Chestnut Hill

Chestnut Hill

Some of the finest Colonial doorways in the country grace old houses there; and its quiet, dignified and beautiful ancestral homes form one of the chief attractions ... – John Wanamaker Guide to Philadelphia, 1917.

Prior to 1707 Germantown had an independent government stronger than any other in Pennsylvania. In 1707 the area became a township of Philadelphia County, and Germantown, a township in Philadelphia County organized in 1707 and lasting until the great consolidation of 1844. Originally, the area was comprised of four villages: Germantown, Cresheim, Sommerhausen, and Crefeld. In 1707, with the creation of the township, the core Germantown area was incorporated as a separate borough. What is now known as Chestnut is more or less what were the villages of Crefeld and Sommerhausen. Rex Avenue (photos) was part of the boundary separating Crefeld and Sommerhausen. [1]

Chestnut Hill contains 18th and 19th century residences representing a wealth of architectural styles, including: Classical Revivals, Georgian, Federal, Italianate, Second Empire, Shingle Style, Tudor, and Queen Anne. Documentation from the National Register of Historic Places informs us:

Although the upper classes socially and large houses architecturally have dominated the popular perception of Chestnut Hill since 1850, historically Chestnut Hill's merchants and laborers have held equal claim in the development of the Hill. Evidence of its colonial and early-19th century heritage may be found in virtually every block of Germantown Avenue from Moreland Avenue to Norman Lane. The oldest house in Chestnut Hill, a crude town-and-one-half story stone dwelling known as the Detwiler House, was built in 1744 at 8220 Germantown Avenue. Other plain stone structures such as the Artman-Miller House (circa 1759) at 8609 Germantown Avenue, the Abraham Rex store (1762) at 8031 Germantown Avenue, and the Sign of the Swan (circa 1750) at 8433 Germantown Avenue are witnesses of Chestnut Hill's beginnings.

During the 1840s and 1850s residential development began on many of the side roads off Germantown Avenue that were originally opened to service the mills along the Wissahickon and Cresheim Creeks as well as outlying farms. John Stallman constructed a number of houses along Highland Avenue (known variously Spruce or Thomas Mill Road and Cottage Lane) in vernacular styles, parroting many of the upper-class styles recently in vogue including the Italianate and Gothic Revival. Examples of this mid-19th century vernacular architecture exist also on Gravers Lane, Southampton Avenue, Springfield Avenue, Mermaid Lane, and lower Germantown Avenue.

1. Hocker, Edward W,, Germantown: 1683-1933, 1933, Philadelphia

Photos: December, 2006. Rex Street. A series of handsome semi-attached (twins, or doubles as they are sometimes called) built circa 1926, plus several singles, possibly circa 1890. Typical of the region over the past 5 years (2001-2006), resale prices for some homes along Rex Avenue nearly doubled.

School District: Philadelphia

Street Names: Germantown Avenue