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.
The Davenport Brown House
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.
The Hallway