Los Angeles herald., 1906-07-25

The continual Transformation which a
city undergoes has curious develop
ments. The homes that were the pride
of their possessors are constantly going
down before the advance OF commerce.
and the encroachments of the apart
ment houses and hotels. Interiors that
were things of Joy and beauty are ruth
lessly torn out and carted away as
Junk" In huge sheds they consort
with beams, scantling, iron girders, lead
pipe, rusty faucets. and other demor-
allied fixtures.
Just here is where opportunity walks
in, and takes its pick. Opportunity is
generally represented by young mar
ried people struggling TO secure home.
II Is usually country home for your
married people, unless they have the
purse of Fortunatus. cannot have
their own homes in a city. They camp
i'm flats and are always in light march,
ing order; even books are often re-
garded as undesirable impedimenta.
The significance of the trend of the
present, however, is no more conspicu-
Gus than in the countless modest homes
going UP In the countryside real coun-
try, not what we know as the suburbs,
where houses are built by contract in
punches, and are not to be regarded as
homes.
For these young home seekers the
architectural junk pile is treasure trove.
The fascination of picking out the home
of ones Imagination from a hetero-
geneous mass of objects belongs to
the same sort of fascination people en-
JOY at auctions, rummaging among an
tiques, yea, even at bargain counters.
There Is young married couple; the
husband is q lawyer, whose practice Is
yet tremuous; the wife paints that is,
sufficiently to want a studio, but not to
the exclusion of other matters. More
over, a Studio is also a social adjunct,
as barional hall is to richer people.
They had money enough to buy a few
acres, and to encourage builder who
was also a client. Having bought a
site that commanded a noble view, the
view became the note of the house
which was to be placed and organized
as to it's interior, with the determina-
tion to work the view for all it was
WORTH
Artistic Patchwork Houses
They spent long, and, it must be con-
fessed, weary and dusty hours in these
architectural junk shops, poking amid
lumber and climbing rickety stairs.
About this time the old Columbia Col
lege buildings had been torn down.
With clever discernment they began
their home by buying some Of its fine
old loaded windows. One Of these was
a lofty triple arched affair which came
out of the chapel. This was set apart
for the studio which was to be story
and attic high. The other windows,
smaller but equally choice, were bought
without definite plan, but feeling they
would work all right. Another win
dow. oblong and filled in with single
pane, was selected as a picture window
and intended to enclose the view.
OF course the studio must have a bal
cony and stairs. Out of dismantled
Fifth avenue residence these were Sc
lected, including a newell post of great
impressiveness. All this was done with
out any reference to measurements.
proportions, or matters of that sort; for
they knew that these affairs could be
adjusted and reconciled when matters
came to a crisis. The important thing
was to have such desirable architecture
al details in their home For the living
room, which was to be also the en-
trance hall, and to give on the view.
they found some fine old wainscottng.
This had a carved upper border, and
large panels in which Japanese dragons
and sprays in some sort of metallic
composition were applied. One panel
had been reserved and this contained
a large square mirror.
For the little parlor or more intimate
Withdrawing room, mantel, with deli
cate f1uted pilasters and garlanded
breast, out of an old Rutgers street
house, built when colonial fashions
were in first favor. was bought in COM
pany with a couple of doors to match.
In addition to all these, were pretty
loaded glass doors for china closets,
and a mirrored door for clothes
closet.
A Home Without an Architect