Grand Hall - Art and Architecture
Imagine arriving at the Rogers home and being met by the butler in the foyer. You are not even in the house yet, but there is an original work of art - The Swan stained glass window. Along with the beautiful encaustic tiles set in an intricate pattern in the floor, the foyer was meant to create a stunning first impression.
Then imagine the butler opening these nine and a half foot doors filled with etched glass to reveal twelve-foot coffered ceilings, and other stunning woodwork in this Grand Hall. The Rogers are of English descent and this hall was designed to echo the grand halls of English manors. Clearly, one of the objectives in this hall is to impress Henry and Cremora's social equals, who were the only people allowed through these doors, as the doors in a Victorian home were as stratified as Victorian society.
The fantastic woodwork here is white oak. This woodwork, like all of it throughout the house, was hand carved by one man - William Van Strattum. He was 19 years old when he started and, working 12 hours a day seven days a week, he did not finish until he was 22. Hand carving was a feature of the Aesthetic Movement and specifically the “Arts and Craft Style.” Both of these were a counterpoint to the over the top decoration of earlier Victorian designs (like Gothic Revival). And like everything else, the Rogers are early adopters of all things new.
Wood-carvers were among the best paid craftsmen, as they were among the most skilled. Van Strattum was renowned for not only being a talented carver but also being the highest paid artisan in Appleton at the time - earning the princely sum of one dollar a day. This may not seem like much but it made him upper middle class. He earned seven times what the cook in the house, who had a good middle class job, earned as she was paid one dollar a week. In today’s money, Van Strattum's dollar a day would be like being paid $1000 a day. Keep this in mind as we discuss how obscenely expensive items were in the house.
As guests would enter the hall, they would see other ways that were meant to impress.
The tiles in the Grand Hall are also imported from Minton-Hollins. Each depicts a different play of William Shakespeare. Guests weren't even sitting down in this hall and yet there are tiles meant to impress the passerby.
The stunning stained glass doors were created by the Chicago Glass Company using what was known as the "LaFarge" Method. John LaFarge, called the "Father of American Stained Glass," was a famous artist who was a contemporary of Louis Comfort Tiffany. In 1880-1881, LaFarge had just invented a new technology for stained glass that produced deep rich colors and opalescence. The Rogers commissioned these doors specifically to use LaFarge technology. They always wanted whatever was the newest and the most expensive in their home.
The doors are also very functional. They offered cross ventilation as well as serving as the main doors for guests arriving from the river.
