New-York tribune., 1921-03-20
BY William John Cherry
Architect

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5 II there Is one thing America has
contributed to the worlds architectpre
IL Is the sweet purity cf style known
sas the American Colonial. m
To those familiar with the Connecti-
cut River Valley. the house shown
4 herewith is clear enough as to it's I'M
& spirAtion. All central New England
s from Springfield clear to the coast
abounds with them.
They begin to date from the time
xstrous battle of the swamp, now
q marked BY monument on the Old
y Roston Post Road near Noroton, Conn,
were driven out to beyond the Hudson
4 River. Fort Albany and the western
wilde. ness.
The indomitable settlers returned to
bury their neighbors' dead and on the
ashes of their homes started once
more to make America. This time
dured, much of it to the present day,
and in it's simplest solution of the
problem at hand represents, as indi-
Gated above, perhaps the purest archi-
lecture of all time-certainly the pres-
ent domestic architecture and to-day
after 100 and 200 years they fascinate
the beauty lover and attract the critical
architect -deservedly.
In the house shown, i have pre-
served the best traditions. Clean
simple, not q meaningless ornament,
yet with such excelisntly studied pro-
s portions it would be hard to crystalline
good taste more effectively.
In q plain setting q diamond shows
up best, so the plain walls and per-
fectly spaced window openings set
OF gem of an entrance hood. Small
in effect, it is really usefully spacious
and is piazza.
Secret of Design
And here-is secret. Designs like
this. with its white walls, dark roof
and quaint blinds in harmonizing color,
its whitewashed chimney and the rest,
produces striking effect as far away
as the house can be seen: Yet the
detail SO well conceived can be looked
at, even touched with the hand, with
out becoming coarse and ugly. No
accident i'm this, of course; it is what
one receives from an architect over
stock" houses Tor the owner of good
taste but small pocketbook this house
is one with distinction innate and as
impossible for ones neighbor to copy
as that q French gowA-can be copied by
provincial dressmaker.
Let US go inside--we like the ex.
terror. Here it must be Immediately
explained the plan of the house
is 100 per cent modern. How
ever much we say we like the Colonial,
we mean exteriors alone and inside
nothing but the detail. Not unless we
ere contentcd to eat corn bread baked
: ins a twelve-foot square chimney, in a
recess from which live Goals were re-
moved the day before, live in the
s kitchen, take the bed warmer up a
ladder or two-foot wide steep stairs to
the unhcated second story, until then
The Colonial plan, specifically the form
house plan, is unthinkable.
Anyhow. we are inside. The two
large rooms, left and right, give spa
eiousness. The living room has ample
& wall space for furniture and there are
electric outlets for center table, piano
or foor lamps. A door opens to a good
sized porch where and what porch
ought to be; namely, intimately a part
of the house for guests we want but
not standing invitation to the gem
eral public. Sheltered on two sides
and with awnings it will weather the
worst storm snug and tight. In fact,
colorful chairs, prim rug, a two
sizeds table and lamp with a wicker
shade are likely to make poor Henry
jealous Of neglect in his garage on the
rear of the lot.
But that is one difficulty with the