Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-07-25


The new Silver Star Homes. subject
OF the second award by the Silver Star
Homes Committee, were found by the
judging specialists to meet the standards
established for design. plan of house,
landscaping, community layout and
other essential features.
Planned as Community.
The houses, built on the crest Of
Volta place, between Forty-fourth street
and FoXall road. were recently COM
pleted by Waverly Taylor. Inc, also
received a commended" rating from
the Architects Advisory Council as
meeting exceptionally well the stand
ards which should be maintained for
private buildings of the National Capt.
tai.
Designed by Waverly Taylor, in COL
laboration with Porter & Locke, all
Washington architects. the houses re-
veal new thought concerning the at
tached house, developed in the past few
years. This is the planning and de-
signing of a whole block, or whole
community of houses, along the same
architectural lines, and yet giving an
individuality to each residential unit
through selection of different materials
and varying the outlines of the house.
Varied Design Is Pleasing.
The broken and varied roof lines, the
variety in the use of stone, brick and
stucco with half-timber work in the
facadeS of the houses creates a pleas
ing and balanced picture of the group
as a whole.
Some of the houses are Of six rooms,
OF two stories, and others are of eight
main rooms and of three stories, but
all have double-deck, inclosed rear
porcheS, which overlook the rear yards.
Walled Gardens at Rear.
A new and attractive feature of the
group houses are the rear gardens,
which are of unusual depth, framed at
the rear by an English brick garden
wall, which Is broken by garden gate
in each yard. Flowers or shrubs are
planted along the neat wire fence mark
ing rear yard boundaries, and a narrow
walk runs to the garden gate. This
leads down to a lower level, where a
garage is built up against the outside
of the garden wall, with easy access to
the rear lawn.
The wide front lawn stretched out
before all the houses in the group and
marked by the neat cement steps and
walks, lends softening and charming
tone to the houses.
Natural Stone FacadeS.
The walls of the houses all are of
masonry, the front facades being of
combination or a variation of natural
stone, in variegated colors and laid in
random ashlar masonry; of richly col
ored sandfinish English brick, with
an occasional clinker brick here and
there to add interest. and of tinted
stucco laid over a f1reproof tile base,
the stucco panels being patterned by
cypress. aided, half timbering.
The roofs are of shades of green and
purple slate of random thickness,
widths and lengths.
The covered front porch Of each
house has been designed as a constit-
uent part of the dwelling structure
rather than as appendages and add to
the homelike charm of the homes.
Inside is an entrance hall with prac-
teal tile floor and a coat closet, in
corporated here at minimum loss OF
living space in the house proper.
Each House Has Long Vista.
From the entrance of the living
room, running the full width of each
house. there is a vista through the
arched opening between the living room
and the dining room to the rear and
out across the rear porch onto the rear
yard and beyond.
The living room is commodious for
O. home of this size and has as its
focal point of interest real open fire.
place. A radio connection to a con-
cealed antenna in the air space above
the ceiling solves the present-day
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