Historic District Walking Tour The Highlands Neighborhood

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Historic District Walking TourThe HighlandsNeighborhoodThe HighlandsNeighborhoodWalking Tour is oneof three self-guidedresidential tours developed to highlight theBorough’s architectural heritage. Each tourencompasses apart of two districtsincluded in theNational Registerof Historic Places, listed in 1995. Propertieswithin the districts contribute to the architectural history ofdeveloping StateCollege and offera full range ofEarly 20th Century styles.State College · Pennsylvania · Incorporated 1896

his Highlands Neighborhood Walking Tour is oneof three self-guided residentialtours developed to highlight thearchitectural history of StateCollege. Each tour encompassesa part of two districts included inthe National Register of HistoricPlaces.The two National Registerdistricts, Holmes-Foster/Highlands and College Heights,are made up of properties thatcontribute to the rich architectural heritage of State College.Ranging from vernacularVictorians to the InternationalStyle, from Craftsman Bungalowsto Colonial Revivals, from mailorder English Cottages to highlysophisticated Tudor Revival-stylefraternities, these districts offera virtual field guide of early 20thcentury architectural styles.TC O L L E G EH E I G H T SHOLMES-FOSTERT H EState College borough map from the1930s showing historic district areas.H I G H L A N D S

State College, PennsylvaniaThe Highlands Historic NeighborhoodIncorporated in 1896The Highlands, part of the Holmes-Foster/Highlands District, encompasses land and historic buildings associated with the residential history of StateCollege from its incorporation in 1896 to 1941 and thebeginning of World War II. It is roughly bounded byHighland Alley to the north; High and Keller Streetsto the east; and Irvin and Prospect Avenues to thesouth. Atherton Street represents its western edge.At an elevation of 1200 feet at its highest point,Highlands is an appropriate name for this area immediately south and east of Penn State and the centralbusiness district. In 1909, the Highland Park development became one of the first additions to extendthe Borough’s southern limits. A little over a decadelater, owner and contractor John Henszey and developer Eugene Lederer introduced a new Highlandsdevelopment that offered “the most desirable lots ofFoster, Fairmount, Prospect and Hamilton, all withinone-half mile of the post office,” along with thepromise of developing “the most beautiful fraternitysection in the country.”Most Pennsylvania communities had peaked andthen receded in building activities when State College, enjoying the economic stability provided byPenn State, was in its building heyday.As early as 1904 the State College Times cited ahousing shortage. Even though some proportion offaculty were able to achieve home ownership, manyinstructors, support staff, and off-campus studentssought rental space. By 1912, more than seventybuilding tradesmen — contractors, carpenters,painters and paperhangers, plasterers, plumbers,stone and brick masons — were providing their services to a town with a population of only 1,650.Subdivisions were developed to meet this buildingboom for a local population with a sophisticated interest in architectural housing choices. This development coincided with the increased availability ofnationally stylish residential options providedthrough pattern books and by mail-order companies,and locally through faculty members with architectural design expertise.The Highlands is home to an impressive collection of richlydetailed fraternity houses.nFraternity Mansions and Family HomesEarly in the 20th century, classical themes and correct interpretations of European styles became thebasis for residential architecture across the country,as tastes shifted away from the Victorian styles of thepast. Large and elaborate period houses, similar tothose designed by architectural firms for wealthyclients in cities, were being designed in State Collegeby area architects for national fraternity associations.In an eight-year period, 1925 –1933, more than twenty such houses of between 7,000 and 15,000 squarefeet were built, many on large lots with appropriatelandscaping — landmark representations of ColonialRevival, Neoclassical, Tudor Revival, and other historic styles.3

At the same time, smaller period style houseswere being selected by State College residents —some designed by area architects, some chosen frompattern books, and many selected from mail-ordercompany catalogs.Mail-Order HousesSears, Roebuck and Co., the Aladdin Co., and theGordon-Van Tine Co. all were offering State Collegeresidents not only the latest in style choices to meetspace needs, budgets, and specific tastes of theirowners, but total house packages with first-ratematerials. Building parts arrived by railroad, precutand numbered. Sears also offered household furnishings to enhance the design, along with a mortgageplan to help owners acquire their new homes. Itincluded a guarantee that promised satisfaction orSears would pay all shipping costs and refund thepurchase price.The Highlands, home of John and Elizabeth Hamilton,now Delta Upsilon FraternityExamples of mail-order catalog offerings showingexteriors and floor plans.Once the lots and foundations were ready, thehomes were assembled by local builders or possiblyeven by the purchasers themselves. In some cases,local contractors were engaged by Sears andconstruction was supervised bya company representative.Records from one of those localcontractors, John Henszey,show that materials werereceived from Philadelphia,Kushequa, Summerdale andBolivar, Pennsylvania; Camden,Newark, and Bayonne, NewJersey; and as far away asDetroit. Shipping dates werestaggered so that materialsarrived as needed, carried toState College on the BellefonteCentral Railroad.5

