The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 19, 1901, Page 8

THE SUNDAY CALL. born a beaut fessional beauty, to pay er that nd onsibil- it's upon owns and gre are mist ns Nowhere else a more siges than the of these rolling bewiidering curves and afford. Here and unfortunately, can be ng spectacle of some is being desecrated level 1 begin to erect his house. ndalism of this sort a better way has entered on It among other things is to prevent “Hillside C “When we have a good thing want to e it with those around said Mrs. Margaret Robinson, chair- man of its advisory board and artist and architect, nascitur non fit, to the tips of her slender fingers. In regard to the prim- ary school to be built under the auspices of the club, she said: “The effort was to put before children something that would be especially a product of their own State—a thing to which they could point with pride as to its materials and architecture, as stinctly Califor- nien. And California has a color of its own, too—the color that dominates in na- ture. To quote Bruce Price, ‘The Califor- nia hills are brown, therefore the houses should be brown.” Redwood is the natural wood of the country, therefore it is natur- gl to use it. Thanks to the responsiveness of Mr. Stone, the architect, the new £choolhoure will have no cross lights, the seats being so arranged that the light comes only from ore direction, east or west, never from north or south, and never from two directions. But besides this advantage, which is purely a physi- cal oné, the house will mean much to them as an exponent of beauty of form, color, light and shade. They will learn the beautles of shadows cast by wide, overhanging eaves, honesty and substan- tiality, in the pointed and heavily-beamed roof, in the rustic supports with the bark intact; and harmony of color, from the | brown canvas hangings combined with | the brown, unstained and unpolished red- wood. I feel that it is safe to say that ever— child who goes to this school wiil, when he comes to build, design an ori- #nal house.” . The principles of “The Hillside Club” Mrs. Robinson succinctly stated to be as follows: That hillside streets be made convenient and beautiful by winding at an easy grade and as narrow as country roads or lanes, except in case of import- | ant thoroughfares. That trees be planted | the length of the streets, suitable to the | locality and €f uniform variety. That as| hiliside lots bounded by curved roads are | necessarfy firregular, houses should be | placed upon them in studied groups, to avoid obstruction of a neissbor’s view, a | most altruistic principle that every pros- | pective builder in Berkeley must needs approve of. That in house-bullding only natural materials be used, such as shin- gles, shakes, rgugh stone or clinker brick. That no cftl paint be used inside or out, it having been proven that un- that the its mission we us,” stained and unpainted wood bears weath- ering indefinitely and grows more beau- tiful each season. Therefore, for reasons of economy as well as honesty and beau- ty, all paint or n shouid be discarded. club holds that no colors are so soft, ed and harmonious as those of wood colored by weather. To prevent check- ing or shrinking, sills and casings may be treated with of dull brown paint; but trimmings have no place They or reason in good house building. also hold that houses built of wood shoyld is follow the natuf straight lines, since towers, arch round windows are essentially indic: of stone or brick masonry, and, therefore, illogical and ugly in wood, and that over- hanging eaves add to the beauty of a house with their long shadows, and help to protect it. “The suburban hillside home,” went on Mrs. Robinson, with an enthusiasm that proved catching, “is a problem, and one that we must set ourselves bravely and heartily to solve. However pretty a town house may be, it becomes an enorm- ity when transplanted and placed as a 1 treatment, which = &2 oy part of the contour of the hilly landscape. ‘We must follow the principle to be read in the harmony and symmetry of nature, and if we but come in touch with the spirit she suggests the harmony of out- the soft tints and ades, we can- not go far astr: We will find that she suggests distinctive laws for home-con- struction on the knoll, the side hill, the foothill, the canyon, the ravine incline and the sites favored with natural trees or a water course. “Should the kholl be the first site chesen for consideration. it will be seen that as the hill spreads and broadens at its base, so the ground constfuction of the house should be distributed squarely