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Remodeled Farmhouses

<h2>CHAPTER X</h2> <h3>THE DAVENPORT BROWN HOUSE</h3> In planning the remodeling of a farmhouse, has it ever occurred to you how much of the appearance of the exterior depends upon the architecture of verandas and porches? Not only must we give much thought to the alteration of the lines of the house which may be required by the interior plan, but we must be equally careful when it comes to the addition of entirely exterior features. Modern country life demands plenty of veranda room and, whenever possible, sleeping-porches. One does not go to the country to sit indoors, even if the windows are all thrown open. There is nothing that will so materially improve the health as outdoor life; tired and jaded nerves are soon restored by use of a sleeping-porch, where the fresh air can soothe and induce restful slumber. In the early days, the porch or veranda did not exist; it may be supposed that our pioneer ancestors were too busy to enjoy any leisurely hours out of doors; at least, they made no provision in connection with their houses for such relaxation. As the details of the exterior became more elaborate, the entrance porch was developed with free-standing columns. In time, this assumed greater importance, especially in the south, where columns the height of the whole building supported a roof across its entire front. In the north, the veranda was less frequently used, but there is occasional authority for both the front and the less pretentious back piazza. It is one of the additions which are imperative in remodeling the house, however, and it becomes something of a problem because there is no more definite authority for it. If there is to be simply an entrance porch, offering a bit of shelter at the front door for stranger or friend, it may have much precedent in the porches of Georgian houses. In planning this, take into consideration that it should be an index of what one will find in the interior; it should be the keynote, as it were, of the entire house. Here we may have the same details and the same proportions as in the cornice of the roof, or the fireplace within. We find many porches that are sadly out of keeping with the rest of the house and seem very carelessly designed. It is far better to have none at all than one which is insignificant and out of scale; yet it must not be more elaborate than the house itself and tend to dwarf the main structure. Few people realize how important this feature is and how necessary that it should be a satisfactory adjunct to the architecture of the whole. It is almost the first thing we notice as we approach the house. Whether it is well placed and rightly proportioned, whether it has a proper overhang, good roof lines, and adequately supported cornice, affects to a very great extent the style and character of the house. There were a great many different types of porch in the Georgian houses: the simple hood with a high-backed settle on either side that was commonly used at a side entrance; the gable-roofed and flat-roofed, square porch and circular, open and partly enclosed, with round and oval windows at the sides, were all developed to high perfection. The simple, Doric column, plain or fluted, with corresponding pilasters or three-fourths round against the house, was used on many of the porches; but the Ionic and Corinthian capitals are more elaborate than is appropriate for the simplicity of a farmhouse. From the infinite number of models which can be found, it should be a comparatively easy matter to construct an entrance porch, utilizing the details found in the house. A veranda demands somewhat different manner of procedure. First it is necessary to decide where it shall be put. Where will it receive the best air and the least sun? It must, presumably, open from or adjacent to the living-room and yet be so placed that its roof will not cut off too much light. If the house is uncomfortably near the highway or neighbors, the matter of privacy cannot be neglected, and a thought may well be given to the outlook from the piazza. Let it enjoy any advantage of a fine view or a picturesque garden that may be compatible with its other requirements. Thus it may be at the front, at either or both sides, or in the rear. At the side of the ordinary, gable-roofed house, the roof of the veranda should as a rule be flat. If it is possible to continue the roof line of the house to include that of the porch, by all means let it be done; the unbroken sweep will usually be found excellent. At some angles it may seem too long and severe; then it is often possible to put a slight "kick" in it, especially if there is anything of the Dutch type about the building. The floor of the porch in farmhouses should be low; it may be on a level with that of the house, or a step below it. It is well to let the underpinning be a continuation of that of the house, and it may then be covered with brick or tile, or the conventional boards. The columns or posts which support the roof are a stumbling block for many remodelers. These should closely copy the entrance porch, if there is one; even if it be no more than a flat semblance of a pilaster about the frame of the door, it will supply the correct motive. Lacking this, there will undoubtedly be some detail in the interior which can be magnified to the right proportion for the exterior,—the upright of a mantel or the frame of a door. For a house which can boast no such source of suggestion, a straight, square post with a simple molding would be the solution. The cornice should follow the detail of the entrance door or the house cornice; and it is effective and increases the apparent unity to repeat the decoration of the one on the other. The rails and balusters of old houses were extremely simple and should be kept so in the remodeling. In the very early examples, the balusters were square and spaced far apart; later both square and turned balusters were used, and they