The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-03-14
BUY B|RTHP[ LACE
! OF COL. ROOSEVELT
|Women's Memorial Commit
tee to Restoreit to For-
mer Condition
/ a
MUCH REMODELLING
WILL BE NECESSARY
Description of the House In Roose-
yelt's Autobiography to Be Followed
in the Restoration-Place Has Been
Used Several Years for Restaurant.

Used Several Years for Restaurant.
NEW YORk, March 1.-THE house at
IS East Twentieth street, where Neodorcl
Roosevelt was born on Oct. q, 1858, was
purchased yesterday for the Women :
Roosevelt Memorial committee and viii
be restored as. it existed when he spent
Ehis early life there. In the same deal
property at 26 East Twentieth street, for
merly the residence of John L. and Rob.
crt Roosevelt vas acquired, SO that the.
restored -Rooseyelt mansion would be pros
| tected from enoroaehnent on that side
Before the house was sold several. years
ago for commercials uses it was four
story brownstone, but alterations to make
/ ii useful for restaurant and shops made
/ 1t of only two stories so that the interior
Twill have to be restored entirely. When
| the Roosevelts occupied the house before
the Civil war and for many years after
wards, the main .erltranee was slightly
lower than the present street level and
there were three floors above this main
floor
/ When the Women's Memorial commit
| tee was organized, one of the first pro-
posals made to it was that the birthplace
OF the 26th President should he bought
and preserved for posterity as many other
houses of famous men born in this city
have been preserved. The suggestion was
approved by the committee and immedi
ately instructions were issued to the real
estate company to begin negotiations. The
4 deal was completed yesterday with the
last owner, G,lstayils /. Lawrence, but
the price was not given.
| Mrs William Curtiss Demorest is chair
man OF the Memorial committee and Mrs
4. Barton Hepburn is.chairman Of the Il
!, nance committee. Among the 4s direct
ors are Mrs. Francis Kay Pendeton. Mn
Robert Bacon, Mrs. William Church 0s
born, Mrs James j. Burden, Miss Mar,
Garrett Hay, Mfs jacob A. Riis, Mis-
Mabel Choate, Airs w Bayard Cutting
: Mrs. Frank Gray atiriswold. and Mrs. WI
liam Felowes Morgan
IN restoring the house, the description
: to be furnished by members of the famit
win be followed closely, as well as tn
descriptions writteE by Colonel Roosevelt
in his autobiography Describing the in
/ terror OF the, house he wrote:
q st was furnished in the most canon
al taste Of the New y ork which Georg
lWilliam Curtis described in the 'Potipha
e Papers. The black haircloth furnitur
a legs of the children when they sat on i
a fte midtlle room VAS a library, with t,
a bles. chairs, and bookcases Of gloomy /,
: speciality. II was without window
t and so was available only at night.
II
II 10 Us children to be a room Of niue
j. splendor. but was open only for gcncr
use on Sunday evening or on rare occ;
.el sions when there We're parties. The Sun
N day evening family gathering was the +
/ dceming feature in day which othe
.ol wise VIC children did not cnioy-ehiefl
because VIC we're all Of US made to We
clean clothes and keep neat
The ornaments of that paiior I !
member now. including the gas chand
her decorated with n great quantity
81 cut glass prisms These prisms struC
inc Us possessing peculiar magnificenc
Due OF them fell off one day, and | hast
IL y grabbed it and slowed it away. pas
+ ing several days of furtive delight in ii
IL treasure, a delight always alloyed wit
+ fear that | would be found out and 60
= victed of larceny.
u 'sIhere was Swiss wood carving re
G resenting very big hunter ON one sit
OF an exceedingly small mountain, n
ne herd OF ehamois. disproportionate
y small for the hunter and large for Il
II mountain. Just across the ridge. This ;
OF ways fascinated us; hut there was sm'
channels kid for which we felt agoni
- lest the hunter might come on il al
kin it. There was also Russian moui
drawing a gilt sledge on piece OF mi
achi.o. Some one mentioned in my hea
Il ing that ma1aclnte was valuable maIb
- This fixed in my mind that it was va
j able exactly as diamonds are vauab
| accepted that mouiik as a priceless wo
OF art. and ii was not until ! was W
y, in middle age that it occurred to me til
I was mistaken
Colonel Rotsevelt's paternal grandi
thcr lived at Fourteenth street and Broa
way the house overlooking Union squa
~. and bis autobiography contains also a
scription of the interior of that house