The new Commissioner was free to choose a dwelling which suited his fancy. If it did not exist, it would be built for him at public expense. But when he asked for a pagoda, he was given a geodesic dome. His original request specified an elevator. Instead, they constructed only an exposed shaft. Pethaps this was done to compromise his whims, thought the Commission. The kitchen was a significant alteration from the plans he had submitted. In place of the gas range drawn for the centre of the foot, he received a hot-plate on a counter severely reduced in size. The living room rose to the full height of the dome. Barcelona chairs and contemporary- styled coffee tables of glass and chrome composed the only furniture in the airy space where the floor was of grey quarry tile. Now hate did he find a trace of the rococo pieces he had ordered. The master bedroom could not be distinguished from the other five. Also, he had acquired three more bed- rooms than planned