and well over the surface of the level, allowing a more’ generous breadth at the base than at the upper portion, and while avoiding pronounced height, so composing the roof as to continue the contour of the hill. line, TNH AR RRDGK e “On a side hill, where the hill sweeps d, trust Nature’s broad background and allow the house to rest closely and expansively against it At the base of a hill let the kroad, pleasant frce of the home be one’s first weicome up the garden path. On a canyon or ra- vine side the problem waxes deeply in- teresting, for only a base spirit of van- oalism would resort to a leveling pro- cess and the Swiss chalet motif is often our most picturesque resource, aliowing of course for marked variation- as to depth of basement.” The Hillside Club sprang into exist- ence October 5, 1895. , let me qualify that: it did not “spring”’—it was the result of earnest thought on the part of iaany Jadies, who recognized the beauty of our Lills. and_the awfulness of many of the houses. Its object was primarily to pro- tect the hils of Berkeley from unsightly grading and ‘the building of unsuitable and disfigurigg houses, to do all in our power to beautify these hills and, above upward and beyor all, to create and encourage a decided public opinicn on these subjects. We de- ded to meet fortnightly to listen to a per upon some related subject and the cussicn of the same. We also began sketches and photo- raphs of hillside houses, which were kept mounted and in a portfolio open to all prospective builders. The list of members includes: Mabel W. Sears, Madge F. Robinson, Mrs. E. 8. Gray, Mrs. V. D. Moody, Mrs. F_W. Searby, Mrs. C. R. Breck, Mrs. John Finn, Mrs. E. S. Preble, Mrs. J. W. Pack, Olivia Galbraith Wright, Elizabeth J. Skinner, Minerva V. Skinner, Victorine Hartley, C. Germain Potwin, Florence Hyde Chick, Mrs. H. Middlehoff, Mrs. William Rieger, J. A. Grinnell, Leslie Grinnell, Mrs. Perry T. Tompkins, Mrs. ¥. B. Dresslar, Mrs. J. M. Pierce, Mrs. L. Hansen and Mrs. Lydia Atterbury. At the meeting of November 18 Mrs. Preble emphasized the necessity of stone, brick or cement foundations, advising concrete for clay soils, which swell when wet and shrink when dry; also that if a the collection of the sofl is of chaik, weak gravel, sand or clay the footing of the wall of the foundation should be expanded beyond the needed width of the wall. On a side hill, where expense must be considered the foundation can be made of brick pil- lars in steps. Mrs. Robertson spoke on the subject ~‘Shall We Fill In?’ urging as little of this as might be consistent with good drainage, aithough a certain amount was cf course necessary when the lot lay be- low the street .level, suggesting that stone gutters running around the lot and connecting with the street sewer would cbviate the necessity of any large amount ot filling in, An impoptant point made by this speak- er was that the raising of the ground high around the sills under the house would secure a dry basement without an expen- sive drainage em. On November -6 Mrs. Searby led the talk on “Building Material.” She said that the stone found on these hillsides was suitable for building purposes, but much too expensive for the persons of or- dinary means, putting down its cost at a rough estimate as six times that of wood. She pointed ‘out the fact that the fault of frame houses lay generally in that woodl was made in imitation of stone arch' tecture, to which towers, colonnades, et. -+ /?ow Many Ex-Presidenis of the U nited Jtales N January 1, 1862, there were living O five ex-Presidents of the United States—Van Buren, Tyler, Fillmore, Pierce and Buchanan. Now the death of Benjamin Harrison leaves only one ex- Pregident—Grover Cleveland. General Harrison spent just eight years as an ex- President. % When John Quincy Adams retired from the Presidency after serving as Senator, Minister to England and Secretary of State, it was suggested that he become a member of the House of Representa- tives. He replied that to be chosen a se- lectman by the vote of the people would be an honor, and for sixteen years, until the time of his death, he represented his district in Congress. He died with the | harness on his back, for his fatal illness attacked him as he arose in the House to address the Sveaker. Andrew Johnson was elected a Senator from Tennessez some time after the end of his Presidential term, but he lived to serve only a few days of the special ses- sion of the Senate. Most of the Presidents have retired to lives of comparative idleness. George ‘Washington led the life of a country gen- tleman on his estate at Mount