Oldal 135 [135]
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His TORIC. GARDENS:\0O GES ViIRBINIA
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hall that we feel we are in a house planned by an artist as a
dwelling for people of taste and distinction.
The splendid winding stair ascends to the hallway above, ter¬
minating in a gallery the shape of an artist’s palette. he banis¬
ters of the stairway are of rich mahogany, while on its base board
is carved a festoon of magnolia buds and blossoms. An ornate
chandelier of bronze suspended in the center of the spiral stairway
has gas jets of exquisitely wrought design on each landing, so ar¬
ranged as to light both upper and lower halls, replacing the original
chandelier of prisms and candles. Square and gracefully-arched
doorways lead from the hall into the spacious rooms on the first
floor, and the doors are of solid mahogany with silver knobs and
hinges. One of these is of a very unusual curved design. [he rooms
are of beautiful proportion, giving a sense of stateliness and ele¬
gance, and contain now many handsome carved mantels of Floren¬
tine marble, which take the place of the originals of carved wood.
First, one enters a small library, thence into a large drawing¬
room, through the center music-room into a spacious and imposing
dining-room. Running along these three rooms, the outer wall of
which makes a sweeping curve at the back of the house, is a beau¬
tiful pillared veranda, which opens out onto the old garden.
It is, indeed, an unique surprise when visiting this treasure house
of objet d’ art and relics of ancient days, to step from the drawing¬
room onto the portico and find oneself in the midst of a garden.
It is true, the small strip of ground on the street front of the
house boasting of old evergreens, yews, euonymus, yuccas, on
each side of the porch, would suggest plant lovers here as well as
builders; nevertheless, one experiences a thrilling surprise on de¬
scending the steps at the back into the terraced garden of a century
ago, which originally occupied a city block. An archway in the
wall enclosing the flower garden led into a paved court where were
the outbuildings, thence into the fruit and vegetable garden.
Splendid hollys, elms and other trees can still be seen beyond the
wall. It is a pity its confines have ever been restricted an inch.
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