The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-04-15
HOUSE WITHIN A HOUSE
PECULIAR MANSION CONSTRUCTED
TO DOWN A HOODOO.
Washington to Death over
the Prospect Of a Fine Residence
~There-Very Luxurious.


NHN bhN may SdAtig soy NhoN h'NAih6 "
match it has ever been seen anywhere.
Baronial castles. as well as edifces OF
other kinds, often gain resident spooks or
acquire curses as incidents of their his
tory, but il has not been the fashion
hitherto TO provide i'm the architects
plans against such troubles. and the no.
ton of embodying a hoodoo-kiIler in the
very fabric of a mansion Is wholly novel.
The owner of this remarkable house,
which as yet is not quite half finished. is
Mrs. r. H.. Townsend, of Philadelphia.
Before her marriage she was Mary Scott,
a daughter of the late Colonel Tom
Scott. of Pennsylvania Railroad fame.
Her wealth runs UP into millions, and the
mansion aforesaid will cost her about S4OO.-
600. 1t will be nearly twice the size of
the famous Letter house. on Dupont Cir
Gle, being l25 feet in width and 123 feet I'm
depth. Mrs. Townsend is building il, she
says, FOR her young daughter, now seven
teen years of age and almost ready to
enter society. II will be the scene, doubt
less. OF some of the most gorgeous en-
tertainments ever given at the national
capital.
Now, once upon a time-a very proper
shOh a ElOIN dc InlS-AlTS.
Townsend interviewed a witch. 1t was a
remarkably clever witch, and. in reveal
ing the future to her lady patron. she pre-
ulcted a number of events since realized
with astonishing accuracy in Mrs. Town
Sehus hIe' IL was a very bright and
cheerful picture she drew. on the whole
one may command a good deal of bright
ness and cheerfulness if one possesses
millions of dollars-but there was one nm
peasant representation. This was that.
II Mrs. Townsend should ever occunv a
evening that had never been lived i'm be-
- enc would die within six months after
moving into IL.
rms prophecy struck Mrs. Townsend as
49, u say the least. and up to
now she mas carefully avoided all risk of
mourning the penalty suggested. Though
ANXIOUS Tor some time past TO move her
residence TO Washington. and build a
nome here. she has been restrained from
lne accomplishment of this desire by the
Witch omlnous vaticination. She thought
OF buying a house. but could find none
that was large enough or adeauate i'm
other respects for her purposes. AT
iehetn, however she hit upon an ingen-
lous method of evading the hoodoo and
getting what she wanted at the same
time. She decided to purchase the old
Hihyer mansion. on Massachusetts avenue,
and to construct a palace around il.
This she is doing in such a manner that.
Whlle occupying the new mansion, she
Will actually live in the old Hillyer house.
the skeleton of which is retained as a
mldole portion OF the revamped structure.
Her bedroom, her dressing room and
bathroom and her boudoir will be i'm the
ancient dwelling. the original floor joists
and framework, as well as the roof. be-
ing kept intact. Thus the hoodoo will be
defeated, nasmuch as the construction on
which the builders are now engaged
comes under the head of alterations"
technically speaking. and Mrs. Townsend
may consider herself safe against the full
llment of the conditional threat recorded
against her in the Book of Fate.
DOES NOT SAVE EXPENSE.
One interesting point in the story is
that the retention of the framework and
roof of the Hillyer house does not save
adds to the cost of the mansion. being
very much in the way of the builders, who
are Obliged to accommodate their plans
to the old skeleton instead of putting up
a fresh one to suit the requirements of
the new structure. The architects. by the
way, are Carrere & Hastings. who erected
the Academy of Design and the public Ii
brary in New York city.
Another curious fact well worth men
tioning in this connection is that the Hill
yer house. which the millionaire PhiIadel-
~
her magnificent future habitation. is itself
most unlucky, having been the scene a few
years ago of a deplorable tragedy. BY a
curious freak of circumstances Mrs.
anxious to escape the operation
of a hoodoo, has selected the dwelling in
which this tragedy occurred as her future
home in Washington. The process by which
she Is converting it into the finest mansion
at the capital consists i'm adding TO the
original structure two great wings and a
huge back building. TIL front will be of
Indiana limestone, having much the same
effect as white marble. quarried at Bed
ford, in that State. There will be four
stories, and the entire west wing will be
occupied by a ballroom. by far the finest
that has been seen in Washington up to
date.
William C. Whitney when he was secre-
tary of the navy built as an addition to his
house on 1 street a ballroom which was
much admired, and that eminently COM
Portable establishment, the British en-
baSSy, possesses an even better one.
thoroughly adapted TO all the requirements
of such an instrument of entertaining, but
neither of these can compare for a mo-
ment with that now in course of construc-
ton for Mrs. Townsend. Mrs. Townsend is
now at Bar Harbor. and not until her re-
turn from there will she decide upon the
details of decoration for her ballroom.
Only one thing has been determined,
namely, that French artists will be en-
ployed to finish the interior OF the ball
room. OF recent years in New York city,
whence Mrs. Townsend has derived her
ideas on the subject, the French style in
bathrooms has been considered the only
style; all others are out of date. The dec
o~rations may be in white and gold or
otherwise, but they must be a la
Parisienne. The ballroom of the new man.
sion will be the first in Washington of the
really French kind. and there is reason to
expect that il will be an education to the
fashionable folks of the capital in terp-
sichorean architecture. It's size. too. will
be remarkable. the plans calling for an
apartment sixty-eight feet long by thirty
six feet in width.
INTERIOR OF THE jus
Entering the great house, one will find
himself in an immense stair-hall, forty
six feet long by thirty-six feet wide, on
the left of which will be a spacious recep-
ton room and a billiard room with two
tables. one for billiards and the other for
pool. On the right will be Mr.. Townsend's
own particular den, in which he might
work if he were obliged to do so. As a
matter of fact il will be his playroom. All
the rest of the space on this floor will be
kitchen. s%cullery, s~ervants's hail., man
servants rooms Cthe maids will be quar-
tered upstairs) chefs cold room, laundry,
driving room. etc. The establishment will
employ about thirty-five servants. and a
French chef will superintend the commits
sary department. Without explanation. IL
should be understood that the cold room
Il for making ice creams and other dishes
which require a low temperature inciden-
in addition will be devoted TO refrigerating
r,,rVoSaS haiuO lined with clOSafS chilled