Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1911-01-15
COPPER KING REGRS PALACE
>Montena Man Shows New, Yorkers
What Home Should Be.
EIGHT-YEAR JOB IS ABOUT DONE
Former senator spends $1,000, 900 In
Architectural wonder, Having
i2t ROOnis, Thirty-Oue
RaihS Etc. ,

The t1oOOoOO Fifth nenve RESIDENCE OF
ex-senator William 4 Chrk OF Montana
has been completed hitter aght yeaus Of
work and will be occupied early la tie.
new year, 1t Is said to be the costlisst
residence ever built IN America, and per
haps the costliest private house in the
world. The taxes assessed on II by New
York City amount 70 more than 500
day
The mansion contalna i21 rooms, thirty
one baths, and four picture galleries. no
building in the world. according TO ex-
perts who have inspected the interior, car
ries. so much bronze as has been worked
into this mansion
Although the best architects and deoora-
tors in this country were employed. sena-
tor Clark himself designed much OF the In.
terror, as we'll as the exterior Of the man
-. sion on .,,,,
pipe organs In the world which was .iu-
stalled at a cost Of 100000 There are
100000 worth Of pictures and $1,000
worth Of rugs
p, Last Word IN Dissemination.
During the years the Clark mansion has
been growing toward completion Il has
been the subject Of many criticisms as
being the last word" I'm ostentation The
tower that looms up above the side "a o.
cade has been the especial butt of attacks.
"A more fatuous and meaningless feature
than this steeple.H writes an architect,
would be impossible to find even in the
widest vagaries Of our domestic architec-
ture. II is entirely without archltec-
tural relation to anything else in the build
ing It is devoid of apparent use as a
meaning or beauty No human creature
can decently pretend to admire anything
about IT,"
The same architectural critic compares
the stone cutting with the fortified palazzos
Of Venice. THE ferocity Of the stone cut
ting is In fact 80 unmitigated that the base
ment seems to have had its prototype
rather a log house than any extant con-
structon Of masonry.
"A certified check to the amount Of all
this stone carving, hung on the outer wall
would serve every artistic purpose attained
by the carving itself"
View from the CupOIa.
The much criticised cupola. or steeple
consists Of white granite tower, deco
rated with bronze and surmounted by an
open loggiR which rises 1853 feet above the
Estreet and 200 feet above the sea level
From the cupoia wide expanse Of Central
park is seen to the west with the Hudson
and the Palisades beyond while to the
south there is a fine view OF all lower
New York and the bay.
Beneath the lower portion of the tower
is placed the conservatory, which project.
over Seventy-seventh street in circulai
bay, while beneath II is the porte cochere
On the ground floor are the reception
room, private office, billiard room and
smoking room Of Senator Clark. On tn,
principal floor the plano mobile" the frs
floor above the ground floor, is the grand
salon. North OF the main staircase is tn,
music room. on each side of the music
room IL a picture gallery.
The rooms the main floor are finished
in painted. carved and gilded, wood work
The dining room Is decorated with Nor.
mandy stone and English oak. The hal
of the main staircase is built Of cream
white Maryland marble.
Bought SIX Plants Outright.
In order to build this house Senate
Clark purchased six great industrial
plants. including granite quarry a
North Jay, Me; marble working, WOO,
working and plaster working plants a
Ravenswood, L. l.; a stone finishing plan
at Bangor, Me-. and the Henry Bonnar
- hTonze foundry in New York
Senator Clark, was forced into buying II
these plants when he found that the vari
Gus corporations and firms working 70
him were charging him much more tina
he was willing to pay or subjecting him I
great delays. There are about 10000
pounds Of bronze in the building.
SIN France Senator Clark, CAME across
chateau Which had a WONDERFUL Getting O
deliberately carved wood. He bought tn
ohateau and transported the ceiling I
New York, where 1t is used in one of IN
salons.
Luxury I'm the "CeIIar."
Of The basement, or as many persons woul
lvulgarly term It, the cellar, of Senate
FClark's house is. perhaps. its most amaG
pms feature. 1t is Infinitely more luxuriou
than any other Iellar ever created. In
stead Of being finished with rough stone
and 80 forth, like other cellars. it is file
with marble and bronze and hardwoo
decorations. modest estimate OF its CO,
would be 81 10000
The architects plan shows that this ee
lar contains, among other things. a swim
ming pool Il Turkish bath, a hot room
cooling room, dressing room, brine tan
receiving room. steam ROOM ammon
condenser. distlhng apparatus, bril-
pump, service elevator passenger elevate
wine room turbine room, reservoir tar
and almost endless tanks, storage room
heating chambers and fresh air inlets
need hardly be added that the kitchen
not In the cellar.
The most luxurious part OF this wonde
- .tul cellar is, perhaps. the Turkish bat
The bath, IL Is said, surpasses in iluxu
and magnifieenoc the celebrated ones CT
ated by the Roman emperors, Nero al
Tiberius.
II Is well known that Senator Clark h
planned this wonderful house largely wi
view OF pleasing his young wife :
was Miss Ada La Chappelle. the daught
Of French-CGnadian doctor, who was I
friend OF senator Clark's IN his YOUTH
struggling days in Butte Mont.--Chica
Tribune.