A postcard of N. Lansdowne Ave. looking north toward Garrett Rd. The exact location is unknown. This picture is from about 1910 when Lansdowne was still a "little country town".
Note: The article below is from the early 1920's, when trolley lines ruled eastern Delaware County and contributed to the 1920's building boom. Trolleys left 69th St. Terminal at that time and ran on Chester Pike, MacDade Blvd., Baltimore Pk. and West Chester Pike etc. including the routes today. The building boom lasted till 1929 and the depression. Please visit the trolley page on my website, delawarecountyhistory.com for more information.
COUNTY BUILDING BOOM REAL
AID TO HOME BUYERS
Though Demand For Houses is Large, Prices Are Being Kept Down
Prospective home buyers will reap the
benefits of the big building boom which is now under way, according to the
consensus of opinion among the big builders of the county.
Notwithstanding the fact that the
demand for homes at the present time is large, the number of homes going up all
over the county is such that it will more than meet the demand. In this way it is hoped to keep the prices of
homes down to a level within the reach of the working man who is disposed to
buy.
It is the working man, more so than
any other class of people, who is desirous of owning his home. Not in many years, according to builders and
real estate men, has the everyday working man put in so many applications for
the purchase of homes, as is the case at the present time.
Building and loan associations will
also vouch for this statement, and the demand on these organizations for loans
has been such that a number of new associations have been founded and conducted
profitably.
The amount of building in the eastern
end of the county, especially Upper Darby Township, continues at an exceedingly
brisk pace. Large tracts of what was
formerly farm land are being developed as fast as grades are established and
excavations made. South of Bywood, on
the big tract which runs from that community to the property line of St.
Vincent’s Home, at the corner of Lansdowne Avenue and Garrett Road, one of the
biggest building operations in the Township is now under way. There is already a small town adjoining
Bywood known as Beverly Hill, and so rapidly have the homes on this development
been bought up and occupied that the Philadelphia and West Chester Traction
Company has established a stop at the point, bearing the name of the
development.
Right on down to the small stream
known as Naylor’s Run, and up the Orphanage property line, operations are
continuing. Many big old trees had to be
cut down and the stumps dynamited to make way for the building.
Streets are being cut through and all
improvements, including cub and gutters are being laid as fast as the concrete
is mixed.
With the completion of the work on
Garrett Road from Sixty-Ninth Street to Lansdowne Avenue, it is expected that
the large tracts abutting on the east side of the thoroughfare will soon
witness big building operations. This
land is selling high, the old Powers estate, directly in the rear of the Upper
Darby Township building is reported to be held for $20,000 per acre.
ACTIVITIES IN LANSDOWNE – In Lansdowne
the erect ion of new homes is still continuing with slight change, despite the
fact that many of Lansdowne erstwhile vacant tracts are now adorned with
beautiful homes.
One of the big operations is that of
W. Percival Johnson on Baltimore Avenue west of Windermere Avenue.
Here the old building known as the
“Windermere” and which stood for many years in a frightfully dilapidated
condition, is undergoing alterations of a most extensive character, and is
rapidly taking on the appearance of an entirely new building which is
practically will be when completed.
The old structure is being remodeled
into an apartment house and according to reports, there will be nice, large and
roomy apartments within its four walls.
A street has been cut through off
Baltimore Avenue, south towards the railroad, and abutting on this new
thoroughfare. Builder Johnson plans to
erect a number of pretty homes.
At a cost of approximately $250,000,
the new Rolling Green Golf Club, situated on State Road above Springfield Road,
in Springfield Township, will be laid out.
Work on the new project has already been started and will be pushed
through as rapidly as possible. The
property of 177 acres was recently sold by John J. Dougherty of Sixty-Ninth
Street to a number of Delaware County golf lovers. The course will consist of 18 holes with what
is expected to be the largest and most beautiful clubhouse in the county.
OPERATIONS IN MEDIA – Media is
witnessing more building now than has ever been seen before in the town’s
history. New operations and alterations
to old properties are going on almost unceasingly, and the county seat
community is rapidly growing, both in the number of its homes as well as
population.
Probably the largest building is the
new apartment house going up on the corner of Olive and Jasper Streets, owned
by W. Roger Fronefield and Howard M. Lutz, prominent lawyers.
Owen T. Hughes owns the garage
building and apartment which is now being completed at the corner of Baltimore
Pike and Providence Road.
George Schuchardt expects to remove
into his new barber shop on Orange Street about Christmas. The operation, which was begun a few weeks
ago, it is understood, is an outlay of $10,000.
The Estate Development Company has
renewed operations at Pine Ridge, laying sewers and cutting through streets.
J. W. Holton’s new homes on Lincoln
Street at the foot of Orange Street, near Media station, are almost completed,
there are about a dozen homes in this group.
Lavin Brothers are erecting two houses
of two stories each on East Franklin Street near Providence Road.
Edward Snyder is building on South
Avenue between Jefferson Street and Franklin Street.
Samuel Rhodes’ operation plans to
erect fifteen new homes on his tract on Manchester Avenue.
James J. Boyer is building an
apartment house and store building on East State Street. There will be five rooms in the apartment.
Plans are now being completed for the
new Wallingford Junior High School on Allen’s Hill overlooking the lower end of
Nether Providence Township. Work on the
new institution will be begun just as soon as possible.
The Sports Legends of Delaware County (SLDC) Museum will hold a series of Delaware County library presentations for their recently published book,
“Tales From the Museum.”
The purpose of the book is to recognize the athletic excellence of Delaware County athletes, and to preserve its sports heritage.
Below is a list of dates and locations for these
events.
Wednesday February 19 Ridley Township Library 6:30 pm
Sunday February 23 Upper Darby Sellers Library 3 pm
- Wednesday February 26 Haverford Library 7 pm
- Tuesday March 3 Darby Free Library 7 pm
- Wednesday March 4 Norwood Library 6:30 pm
- Thursday March 5 Marple Library 7 pm
- Monday March 9 Middletown Library 7 pm
If
you have questions, contact
The trolleys that ran from 69th St were the current ones today plus West Chester Pk to WC (including Ardmore). Other trolleys were South Penn
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