While only a sampling of historic properties havebeen highlighted for this walking tour of the Highlands Neighborhood, tour takers are urged to lookfor examples of other outstanding properties andinteresting architectural features as they explore thisarea of State College. The tour begins at the northeastern edge of the fraternity district. Parking isavailable at the McAllister Street Parking Garageor along some side streets.Delta Upsilon — 229 Locust LaneLocated along a lane of locust trees and calledThe Highlands, this property was originally a QueenAnne-style farmhouse that belonged to John andElizabeth Hamilton. Hamilton was a prominent local1Locust Lane Apartments —East Foster and Locust LaneAlthough planned on a 1920s development mapas a fraternity site, John Henszey constructed thiswell designed apartment building in 1929. Henszey,a grandson of John and Elizabeth Hamilton andgreat-grandson of Moses and Mary Irvin Thompsonof Centre Furnace, was a major contributor to thedevelopment and the architectural appearance ofthe Highlands neighborhood as was his partner,Eugene Lederer.3The urbanization of newly developing State Collegewas greatly aided by the addition of apartmentbuildings such as this one, and especially by the relocation and rebuilding programs of the fraternities inthe Henszey-Lederer subdivision west of Pugh Street.National fraternity organizations took advantage ofthis building program to advance the Henszey andLederer goal of developing “the most beautiful fraternity section in the country.”Sigma Pi — 303 Fraternity RowSuperior detail and distinctive massing makethis one of the finest examples of Tudor Revivalstyle architecture in the fraternity district. Featuresto notice: a combination of coursed (layered inhorizontal rows) rubblestone and brick, that coversthe building’s frame construction; half timberingdecoration between brickwork and a carved stoneentrance; a steeply pitched slate roof; steep crossgables; leaded and diamond paned-windows; and amassive front chimney. Built in 1931 by O.W. Houtsof State College, it was designed by P. J. Bartholomew, who also was the architect for Beta Theta Pion the Penn State campus.4farmer who served for many years as Penn State’streasurer and superintendent of farms; Mrs. Hamilton was a daughter of Moses Thompson, co-ownerof the Centre Furnace Iron Co. and the owner ofmuch of the land upon which the Borough and theUniversity developed. The house, built in 1890, wasdesigned by Bellefonte architect Robert Cole.In the 1920s, its Victorian architectural details werereplaced by those in the Tudor Revival-style when itbecame the home of Delta Upsilon fraternity.Acacia Fraternity — 234 Locust LaneFrederick Disque, a Penn State professor ofarchitecture, reused the barn foundation from theHamilton farm when, in 1925, he designed this Colonial Revival-style property. You may want to walkaround to the East Prospect side of the street toview the front of the building. This is the first offour fraternities on the tour designed by Disque inthe 1920s.267

