The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-07-27
GLORIES THAT FADED
ALAMENT TO THE PASSING OF TIE
OLD STONE HOUSES.
s,nce the Mansions Of the Wealthy, Now
Given Over to Dog Hospitals, Boarding
Houses and the Like-The Grand Front
steps Are Crumbiing Away.

stems Are Crumbling Away.
Time was, and IL was long time ago. |
when the stone front houses of the city |
were the residences of the very best people, |
and none but the well To do and eminently |
respectable occupied them. mhey were tall |
buildings and, although they were consid- |
cred in those days quite the thing in the |
vay of correct architecture. they present |
70 the modern trained eye the appearance |
of stone barracks and are exceedingly I'M |
beautiful. In those days they enjoyed the
distinction Of being planted in the midst
of spacious grounds, ard they looked
down upon their frame built ncighbors
with naughty and self conscious pride
Their rooms-and here they enjoy n
marked advantage over the mod TN built
dwelHng--woro and arc equipped with
high ceilings and generous proportions of
length and width, and instead Of their
halls being only large enouGh % accommo-
date an attenuatod hail trcc, they were
built high and wide, spacious 10 degree,
and were adapted as Semireception rooms.
Their parlors were adorned W.,h beautiful
uaintings their floors were covered ly the
most expensive carpets, their high and
deep windows were drapod with the finest
of curtains, and in many instances the cell
ings of these residences were handsomely
and artistically decorated and orr.mented
by skilled artists.
The outside of these houses, with the
square blocks of dull yellow, brown, gray
and reddish brown stone fronting the
street, was uniformly hideous. Turning
from the house 70 the street were, as Il
rule long flights of stone steps. On these
steps the owners CT the residences were in
49,, l,obit ffc on SuIbnfh nftpr-
moons and evenings to discuss the passers-
by and gossip the hours away. This habit
of taking to the front steps Of Sunday aft
ernoons and evenings has not entirely died
out of Chicago circles, notwithstanding the
onvious and malignant sneers Of certain
poly lot eastern newspapers.
In these old residences many weddings
were solcmnizcd, and from them were
borne TO The cemeteries the last of all that
was mortal of "a number Of Chicago's old
time and famous citizens. And then came
progress, bringing in its train new ideas
as regarded the eternal fitness of things
architectural, and the styles in houses were
turned topsy turvy. People began to build
houses with an idea of beauty on the out
side as well as of interior, and just as soon
as this innovation was begun the old stone
front residence went to tho background
Immediately, for its exterior was grew
some to degree. The idea of a house with
an approach of 200 or 300 feet of stone
stems was discovered to be o relic of archi-
tectural barbarism, and rooms instead OF
being constructed without any angles,
much as dry goods boxes are built, were
made with view of relieving such monot-
onous and depressing squareness. The re-
suit of all this was to set the old style
houses to one side and leave them high and
dry on the shores of universal progress
They We're sold, they were deserted. The
fashionable people left them to lHovc nearer
to the lake or farther into tho suburbs
and for time they stood with none Sc
poor to do them reverence.
And then the owners of these old stone
forts these Anticipated sandstone shacks,
began to bestir themselves for the purpos'
of realizing little interest on their money
The first move toward this natural desire
was to rent these caravansar'es To ulver'
and sundry boarding house Keepers. Ihl'
resulted in large numbers of signs, such a'
"Rooms to Let, +" Board by the DAY aho
Week" "Boarders Wanted and similar
decorations to appear on the walls OF TIT
old time houses But after a time the
harding house business began to languish
European hotels and cheap restaurants In
sidiously sprang up 1ourished ant
wrought havoc in the ranks of the deVotet
boarding house mistrcsses And as the Ole
houses were left by the boarders ana thel
landladies the problem of utilizing Tn
stone hulks was again before their respec
tive owners.
Now began the final step in the degra
dation of the ancient and honorable man
sions of yore. They were turned lht
stores and anything that could be rented
and now along Wabash avenue ana otat
street the change has brought with
strange and grotesque happenings. "A
one stately old house dog hospltai Is !,
full blast, and signs depicting dogs I'D uli
ferent stages of distress are piastereu %
the wall. In the next square veterlnar
surgeon holds forth in venerable pii
where years ago one OF inc inoso HUG
citizens of Chicago lived.
fashionable tailoring establishment
holds full SWAY in another old stone front
and in this house bay window has bee
built to give more modern appearance
the edifice. Here where once costly oui
Trims adorned the windows on the socon
floor. CANDY prints Of the latest Styles
dresses flaunt themselves, ana fasnlo
plates bloom where rare exotics STOOL
Quite n number of the old houses nav
had their one time respectaplll'y eho0he
by having additions attached to thein an
a saloon and buffet located there. Az the'
places il is fair to presume the sons
Belal do congregate. and that, instead
the high toned gayety that distinguish
the old mansion in days and nights eor
by there are riotous demonstration ana o.
casional calls for the city chariot Wnic
hales offenders stationward. =,
The stope steps, once the pride OF u
old time housewives are so shattereu III
broken away that they seem like the s., stel
leading to some penal institution. In
do not appear to have been washed II
centuries, so soiled and begrimeo Is vi.
look Some of these "old timers ma
been surrounded and cooped in by mouel
buildings, and seem to crouch moouliy
the shadows dreaming OF times ione ~
when their windows were brilliant WI
life and light, their rooms nung WI
splendid paintings, retinue OF servall
In the halls and chambers, guests comm
and going. the sound of childish VOICE