This design, prepared for a gentleman residing in New York daring the greater part of the year, is now being erected and is approaching completion at Newport, Rhode Island. The site it occupies is several acres in extent, stretching to the sea-shore, and commanding a fine uninterrupted view of the Atlantic. This plot of ground, now being laid out and planted, is nearly level, and has an abrupt and almost vertical fall of fifteen or twenty feet to the beach. As a natural consequence, the surf close to the shore does not come prominently into notice till the margin of the cliff is reached, and there is therefore more of massive breadth than of variety or picturesqueness in the general aspect of the place. Except in very rough weather, the effect is calm, peaceful, and suggestive of the dignified repose of the ocean as a whole rather than of its restless excitement in detail; it was therefore thought desirable in the design for the house, to avoid irregularities and smallness of parts as much as possible, and to give more prominence to the horizontal than to the vertical lines of the composition.

The plan may be thus briefly described: A wide carriage porch affords a covered entrance to a vestibule and roomy hall, the latter communicating directly with the principal rooms and staircase. A dining-room, cabinet, and drawing-room, are arranged en suite, and leave access to an arcade and lawn on the front facing the sea. The drawing-room and a morning-room, purposely disconnected with it, open on a large veranda or pavillion that traverses the south front of the building. It is not unusual in Newport to hear it stated that the climate scarcely requires verandas, and that the summer heat is seldom if ever excessive. There is doubtless some truth in this, and a veranda all round a house, as at the south, would be undesirable. Nevertheless, an uninclosed covered promenade is in many ways a decided advantage to a country house; and since it can generally be arranged, as in this case, that the rooms shall not depend entirely for light on windows that are covered by a veranda, its addition seems a clear gain in comfort.

The dining-room is in connection with a pantry communicating with the kitchen wing, and a corridor from the large staircase hall leads to a small bed-room, private staircase, etc, and to the offices and servants' staircase.

The chamber plan is divided into bed-rooms and dressing-rooms; and a bath-room, etc, is arranged in the wing, a portion of which is appropriated to bed-rooms for the family, the remainder being devoted to the servants. Two rooms are fitted up in the basement, the rest being occupied by cellars, furnace, etc.

The house is built with hollow brick walls, a superior face brick being used, with brown stone dressings, porch, etc. The veranda, arcade, and bay windows, are of wood.

The contract, including plumbing and painting, was taken at a little over $20,000; and the house when completed, with additions, furnace, papering, etc., will probably cost $2,000 more.

• See Frontispiece.