Alpha Tau Omega — 321 East FairmountThe front façade of this Neoclassical-stylefraternity is dominated by a huge two-story roundedfront entry porch or portico and a roof balcony supported by classical columns. Other classical detailsinclude a swan’s neck pediment over the door and aPalladian window above the doorway. Flemish bondbrick (alternating brick headers and stretchers) andcolored keystones in the window arches add to thedetail of this well-proportioned building. Estimatedto cost 50,000 when the building permit was takenout, it was designed by architecture faculty memberFrederick Disque, and built in 1927.5Three English Cottages —437, 441, & 447 East FairmountThree Sears English Cottages were built side-byside in 1933 by contractor John Henszey. Sears recommended brick facing, but all three owners choseto use stone, undoubtedly reflecting the local availability both of stone and qualified stonemasons. Thehouses are similar in size,all have steep gables andstone-decorated doorways, two have distinctivefront chimneys. TheSears catalog describedthe three this way: theCroydon, “a small house, absolutely modern, withouta single trace of faddishness;” the Stratford, “the latest idea in English architecture;” and the Hillsborowith the addition of shutters and wrought iron “togive the right feeling.”A357 East ProspectA. Lawrence Kocher, a former head ofPenn State’s Department of Architecture, designedthis English Cottage for himself in 1921–22. He leftPenn State in 1926 to head the School of Art andArchitecture at the University of Virginia, and laterbecame managing editor of the Architectural Record.For four decades he was a historic preservationadvocate and an expert on the restoration and conservation of landmarks, serving as supervising architect for the restoration of Washington Irving’s homein Tarrytown, NY, and on the advisory committeefor Colonial Williamsburg.As a practicing architect,he experimented withdesign methods and materials and was an earlymember of the International Congress ofModern Architects.9Alpha Sigma Phi — 328 East FairmountA slate roof, entrance gable, casement windows, and three large stone chimneys with bricktops are some of the stylistic features of this handsome stone-faced Tudor Revival-style fraternity,built in 1930.6Phi Kappa Theta — 338 East FairmountRandomly placed square-cut stone (ashlar)was used for this Colonial Revival fraternity,built in 1928. Doric pilasters (flattened columns)on either side and a fanlight (semicircular window)above the door, and 8 over 8 (panes) windows, aresome of its classical features.7Lambda Chi Alpha — 351 E. FairmountAccording to a 1925 issue of the State CollegeTimes, the pre-construction estimate for this fraternity was 50,000. Tudor Revival architectural features include an exterior of stone, plaster, and halftimbering, flat arches over the windows, and a brickarch around the doorway.88Tau Kappa Epsilon — 346 East ProspectPercy Ash, a member of the Altoona architectural firm of Hersh and Shollar (responsible forAltoona’s City Hall), was the designer of this 1930Tudor Revival fraternity at the corner of Garnerand East Prospect Avenue. It was built by the State109

College Construction Co., the firm owned by H.O.Smith, a graduate of Penn State’s architecturalengineering program and former faculty member.The exterior wall is faced in uncoursed (unevenlylayered) rubblestone; the sharply peaked roof isslate. Features of note: a four story front gable withstone trim around the door, front chimney, bay window, and diamond-paned stained glass.Sigma Chi — 400 East ProspectBuilt in 1928 originally as Delta Tau Delta,this fraternity is another landmark example of theTudor Revival style. It is faced with randomly placedashlar stone and decorative half timbering. Thegabled entranceway has a Tudor style doorwaytrimmed in a darker cut stone, and a two-story turreted stairtower topped by a weathervane. Diamondshaped, leaded casement windows in the dormersand a second floor oriel window are other architectural features to notice.11413 East ProspectO. W. Houts was the builder of this ColonialRevival-style mail-order home from Sears, “a designof perfect symmetry.” Rather than the wide woodsiding recommended by Sears, Houts faced this1937 house with stone that had originally been partof old Old Main. A fanlight and sidelights above andon either side of the front door are sheltered by anentrance hood.12Pi Kappa Alpha — 417 East Prospect13Flemish bond brick and stucco with decorative half timbering have been combined in thedesign of another fine example of the Tudor Revivalstyle, also built by the State College ConstructionCo. in 1930. Of special note: the stone surroundingthe front door, the coat of arms above it, and thechimney pots topping its large chimneys.Kappa Delta Rho — 420 East ProspectThis excellent example of the Tudor Revivalstyle was designed by Clarence Bauchspies, a 1932Penn State master’s degree graduate, registeredarchitect, and faculty member. It was built in 1933.Some outstanding features of this well-maintainedfraternity are: the use of random ashlar stone and1410decorative half timbering; a slate roof with flaredeaves; roof dormers; casement windows; and threefront gables, including an entrance gable that has atwo-story stained glass bay window, with a turretedroof and weathervane.Two Sears Houses —505 & 511 East ProspectAs described by Sears, the Lynnhaven, “a cheerfulwell-proportioned residence with a deep set doorand flower boxes,” and the Winthrop, with an exterior that “expresses good taste,” are two more of agroup of Sears houses built by John Henszey in thelate 1920s and early 1930s in this eastern section ofThe Highlands. Other examples of the popularLynnhaven are located in both the Holmes-Fosterand College Heights neighborhoods.15500 East ProspectStucco, half timbering, and decorative brickwork were used by John Henszey for this charmingEnglish Cottage,built in 1933. It wascalled the “honeymoon cottage,”given by his mother as a wedding giftto Henszey and hisbride.16Mature trees, many of them fifty or sixty yearsold and with circumferences of over sixteen feet,line and canopy the streets in the Highland District.Early on the Borough recognized the importance ofits tree resource, establishing the Street Committeein 1903 to oversee street tree planting, and theShade Tree Commission in 1926. As a result, StateCollege is recognized annually by the National ArborDay Foundation for its commitment to its urbanforest resources.Delta Tau Delta — 429 East HamiltonBuilt in 1929, this symmetrically designedashlar stone building has a wide gabled entrancewith an arcaded front porch and matching sidewings. Each wing has exterior end wall chimneyswith chimney pots.1711

