Mr, O'Neill's Chateau-Like Residence in the Market Certain houses in every community have a way of arousing the imagination of their beholders until all manner of stories can be woven about them, and they take on their own tradition whether age warrants traditions or not. Menee, the nouncement that the property and magnificent dwelling, situated at 135 Zikawei Road, willie put up for Public auction on Wednesday, June 80, at 4 p.m, brings with it this same kind of appeal to the imagin tion.
The residence lies in that part of the French Concession which makes: lit in reality a country estate with Wide stretches of countryside all around. It ix comprised in an al= most rectangular piece of Jandy measuring more than 21 mow, and a bit south of and across the creek from Mr, Moll tate in the same vicinity. In its Immedinte neighbourhood there are only two other buildings, one being the Bureau of Foraign Affaire and another the residence of a Chinese official, Surrounded as it ly with shader lanes and the particularly pleasant solitude of Zikawei, the property lends itself readily to its claim as a country estate, The house as it stands to-day was built in 1910 when the property was brought by its present owner, Mr. Jean O'Neill, General Manager' in China for the Credit Foncier d'Extveme-Orient. Before Mr. O'Neill took over this property it had belonged to the members of a Spanish Mission, whose purpose it was to build an stitution here, ning the type of clarchitecture associated with old world cloisters, When the Mission found it impossible to carry out these arrangemente, the whole site was Laken over by its present owne who has made of it a French count= ry house of distinction and charm. coa French Chateau ieee of the Spanich influence can be found still in some of the stax through verandahs, but inside the house the decorative motif is that of a French chateau. An oak re-{ panelled hall ives access on the right to a music roi bil study, and room and on the left to the smoking room, drawing and dining: rooms.
The dining room in furniture, Accoration and arrangement fs the replica of an historical French chateau, All the rooms have parquet floors and the walls are all decorated with very fine 7 imported from Bel vatory adjoins the drawing room ard the spacious verandah runs the whole length of the house on the south, about 80 feet, from swietetia exeepers in luxuriant growth hang, A wide stairway leads from the front entrance to the first Moor. Its heavy panelling and vich wall decorations are particularly remin'scent of French interior of the chateaux period. On the first floor. there are Ove large bedrooms with their bath-rooms: but here the semblance to the age of chaveaw building breaks down. However, to modern taste this is no drawback.
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.