Vernon. He gave a certain amount of time to the | reorganization of the army when war | with France threatened, but he contented himself with the management of his plan- tation and the'simple amusements of a country life. Martip Van Buren retired to his country seat in Columbia County, New York, and became almost a hermit. There have been several instances like his. The most re- cent was Chester A. Arthur, who, like Van Buren, was disappointed at his fail- ure to achieve a re-election and secluded Limself from all but his intimate friends. Buchanan was a recluse for seven years after his return to private life. He had been much abused toward the close of his term, and he sought the quiet of absolute retirement as soon as he returned to his home in Lancaster, Pa. Pierce lived cighteen years an ex-Presi- dent. His home was in New Hampshire, but he was a Southern sympathizer dur- ing the war and so much out of sympa- thy with his neighbors that he spent many of his later years in travel abroad. John Adams was the first hermit ex- President. He was twenty-five years an ex-President, but he was so disappointed at his defeat for re-election that he se- cluded himself for a quarter of a century, compiling historic records, and he came out of his hole only once, when in 1820 he acted-as delegate to a State convention. The fact that he retired did not mean that he did not take an active interest in pub- lic affairs. Van Buren vearned for another term but could not present himself to the peo- ple of his party, because he was opposed to the annexation of Texas. From his se- clusion he wrote letters which resulted in his nomination for President in 1848 on a Free Soil ticket, but he rfcdved no elec- toral votes. : 5 Rutherford B. Hayes took no active part in public affairs after his retirement, but he had been so severely criticised that it weculd have taken more than a lifetime to vindicate his record and make him again a Presidential possibility. John Tyler was one of the active ex- Presidents. Like Washington, he . pur=- sued the l#fe of a country gentleman; but he afterward became very much interest- ed in the doctrine of secession, and took an active part in all the events which led up to the Civil War. Filimore lived twenty-one years after his retirement. He was nominated to succeed himself by the American- party, but was not elected. He traveled a great deal abroad, and took a great interest in public affairs. R g Thomas Jefferson devoted him#elf. to educational interests, -and foun the University of Virginia -after his retire- ment from the Presidency. He personally superintended the erection of the univer- sity bulldings. i Monroe had his own ideas on the subject of the occupation of ex-Presidents. He Jave Spent Their Laier Years held that ‘“‘an ex-President should not be a party leader.” He was a local magis- trate for a time, and was a delegate to a constitutional convention. He lived only seven years after his term ended. General Grant was the greatest traveler in the list of ex-Presidents. His trip around the globe has been described in two large volumes, and it is a matter or familiar history. General Grant did not take any part in business or public af- fairs, but he was the silent partner in the firm of Grant & Ward, and his later days were embittered by his experiences in Wall street. Every one knows that his famous book was written while he was on his deathbed to provide a living for his family after his death. Grover Cleveland, since the close of his second term, has delivered some lectures and furnished some autobiographical con- tributions to periodicals, but this has been a matter of courtesy and not of business. General Harrison was the first ex-Pres- dent to die of pneumonia, although George Washington was killed by a cold and so was Harrison's grandfather, Wil- liam Henry Harrison. Washington’s cold dcveloped into laryngitis and the other Harrison's into pleurisy. John Adams died of senile debility. He expired at Quincy, Mass. Thomas Jefferson’s death occurred a few hours before that of Adams, and, ’Ingularly enough,’both died on the 4th of uly. James Madison, at 85, died of old Adams had lived to be 91. Monroe of general debility, though he was 73. The second Adams was stricken with | paralysis in the hall of the House (now Statuary Hall), and died in the rotunda of | age. died only | the Capitol. His body was taken to Quiney. Andrew Jackson died of consuraption and dropsy at the age of 78, and buried on his e , ‘tue Hermitage, near Nashville. Van usuren died of catarrh of the throat and ! and was buried at Kinderhook. He wus the omy President