W.C OL L EG EPenn StateCampusAVPPW.B EAV ER49AV44STS.4348PP47HIGHLANDCentralAV46 ParkletE.F OS T ERAV8A76ST31253330E. PROSPECT281427HAMILTO N1512 139B2629HETZEL32E.AVC344STFA I R M O U N T5RGARNELNE.35P RO SP EC T3FRAT. R O37LOCUSTAVPUGHFAI R MO UN T39ALLENN I TTAN YS.W.36W.AV12Memorial45 Field38W.BEAV 101611172420 19E.HAMILT O NAV23222118Tour route3Noted propertyalong main routeCNoted propertyoff main routePParkinglot/garage

Chi Phi — 360 East HamiltonA sweeping corner entrance is one of theoutstanding features of this 1931 example of theTudor Revival style. Roughly coursed rubblestone,half timbering, a flared slate roof, and a semi-circular front porch with a conical roof, are some otherarchitectural features of this stylistic building.18331 East HamiltonAmerican history professor Wayland F.Dunaway and his family chose this Colonial Revivalstyle plan for their home (1930) on East HamiltonAvenue. Be sure to notice the beautiful tulip tree inthe front yard. It has been called the “foresters’tree” because of its resistance to insects, includingthe gypsy moth. It attains the greatest height of anynative hardwood and is known for its cream andorange cup-shaped flowers that bloom in late May.19323 East HamiltonMrs. Edward Steidle, the British-born wifeof the Dean of the College of Mineral Science,wanted their home to look like an old Englishcountry cottage and selected a plan and buildingmaterials accordingly. Constructed in 1929, thebuilder was H. O. Smith. Rough red brick was used,some laid with sharp ends showing, to support thelook of an older house. Other details include asteeply pitched roof with random sized slate, leadedstained glass, heavy plank doors, and chimneys withterra cotta tops in the shape of chess pieces(castles). Recent owners added extensive plantingsof evergreens and flowering trees, and a large curvilinear brick entrance, using old bricks from thedemolished Fraser Street School.20320 East Hamilton AvenueWhen this home was built for the J.W. Henszey family in 1922, it was located on a large wooded lot that had been part of the Hamilton farm, andconsidered to be out-of-town. Mrs. Henszey was thedaughter of John and Elizabeth Hamilton. Designedby architecture professor A. Lawrence Kocher, hedescribed properties like this one as “modern Colonial country houses” in the Architectural Record, andstressed the importance of an appropriate landscapeplan. John Bracken, a Penn State graduate and2114department head from 1926 –1957, was the landscape architect for the property. His plan is stillmostly intact and is an excellent example of Bracken’s naturalistic style.300 East HamiltonContractor John Henszey built his own homeover a period of years (1936 – 42), patterned somewhat after one he had built earlier in CollegeHeights. Architects P. Boyd Kapp and DeanKennedy worked with Henszey on both projects.Sharp gables, a turreted entrance, massive chimney,narrow wall-gabled windows, and a copper-roofedbay with casement windowsare a few of itsarchitectural features to notice.Also part of theproperty, JohnHenszey’s office is faced in stone, with a separateturreted tower. Stone entrance gates add to theauthenticity of this excellent example of a TudorRevival residential property.22262 East HamiltonArchitecture professor Frederick Disquedesigned single family homes as well as fraternities.The Dutch Colonial at 262 E. Hamilton, with itstraditional gambrel roof and shed-roof dormer, wasbuilt in 1925 and faced with local dolomite. Architect-designed cabinets and teak floors, said byDisque to have been from a World War I battleship,were additional features of this property. He alsodesigned the Colonial Revival house next door.2315

624 & 628 Locust LaneH. O. Smith was responsible for matchingEnglish cottages with attached garages on LocustLane. Built in 1929, these twin residences havefirst floors of stone, and second floor stucco dormers with decorative half-timbering. Sharply pitchedroofs, large front chimneys, and gable entrancesalso emphasize the characteristics of EnglishCottage architecture.24Theta Delta Chi — 305 East ProspectOne of the outstanding features of this 1924Neoclassical-style fraternity is its entrance porch,extending across theentire front of thebuilding. A chinoiserie or oriental-stylerailing surrounds thebalc

Penn State’s Department of Architecture, designed this English Cottage for himself in 1921–22. He left Penn State in 1926 to head the School of Art and Architecture at the University of Virginia, and later became managing editor of the Architectura

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