Any midcentury ranch house neighborhoods in the burbs? (Chester, Glenside: sale, new home)

[ElijahAstin]

Just realized that first picture you posted was "bad" LOL! Sorry!

Penn Valley still applies, as do Elkins Park/Cheltenham and parts of Rydal/Meadowbrook. You can pretty much disregard the rest, haha.

[southbound_295]

I've seen a few houses like #2 in Cherry Hill. I can't remember exactly where, but I think along Church Road east of 38, west of Kings Highway or in Erlton. They were pretty much stand-alones, not a neighborhood full of them.

[cpomp]

A majority of those housesare ugly, like the very first picture in the thread that is hideous, part of the reason many of them are being torn down. A rancher on 2 a two acre plot, the land attracts people, they can buy it tear the house down and build their own new home. I see it happening everywhere in Newtown Square, and Glen Mills. Streets once filled with ranchers now transformed into more attractive custom homes.

There are some cool midcentury homes in the Swarthmore area, built by famous architects, one recently featured in a local magezine, I will try and find the article.

[PA2UK]

Originally Posted by HeavenWood

Just realized that first picture you posted was "bad" LOL! Sorry!

Oh, I didn't notice that either! Disregard most of the ones I posted then. It definitely sounds like the OP is after more of the 60s/70s style than 50s. I thought something was off about the statement that there's not a lot of 50s homes in the Philly burbs because I always thought the inner burbs have a lot of 50s homes.

According to Wikipedia, Bucks County saw growth in the 70s:

In the 1970s, a second growth spurt began. This time, developers took land in townships that were mostly untouched. These included Middletown, Lower Makefield Township, Northampton Township and Newtown Township. Tract housing, office complexes, shopping centers, and sprawling parking lots continued to move more and more towards Upper Bucks, swallowing horse farms, sprawling forests, and wetlands. At this time, the Oxford Valley Mall was constructed in Middletown, which would become the business nucleus of the county.

[joephilly]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

Parts of Wyndmoor, Flourtown and Erdenheim in Springfield Township in Montgomery County have plats full of them ranches and tri-levels. My dream neighborhoods.

Here's a few examples i think mcguirk is looking for, all in the areas above plus a couple over the border in Cheltenham Twsp: Mod Cut - Single listings are not allowed.

My wife and I had our eye on these areas when we were shopping a year ago, but ended up with a cape cod in Glenside.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by PA2UK

The last two pictures you posted look more like 70s than 50s to me.

Those are definitely 1950s homes.

Originally Posted by cpomp

A majority of those housesare ugly

Bite your tongue.

A rancher on 2 a two acre plot, the land attracts people, they can buy it tear the house down and build their own new home. I see it happening everywhere in Newtown Square, and Glen Mills. Streets once filled with ranchers now transformed into more attractive custom homes.

That, to me, is a tragedy.

[cpomp]

Originally Posted by Ohiogirl81

Those are definitely 1950s homes.


Bite your tongue.

That, to me, is a tragedy.

Not for towns like Newtown Square. I find a custom spec house to be much more attractive than a developer who ruins a landscape to build 300 homes that all look the same, or a plain little rancher plopped on 3 acres. Or towns like Brookhaven in the 50 and 60s, and a lot of chester county today. But in general I am not a fan of midcentury architecture of any form except for a select bunch of structures. That is why I am glad to see them go. I like very old or very new custom.

[Ohiogirl81]

I'm willing to bet that my mom's 1950s ranch will outlast any home built today, custom or otherwise.

And midcentury houses will be very old someday. Hell, some people already think they are.

[frankgn87]

Originally Posted by southbound_295

I've seen a few houses like #2 in Cherry Hill. I can't remember exactly where, but I think along Church Road east of 38, west of Kings Highway or in Erlton. They were pretty much stand-alones, not a neighborhood full of them.

We just passed one on 41 in Cherry hill tonight, sb295, just like #2

[southbound_295]

Originally Posted by frankgn87

We just passed one on 41 in Cherry hill tonight, sb295, just like #2

Thanks, Frank. I knew that there were some in Cherry Hill & they are not from the 70s. What was being built in the 70s were developments.