“BELLEFIELD” THE COUNTRY HOME OF MRS. HENRY ST. JOHN SMITH
JOHN CALVIN STEVENS, ARCHITECT, PORTLAND, ME.
“BELLEFIELD” the country home of Mrs. Henry St. John Smith, is situated on Cape Elizabeth about five miles from Portland, Maine. The main entrance to the grounds leads from the shore road, so called, and is a beautiful winding way, first passing through a large grove of hardwood trees, then emerging into the open field as it approaches the house, which stands upon a high ridge at such an elevation as to command a very extensive view of land and sea.
The house, as shown by the illustrations, faces the east and is a development from a very modest beginning, as the original building was designed for an inexpensive moderate sized cottage, erected for use during two or three months of summer only, and with no thought of making a permanent home. The original structure had been of frame construction, with gambrel roof and shingled walls. In carrying out the alterations, the general line of the earlier building was not interfered with, but the first story walls of the old portion (with the exception of the ell) were encased with stone, and all new first story walls were built of the same material. The local stone employed is a hard ledge stone with very soft effects of coloring, the prevailing tones being a warm gray brown, intermingled with darker red browns and slaty blue. The shingled walls and roofs are stained a soft silvery gray, and have taken on with time a deeper tone, finely in harmony with the color of the wall beneath.
No attempt has been made to elaborate detail of the exterior, the whole aim having been to provide the desired accommodations in a simple form, relying upon the general mass and arrangement of the parts for pleasing results.
The interior of the house is equally simple in its general character; a small portion only having been finished in woods or with stained effects, the greater portion of the woodwork
being painted. A decided feature has been made of the staircase, although constructed in the most simple manner, and the large fireplace is constructed of the local stone carefully selected for color effect, and in combination with the seat at the foot of the staircase forms a most cozy and attractive corner. The dining-room is situated in the southeast corner of the building and is finished in butternut stained rather dark, and the whole room carried out in brown tones, the walls being of painted plaster. The music room, thirty feet by thirty-five feet, is finished in ivory white. Panels on walls are painted a golden yellow, with ornamental bands, and the carved portion of the woodwork is slightly touched with gold. The panelled ceiling is finished in light ivory tones throughout. On the east side of this room is a large picture window, from which is obtained a magnificent view of the rocky shore line and the open sea.
