National Park Service U.S. Department of the Interior

Resource History and Description of Existing Conditions
Third Floor Servants' Hall Call Box1006 Mr. Vanderbilt Housekpr B. Green Rm
Red Room
Small
2d. Floor
Empire
Room
3 rd fl
Rd Rm
Lg
2 nd fl
Green
Room
3 rd fl
2d. Floor
Sm
Pink Room
3 rd fl
Servants
Hall
B.
177
Mauve Room
2d. Floor
Lg
Pink Room
3rd fl
Spare to
Box #1
Diagram 6: Third Floor Servants' Hall Call Box
Blue Room
2d. Floor
Lavender
Room
3rd fl
No curtains are reported in the 1938 or 1940 inventories. 1007 Nailing evidence for earlier
hardware as well as two types of NPS-era rods and curtains is on the windows. The floor is
hardwood, and the room contained a 9' x 12' domestic rug which was blue with flowers. 1008 A
new wall-to-wall carpet has been installed. The room was lit by one electric wall sconce with a
pull chain, and a metal floor lamp was used in the room. By 1940, the floor lamp was
removed. 1009 The sconce retains its period frosted shade.
At least from 1927 to 1938, the room was used as a bedroom by the parlor maid. It has
recently been used as office space and storage.
Room (MM&W: No. 8, Farley: Personal Maid's Room, Curry: No. 6)
As originally built, the room was nearly identical to the First Cook's Room described
above. The closet in the northwest corner does not appear on McKim's plan, and a door was
installed between this room and the foyer to the south at an unknown date. Presumably this
door was added when the maid moved to the room, providing direct access to the bath next
door. This door lock is numbered 0163, out of sequence with other locks on the floor. The
added door and trim are nearly identical in style to those throughout the floor. The room has a
DeVeau speaking tube and a call bell, both wired along the surface, indicating that they were
added when the room became the Maid's Room.
In 1938 the room contained a single brass bed, a mahogany chiffonier with mirror, a
mahogany dressing table with mirror, a mahogany night stand, a mahogany costumer, two white
painted side chairs, a small white painted table, and a white painted rocking chair. 1010 The 1940
inventory does not include the costumer or the small white table. 1011 In 1940 the room also had
a candlestick and a brass paper rack. 1012 Mrs. Farley described the furniture arrangement as
follows in 1942: a chest of drawers and side chair on the east wall, a table and chair set across
the north doorway, a dressing table on the north wall, a white wicker rocker, mahogany tree,
and night table on the west wall, and a brass bed along the south wall. 1013
No curtains are reported in the 1938 or 1940 inventories. 1014 Period hardware survives at
the windows and NPS-era curtains are currently installed. The floor is hardwood and the 1940
1006 There may have been an earlier call box or a modification to this box as indicated by a hole in the
plaster directly above the box. This area lacks a finish coat of plaster. Also, the tabs for the three rooms
indicated in italics have been mounted below the reset bar, and the bells cannot be reset. Why they were
taken out of service is not clear.