colored, representing the
wealth OF vegetation and the beauty of
SKY and foliage of the land beneath the
ever blazing sun. Her library an
proached by. ponderous sliding doors.
which moved without sound is frosted
over with skillful delineations of CaIifor-
MA scenery, of mountains, redwood trees.
- y, Oe"A ~ q p anu Whatever constitutes
the boosted glory of the variegated
scenery of the Pacific coast Below these
scenes, symmetrically arranged in order.
are pictured representations of rows of
books, on the backs of which appear the
names OF famous authors of ANTIQUITY
and of modern times. On the second
moor there is Shakespeare mantel and
the humorous Falstaff, the melancholy
features of the royal Dane. RosaIind
the two Dromios, Juliet and Romeo, the
dashlng Mercut1o and Ariel there con-
front the spectator.
There are doors of solid mahogany
ponderous and heavy, which move hack
and forth almost without the application
OF force. Circular cupboards, one being
especially devised for silver safe. car
ry out the general idea of evading right
angles, and they observe well the lines
of beauty.
1t is said that she discarded the, adj
vice of architects, and very likely ex-
pended much more money than was
necessary to have accomplished the
same results. Apart from the impuIse
which actuated. the house would attract
attention only by the disparity between
the interior and exterior For it is not
mansion IN outward appearance in the
modern modern occupation Of the term but the
interior DetrayS lavish expenditure. The
assurance OF those who know that the
work was done several times over makes
1t seem very probable that Mrs. peck
may nave expended as high as $4,000. as
alleged. The one bill for painting is per
haps sufficient Indication of the
charge. which were not low. In anv in
stance. she had original ideas in the line
OF making the home comfortable. Her
chief aim, however, was to make it eIe-
CANT and massive.-San Francisco Ex
aminer.