Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-28
A. Current Fashion in the De-
signing of Houses.
ENTRANCE By BASEMENT
Some Additions to the Residences Of
the City.
PLANS FOR HOUSES VARIED
What People Expect in the Appear
ance Of Homes and FASH
ion Rules.


The passing OF stoops. as they are called
In New York, or steps to the main en-
.race of residences. is one OF the features
of changes in domestic architecture which
is becoming quite marked IN this city. It
denotes primarily a change in the habits
of living. requiring more space for what
might be termed purely social uses than
was formerly the case. In houses of this
type the main entrance is through what
is practically the basement. and, in fact.
II Is so treated in the design and Is not
even given the dignity of being named.
the floor Immediately above, which Is
really the second floor in the house, being
called the first floor.
The latter is. however, properly desig-
mated. for in Importance It is the first or
parlor floor while the ground story serves
as a means of approach to the upper
floors As rule there are only the re-
ception rooms on the basement floor. with,
of course, the domestic departments In
the rear and it is without doubt the
facilities along the former line that give
this plan of interior arrangement its
popularity.
For Social Uses.
the street level and rooms on the floor
below for guests to leave their wraps be-
fore going upstairs, the convenience OF
such an arrangement for social functions,
especially of a large character, are. so
apparent that it is not surprising 1t has
been adopted in many houses of the
larger type. In fact. it is the prevailing
style of house. as 1t seems to provide
facilities for handling large numbers of
people better than any other.
Where entertainment is not the chief
consideration in the selection OF the plan
of house there are other reasons why
this style is adopted and also why 1t is
found IN houses OF the smaller type. Of
course, fashion controls in domestic archi-
lecture, much as II does in other direc-
tions and as it is the thing to have the
principal entrance to the house on level
with the street or through the basement,
that in itself Is a sufficient reason for
many to adopt it for the house they
build or to prefer it in the house they
buy.
-" 4 Rather General Adoption. ,
As method of getting the most out Of
the space in the interior of house it
does not recommend itself for the reason
that there is one room. sometimes more
rooms, on the basement floor for which
there Is only limited use unless the oc
cupants of the house do a great deal of
entertaining. and that. too. of rather
elaborate character. On this account, per-
baps, this arrangement Is not frequently
selected for the smaller class of house,
but at the same time it is quite obvious
that It is no longer confined to the resi-
denees of the larger plan. -..- .a
In fact, the English basement house. as
II used to be called, Is quite common in
the residence section of the city. 1t Is
named also the American basement, and
rc fT. %R I'll kxyI>
as we'll as in other types of dwellings,
There Is no doubt that in addition to the
advantages in the interior IL also affords
opportunities for good effects In exterior
designing. t --. -
food Decorative Effects.
i The treatment of the doorway ap-
'p1r6ntfS isap be more decorative, or, at
least, isAmofe accessible to the eye of
the passka6y than III that feature of the
house relocated nine or ten feet above
the Level of he street Then there is in ad-
dtion The -cahopy Of ornamental iron and
glass tbaieracefully extends out from
n main wall of the house directly over
tne approach to the entrance, thus at
fofding shelteE from the weather.
There are thr grilles also, often beau
tiful example, or decorative iron work
that guard the opening of the vestibule
or perhaps only the inner door, The en-
tire scheme OF iron and glass with carved
stone = work. formss a combination that
enriehea the main entrance to the home
There " perhaps. no feature of the mod
ern house which so controls the scheme
of the design of the front as does the
entrance, and this is true to the correct
principles of the art. At the same time
this t1se of glass and of iron is a modern
idea. ~
The Loss Of Parking.
There is scrne question in the minds of
those who give attention to such mat
tiers whether this change in house de-
signing is an unmixed blessing, 1t Is no
uced that for the most part such en-
frances are approached BY drfveways cut
through the parking. as the lawn space
between the houses and the sidewalks is
known in this city. thus reducing the
area that has hitherto been given up
to grass plots to the great and refresh
ing relief TO the eye from the hard and
monotonous surface of the asphalted
sidewalks and pavements of the city.
There is no question that a grass COW
cred space In the city Is much more de-
strable than an asphalt surface and one
OF the distinctive things about Washing.
ton which seems to call forth admirinp
comments from all classes of visitors is
what some of the strangers call the front
yards. Unlike the street fronts In most
cities the building line does not come
down to the sidewalk and this interval
Of space. which is covered with the fresh
ness and beauty of green grass undoubt-
eddy has a great deal to do with the repu
tation which Washington now enjoys Of
being the most beautiful city in the world
To occupy this space with the hard
outlines OF an asphalt driveway cannot be
recognized as good substitute for a.
lawn, and the growth of this practice is
in the opinion of good many observers
detracting rather than adding to the at
fractions OF this city as a place OF resi-
dence.
Some New Residences.
In recent months a number OF resi-
dences have been erected on Bancroft
place. which lies west of Connecticut
avenue and just north of Florida avenue
Among them is the house which
Frank. p. Reside had built for hts own
use. while on the opposite side of the
street are several which have been
built for s. W. Woodward All the
residences mentioned were designed by
+. b. Pyle. architect.
MIR. Clarke Waggaman is prop osing
to add 10 the group of houses which
he designed and built on Connecticut
avenue just north OF the new bridge
He intends to build during the present
season two houses. one for himself and
the other for his sister, Mrs. Agnes w.
he