The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-02-21


rooms il a house but TO have them small
In size. 1t was only the Old houses that
were built twenty or thirty years ago that
had large, comfortable rooms in them. Peo-
pie. however, are seeing the advantage of
the large rooms and all of the homes that
have been constructed in the last year and
the plans for the ones that are 10 be built
this coming summer show that the houses
have fewer rooms than they formerly had
but they are larger and more after the
fashion of the houses built years ago.
Herbert Foltz. an architect. was asked
the other day about change in the styles Of
houses, and said:
Yes. there has been a change in the
styles of houses here. and there is more
stone and brick being used now than there
has ever been in this city. 1t used to be
that everything here vas frame. but that
Is now going out and brick and stone are
! being used extensively and the houses of
the English design are. like everything else
English, "alf and alf'-that is, they are
part timber and part plaster. This style of
house l think has come TO stay because it
is not only picturesque but is also service
able as well There is something rather
antique about the new style of house, for
II resembles the New England colonial
house without the old colonial details
These houses to be perfect, must also have
the gable-pOinted window easements with
the Tudor arches, which is a low-pointed
arch made in a sort of semi-circle.
SERVANTS PROVIDED FOR.
Another feature that is becoming in
/
Mr. Foltz, sis a servants dining room. The
tendency all the way through in the new
house is to arrange better accommodations
for the servants. In many instances peo-
pie putting in a servants bathroom and
instead of wasting the third story of a
house and making attic out of it as was
formerly done, they are turning it into
the servants quarters. In the houses that
were built some years ago the only pro-
vision that was made for the servant was
one or two small rooms put away some
| where close TO the kitchen, but things are
changing in this respect now.
Another thing l notice is that people
or to-day are having more respect for
| cleanliness than they used to- Formerly
| they had one Bathroom, and this was put
/ where IL was out of the way so that il
Mouiu NOT take any space from anythIhg
| else, but now in most of the houses that
| are built there are two bathrooms and
| these are placed where they are most con-
| Venlent. In the modern house now SIM
| plicity prevails everywhere, both inside and
| out, more than it used to. And another
| very noticeable thing In the new house is
the absence of the old-fashioned grille and
| network which at one time was very
| popular in fashionable houses.
Side porches," he went on, ''are also be-
coming more in favor and there is hardly
house built now that does not have a
| large side porch. These are very conven-
| lent from the fact that they can be oc-
| cupled In the summer by the family in
| almost the same manner that they use a
| sitting room. The advantage of having
| the porch at the side of the house is that
| 1t takes the people off the street and away
from the noise and dust. The large avn
/ lngS around them, as they are generally
/ htted with. makes them very desirable and
/ also very convenient place to spend the
not afternoon and evenings during the
warm months of the summer Another
! thing that has been revolutionized in the
| last two years is the manner in which the
houses are heated. This, of course, is
arai gas. The old de h otiaf o furnace mace
is also giving way to the steam and hot
water plants which are now the popular
way of heating houses. 1t is. found that
| these give steady, even heat that is not
TO be obtained in any other way"
Mr.. Foltz was asked If il was not true
| that people are now paying more attention
to identifying their homes than they did
a few years ago.
OUTSIDE DECORATIONS.
Yes" he said, there is more attention
being paid to the planting of shrubbery
now than there was a few years ago. Ter
racing the grounds is also being done ex-
tensively among modern househelders and
there is a genertl trend toward landscap-
ing. For instance, instead of having the
walk running from the street straight to
the front porch, these walks now built
winding and along them are flower beds
and shrubbery of various sorts. You will
see that this will be done to greater ex-
tent during the coming summer than ever
! before, and L think thing that has had
| much TO do with this is this civic improve
ment idea which L believe has taken root
and will eventually be great thing for the
| city. IL is my opinion that if it is pushed
! properly ii will be the means of making
! Indianapolis a very beautiful city and will
| also help IL retain its reputation as the
city of homes, no matter how large it may
grow.
the carpet, of course, is done away with
and rugs and druggets have taken its
! place. 1 don't think that this is a fad.
| but L believe that the going out Of the
| carpet is permanent for the reason that IL
/ unsanitary because they catch the dust,
and no matter how clean they may be
| kept. all of the dust cannot be got out
of them. and it is said that this is a
/ means of spreading germs of various dis
| eases. BY doing away with the carpet
/ homework is greatly simplifed The yearly
| house cleaning used 10 be looked upon with
/ dread because il was necessary to have
| all OF the carpets taken up and cleaned,
which would require week or two, during
which time the house was torn up from top
to bottom; but with the hardwood floors
this is all done away with. One room at
time now can be cleaned and it does not
rest of the house need be disturbed
Mr.. FoltZ contended in his talk that
| everything so far as the housewives work
was concerned, is becoming more simpli-
/ fed.
THE whole trend of building at the pres
/ ent time, he said, tends to simplify the
| work of the women of the house Every
! thing in the way of draperies is much sim
/ pier than it used to be and the long lace
/ curtains that were suspended from a pole
| have also taken their place with the car
/ pets something to be spoken of in the
past. What has brought this change about
| Is the easement windows which omen in
/ stead of slide as the windows formerly
/ did. These windows that open, of course
/ have only short curtains attached to them
THE point about building in the city
/ last year was that the people spent more
i money and built a better grade of houses
/ than ever before OF course. as they were
i it. People in building homes generally have
i some idea of their own plan. that Is. as far
/ as the arrangement of rooms is concerned.
| But where they have their trouble is when
/ II comes TO bringing in the stairways, chin
neys and closets. They always know where
/ Is the thing that they can never under
/ stand.
1T is the task of the architect" Mr.
/ FoltZ went on. ito take the fragments and
| piece them together for every one who
! builds a house has some scattered notions
/ as TO how he wants things arranged in the
/ interior. When il comes to the exterior
though. there are but few people who have
/ any idea as TO how they want it. And the
! person who can read plans is certainly a
rarity. The average individual has no con-
| ception to what the house will look like
/ from the plans that the architect submits
/ He can't understand about measuring
| things on a small scale. Occasionally,
/ however, YOU come across people who are
I worry nra pffpa1 N thpir fdaac au1 lyror,. =.