were spaced twice their width. The design for these can often be taken from the stairs in the interior of the house. It is the modern tendency to use no railing about verandas, particularly when they are low or when they are screened in. Some of the flat-roofed type had a railing around the roof, and an open-air porch was thus made for the second story. Sometimes this porch can be utilized as a sleeping-porch on the second floor. This feature, while of course entirely foreign to the farmhouse, has become as much a necessity in many families as the open-air living-room, and it is therefore logical to introduce it where possible to do so without destroying the lines of the building. It is better, however, to do without it than to add it in such a way that it will seem an afterthought and not really incorporated in the structure. Often it can be placed in a wide dormer cut in the slope of the roof; sometimes the roof line can be extended over the roof of the sleeping-porch, or again it may be merely a room with the walls largely cut away. Each remodeler will have his own problem in connection with this, and by ingenuity and careful study must work it out to his own satisfaction. Remember always that the integral simplicity of the building must not be disturbed, and that whether it be sleeping-porch, veranda, or entrance portico, it must seem always a part of the original building, as if it were the conception of the master craftsman who erected the first timbers. <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/ill_061.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="426" alt="The Davenport Brown House" title="" /> The Davenport Brown House</div> Most gratifying results along this line are shown in an old farmhouse at Medfield, Massachusetts, which was built in 1755. Like many other old houses, this had fallen into decay and stood neglected and unoccupied by the side of the road while the extensive grounds lay unkempt and desolate. But Mr. Davenport Brown recognized in it a house that could be made to serve most acceptably as the foundation of his summer home. It is of the Georgian type, built with the hall and straight flight of stairs as the axis. There are two main chimneys opening into four fireplaces on the first floor. A service wing has been added at the left, parallel with the main building, and half its width. Back of that, an ell of equal size extends at right angles. Both of these are two storied, but the upper stud is somewhat lower than in the main building, thus allowing it to retain its predominance in the design. The main part is given further importance by the dignified entrance porch. Two three-fourths round and two free-standing, fluted, Doric columns are used, supporting a cornice and a gabled roof, the details of which repeat those in the cornice of the house. A rather unusual type of scalloped dentation lends additional interest. The frame about the door is arched over, and there are side lights and an overhead fanlight in a simple style that carries out the Colonial tradition. <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/ill_062.jpg" width-obs="457" height-obs="600" alt="The Hallway" title="" /> The Hallway</div> The hall leads past the stairs and through an open doorway to the rear of the house, where there is another entrance, repeating the design of the front one. This is some distance from the rear wall of the house, and consequently there is a small, arched-over portico formed within the lines of the building. The walls of this are paneled, and on each side is a built-in seat. The floor is tiled, and the woodwork painted white. At each end of the main part of the building is a flat-roofed veranda carrying out the details of the entrance porch in column and cornice. The same dentil ornamentation that appears on the cornice of the house is used here in smaller size, as on the entrance porch. Around the edges of the flat roofs, boxes filled with blooming plants and vines form an original and most attractive method of softening the sharp lines and finish of the house. The veranda on the right side overlooking the wide lawns and gardens is used largely as the outdoor living-room and is screened in. The spacing of the bars and framework of the screening is well proportioned and adds not a little to the decoration. The floor of the veranda is edged with brick and paved in the center with square tiles which slope toward a drain at one side. This wing of the living-room has been comfortably furnished with canvas hammocks and Chinese grass chairs and stools, and even a sand-box for the children finds room here. In the central hall, the details carry out the character of the old period carefully. There is a white unpaneled wainscot carved around the walls and up the stairs, with a similar treatment in the second-floor hall. The stairs are wide, with white risers and mahogany treads, and the hand-rail is mahogany supported on white, turned balusters and a mahogany newel post. The upper walls are papered in a gray landscape paper, and the furnishings consist of a pair of Sheraton card tables. <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/ill_063.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="475" alt="The Sun-Parlor or Out-door Nursery" title="" /> The Sun-Parlor or Out-door Nursery</div> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/ill_064.