Just About As Close To Paradise as You Could Come in 1930.
Morning Call
I spent a few hours today looking over the magnificent job our historian has done researching the story of this most unusual showhouse. There are many beautiful houses in Allentown and many big houses in Allentown and many old houses in Allentown…but few have the recorded history that this house carries.
As you may know, this was the Morning Call’s third model home. This was the most ambitious and the largest. Things looked pretty good when the construction began on June 14, 1929 – then the market crashed in October and the Great Depression rolled in. The West End of Allentown was just being developed and I am sure there were many discussions about whether or not this project should be continued …but it was. Every aspect from pouring the concrete to the number of electric lights was covered in the paper. As Frank Whelan wrote, ” …this was no ordinary dwelling. When constructed, it was the ultimate in modern living, the domestic nest of the future, the happy marriage of technology and tradition. This was The Morning Call’s Model Home of 1930.”
When the house opened at 2pm on April 12, 1930, 3,032 Allentownians toured what was described as a house that was as close to paradise as was possible in 1930. In the two weeks that it was open to the public some 24,000 people visited. I’ll try to add more history over the next few weeks. This is a remarkable house, indeed!