who died at his birthplace. Tyler dicd of a biiious attack, and was buried at Kichmond. ‘Lajiul Was strica.t with choiera morbus after annking a quantity of iced water anu icea iauk and exting some cherries. Po.k’s deatn was | caused by choiera. Polk was buried at Nasnville and Taylor at Loty Fillmore dicd of para.ysis, buried at his home in Luffalo! Led of inflammation of ihe sioinach, and was buried at Concord. Buchanan's death was | due to rneumatism and gout. He iived to | be 77, and was buried near Lancaster. Andrew Johnson died of paraiysis, and was buried at Greenville. Grant died of | cancer of the throat at Mount McGregor, | and his body lies in.the agnificent tomb on Riverside Drive, New York. Hayes | died on his farm in Ohio of paralysis of the heart, and was buried at Fremont. Garfield, assassinated by Guiteau, was buried at Cleveland. Arthur died of apo- | plexy, and was buried at Albany.—Newl York Sun. 2 oelong. Another mistake is In concealing the color and grain of wood with paint. Her conclusion was that the Swiss chalet suggested the best jdeas for seenic park architecture. On mber 30 M: red ructive paper on “Shingles and ersus Boards and Faints.” She said that the use of shingles for covering the sides of houses was first developed in England in what Is Encwn as the half ered or Tudor style. From this it was transferred to the so-called “Colonial Shingles, how- ever, do not biend with the classic purity of the true Col y nly be used to advantage in the ed Colonial, when pillars give e to arches and when the roof re the char- of the chal pts at fancy coloring ma Mis. Dress tinting only for atively free and actually ainted s alteration pa‘'nt ger a preservative, but if it must dark brown or red is the best with trimmings of eream white. Creosote stzins are highly inflammable. At another meetigg the subject of “Porches” was treated of by Mrs. Breck, who believes we wor be a healthier and happier people if every builder would feel convineed that a large roomy, well pro- tected perch was as necessary a part of on as a roof or wall, and a more necessary than a There are few days in our Berke- reader contended, when s unive: 1 parior. ley climate, the such a porch cowld not be utilized by the older members, and still fewer when it would not be a source of health and de- light to the children. that The chief point is should be large emough to. be a om, with rugs, easy chairs, a table for, magazines, a few ecoration and a corner for the children’s toys. She believed if we nervous energetic Californians would build such porches the temptation to utilize them would be so great that we would give over some of the useless and meaningless fret and worry of our too often dull and prosaie lives. The portfolio of the Hillside Club before alluded to is a collection of sketches that must give inspiration to any prospective builder, and one builder who has just -n- ished what'she untii then belleved to be just the “dearest liitle house in Berke- ley” began to lose faith in hitherto exist- Ing institutions and ts quote to herself a certain old adage about fools building houses and wise men iLving in them and to wish that she might start over again under the auspices of the Hillside Club. “Among other things Lhat must go wi paints and stains,” said Mrs. Robinson, “is plaster walls. When you put a non- shrinking material, (he plaster, on a shrinking one, the laths, the construction is jllogical and the resuit is bound to show in gnsightly cracks.” “What do you think of rough-finished gray walls?” I asked trying to find one litthe grain ofcomfort. “They are befter than hard finishéd white ‘walls, but wood Is better than eit] she repiled, and I am forced therewith to be content. The meetings of the Hillside Club have 3 piace to more practical action, of the underlying theory, beard has been formed it h ali who need help stions. THis board conmsists of Mirs. Margaret Robinson, chairman; Mrs. Frederic M Johu Finn, Atterbury, L. B. Bridgman, Miss El- sie Grinrell and Mrs. L Bricker. Same Berkeley houses that embody the tenets of the Hillside Club are: Mrs. At- terbury’s, Mrs. Dressler's, Miss Bridg- man's, Mrs. Walker's and Mrs. Rickoff's. The pretty Unitarian Chu-ch of Berkeley and the Hillside School wiil also be noted as successful specimens The house of Professor Charles Keeler, corner of Ridge road and Highland place, is the pioneer specimen of the architecturs advocated by the Hillside Club—a charm- ing, rambling, many-gabled structurs, ceming to breathe both as to its exterior and artistic interfors tre very atmos- phere of the Berkeley hilis. ALICE CHITTENDEN.