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="458" alt="The Library" title="" /> The Library</div> At the right of the hall, the two rooms have been combined into a living-room by cutting double arches on either side of the fireplaces which open from the back and front of the chimney. The furnishings are especially interesting here, as there are a number of rare and beautiful pieces. The mantel mirror over the front fireplace is a fine example of American workmanship. The mahogany frame divides its length into three sections, and it is ornamented with carved and gilded husk festoons; the scroll top is surmounted with a gilt spread eagle. In front of the fire there is a beautiful little Sheraton fire-screen. Chairs and tables are equally interesting; there is an old "comb-back" chair and an upholstered "Martha Washington" chair, as well as more modern easy chairs and davenports. The upholstery and curtains are of small-patterned, Colonial fabrics that carry out the spirit of the room. In the back part of this room, a large double window has been cut, looking out over the gardens and the grounds. Underneath it is a most attractive window-seat suggestive of an old-time settle, and on each side low book-shelves extend around the whole end of the room. The dining-room is situated at the left of the hallway. The fireplace and paneling hold the attention in this room. The woodwork is very simple but well proportioned, and on either side of the mantel are narrow, built-in, china closets with small, leaded, diamond panes in both upper and lower parts of the door and even in a transom over it. The walls above the unpaneled wainscot are painted white and divided into simple, large panels with narrow moldings. The furniture in this room is suggestive of the early part of the nineteenth century, with the exception of the Queen Anne type of chair. Over the heavy and massive sideboard is a long gilt mirror of the Empire "banister" type; between the two side windows is a gilt, convex girandole with three branching candlesticks on each side. On the mantel is a fine example of a Willard shelf clock, and on each side of it are tall mahogany candlesticks with the old-fashioned wind glasses. The over-curtains at the windows are a soft rose damask; they hang from gilded cornices and are caught back on gilded rosettes,—the style of draping which is carried out in all the main rooms of the house. <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/ill_065.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="432" alt="The Service Wing" title="" /> The Service Wing</div> The service wing opens from the left of the dining-room, and the den, which is back of it, with a fireplace on the opposite side of the same chimney, is reached from the rear of the hall. <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/ill_066.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="452" alt="The Nursery" title="" /> The Nursery</div> At the head of the stairs at the right, one enters the bright and sunny nursery. Here the fireplace is very simple and has no over-mantel. The woodwork is white, and a broad molding divides the upper part of the wall. Below is a quaint paper picturing Mother Goose scenes which the children never tire of studying. The furniture is mainly white, and the little chairs and tables in child's size are decorated in peasant fashion with painted flowers and lines of color. <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/ill_067.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="464" alt="" title="" /></div> <div class="figcenter"> <ANTIMG src="images/ill_068.jpg" width-obs="600" height-obs="444" alt="Two of the Chambers" title="" /> Two of the Chambers</div> There are two other bedrooms in the main part of the house and each has an open fireplace. The furnishings are simple and old-fashioned in character, retaining the Colonial atmosphere admirably. In one room there is a Field bedstead of English make, dating about 1780, showing reeded posts and a curved canopy top. The chairs and the little night stand at the side of the bed are in close harmony with the period of its design. In the other chamber are twin beds which are modern reproductions of four-posters, but other furnishings retain the distinctive atmosphere of age. Over one bureau there is a fine mirror with the Georgian eagle ornamentation; in keeping with it are the old fireside wing chair and a side chair of Sheraton type. The most interesting bedroom, perhaps, is in the wing of the house, where Hannah Adams, the first American authoress, was born. This is reached by a cross hall which leads from the main one, and gives access to baths and rear stairs and another tiny bedroom. Although the old fireplace has been remodeled, the aspect of the room is much the same as when the house was built. The woodwork here is all dark, and the hand-hewn rafters and cross beams are exposed in the ceiling. An unusual wall-paper in black and gay colors forms an interesting background for the four-poster and other old furnishings. An old batten door with a quaint little window in the center strip leads from this room to the chambers in the service ell. Much of the house has been restored under the direction of the architect, Mr. John Pickering Putnam of Boston, and to him the credit for its successful remodeling must be largely given. The planning and laying out of the grounds about the house, however, are the work of the owner, who has spared no pains to make a harmonious setting for his home. Between the house and the road is a row of great overshadowing elms that make a delightful setting for the red and white of the house. The drive sweeps around these trees to the stable on the left and is separated from the house and the lawns by white palings in a simple Colonial pattern, having fine, carved posts surmounted by balls. The fence stops at either side of the front to allow wide space for a heavy embankment of conifers. Somewhat back of this fence, along the whole length of the lawn, is a second lower one, with posts of the same height. This marks the boundary of the wide lawn and forms a charming background for an old-fashioned hardy border that extends all the way to a swimming-pool and pergolas at the far end. Immediately behind the house is the flower garden, from which all the blossoms used to decorate the house are cut; this is screened by a white trellis and pergola, carrying out some of the details of the entrance porches and verandas. <hr style="width: 65%;" /> <div style="break-after:column;"></div>

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