Harbour Court, Brown's cottage, now the Newport branch of the New York Yacht Club
English: Title: American homes and gardens Identifier: americanhomesgar71910newy (find matches) Year: 1905 (1900s) Authors: Subjects: Architecture, Domestic; Landscape gardening Publisher: New York : Munn and Co Contributing Library: Smithsonian Libraries Digitizing Sponsor: Biodiversity Heritage Library View Book Page: Book Viewer About This Book: Catalog Entry View All Images: All Images From Book Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book. Text Appearing Before Image: August, 1910 AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 301 joins the dining-room and through it access is had to the kitchen; at one end is a vault, quite in the center of the house. Beyond the kitchen are sculleries and store rooms, with a separate kitchen for pastry. The servants' hall is beyond the latter room, and the house is completed, on this end, with a servants' porch. Behind, In the corner formed by the kitchen and the service wings, is the servants' court. The whole of the upper floor of the main wing is given up to the servants' bedrooms. The larger part of the second floor has been taken by Mrs. Brown for herself and her son. Here is a really fine suite, consisting of her own bed-room, boudoir, bath and maid's room, together with her son's bedroom, dressing- room and bath. These all form one unit and occupy nearly all the main part of the house, with a private concealed stairway down to the main floor and up to the play room on the third floor. The handsome stable deserves more than the few words that can be given to it. Standing in the midst of a grove of beautiful trees It is a thoroughly picturesque and delight- ful structure. It Is built around three sides of an open court, enclosed, on the fourth side, with a high wall sur- mounted with tiles. The upper story of the two end wings is designed In half-timber, and is exceedingly effective. The group Includes carriage house, stable, automobile rooms and other essential parts, while quarters for the men are arranged In the second story. It has become rather a commonplace to look for fine houses, built in a fine way and designed in a fine style In Newport. There has been no more remarkable manifesta- tion of contemporary interest in domestic architecture than the really splendid houses that many of the rich folk have built for their own use. And in Newport It has become quite natural to look for something out of the ordinary, since it is the acknowledged play-city of the rich, and some of their most pretentious and costly dwellings are to be found there. At all events a rapid competition in handsome houses has distinguished our "Summer Capital" for a num- ber of years, and scarcely a season passes but some new won- der is opened for the admiration of the privileged persons admitted to it, or for the bewilderment of the less fortunate ones who must view It from a distance. "Harbour Court" Is by no means a pretentious house; its splendors are not thrust upon either the visitor or the chance observer; but it is easily entitled to rank with the best of recent Newport palaces, and more than holds its own in comparison with good houses everywhere. It is, however, quite unfair to compare this delightful house with any of its neighbors. Its merits are Its own, and these are ample enough to stand any test to which it may be subjected. It has no pretensions and manifestly makes none. It is a fine summer home, fine in every way, in appear- ance, in appointments. In situation. It is quite obviously a comfortable one, intended and designed to be comfortable and without pretence. The programme presented to its architects was the comparatively simple one of meeting these requirements In an elegant and architectural manner. The success that has crowned their efforts Is a fine compliment to their skill and a satisfying commentary on the merits of the con- ditions they had to meet. :'^^ Text Appearing After Image: The stable Note About Images Please note that these images are extracted from scanned page images that may have been digitally enhanced for readability - coloration and appearance of these illustrations may not perfectly resemble the original work.