Carolyn's Blog

Union Park Gardens Event-A John Nolen historic neighborhood which was built for Wilmington's shipworkers is to be celebrated Friday September 17, 2010 5:30 - 8:30 pm at Zion Lutheran Church, 2101 Lancaster Ave, Wilmington, Delaware 19805.

 Please stop by to view over 30 displays and learn about the fascinating history of Union Park Gardens and much more - A brief history of the Wilmington's shipbuilding industry, WW I posters and memorabilia, what things cost in 1918 - 1919, the property ‘before' the Union Park Gardens homes were built - baseball fields, fairgrounds and trolleys. Ties to Letchworth, England, the First ‘Garden City',and the architect John Nolen's work and the design of the community and his ideas are topics to be examined, as well as a glimpse of other John Nolen towns.

(photos above are of the entrance on Lancaster Avenue with Bancroft Parkway on both sides of the parkway)

This historic neighborhood event will also include ‘Then and Now' photos from 1918 and 2005, John Nolen's report to the City of Wilmington and his interviews with the shipworkers. Also learn about Emil Perrot and Walter Ballinger - Union Park Gardens architects and engineers from Philadelphia. A ‘Must See' event for all former and current residents as well as  those interested in preserving its unique history and learning about John Nolen's visionary work with building livable, walkable communities with green spaces and trees. .

Ever since the Delaware Children's Museum opened this past April, it has been a busy place, with parents, grandparents, and summer camps and day cares introducing their excited little charges to a totally transformed building on the riverfront of Wilmington, Delaware, which once housed the Kahunaville nightclub and restaurant and a Chucky Cheese-type game center.

Out with the outside volcano (which had to be turned off to keep from distracting drivers on nearby I-95) and in with the Stratosphere (for just plain climbing fun--elevator for handicap accessibility). Exhibits include The Power of Me (the human body) Structures (the who, what, where, and how behind building structures), ECOnnect (environment hands on activities means a popular stream table you can get your hands in), Training Wheels (from crawling babies to choo-choo fans), and a Delaware favorite, Bank on It (play with pretend money and a drive-in window type pneumatic tube from you to the teller window).

                            Stratosphere and Structures

Popular money game, locomotive, and climbing wall (surprisingly popular with babies)

The idea for the museum materialized 20 years ago when a storefront museum on Market Street opened. Then, 15 years ago, a board of directors was organized to raise funds, interview exhibit architects, designers, and fabricators. They talked to parents, teachers, and kids about what they would like to see. The proof is in the pudding, as they say, and they are already ahead of their goal in family memberships. The museum is located on the Waterfront of Wilmington, Delaware, at 550 Justison St., and it is open 7 days a week from 9-4:30.  Their website is http://www.delawarechildrensmuseum.org/

I am going to close with one of the neatest sights to see, and probably a lot more fun to participate in--rowing down the Christina River (right outside the museum) with an interactive scene of the river as the child rows.  What fun!

Here is a great opportunity to own an historic 1812 Stone Chester County home on 2 acres in a country setting. It is located at 1291 New London Rd. in Landenberg, Pennsylvania, and it will have an open house on Sunday, August 29, 2010, being held from 1-3 PM.

It has 4 bedrooms and 3 baths in 3 stories of living space, and outdoor space includes a hot tub and an in-ground pool. There is an old bank barn on the property, and you can sit on the back patio and watch wildlife on the 2 ponds just past the back property line. The asking price is $389,000, and a full description can be found at www.psre.com/9451.

The Ruston-McDowell House and Mill have had some exciting changes. We had requests to do some updating, so come to an Open House on Sunday, August 22 from 1-3 PM and see what dedicated artisans did to refinish floors, sensitively paint the walls and millwork, AND install a gorgeous bathroom with frameless shower doors, subway tiles, and refinished claw foot tub. The rest of the house has been painted and floors refinished. There are working fireplaces in kitchen, living room and bedroom, and the walk-in fireplace chimney in the 1790 secition is capped. The center and west sections date to the first years of the 19th century when the Ruston Mill was the center of the community. It still houses some of the flour milling machinery in a stone building which shares the 4 acres of land on the banks of the Big Elk Creek. At the turn of the last century, this property was known as "The Buttonwoods" after another name for the giant sycamore trees on the property (one is on the National Tree Registry and can be seen on the right of picture 1). A must-see for the historic home lovers!  See website www.psre.com/9412.

Going to Ocean City, New Jersey is not exactly like going to an out-of-the-way, quiet place, but it does have its quiet, contemplative moments. There are a lot of people and houses packed into the area between the bay and the ocean, but the drive there goes through pine forests and small towns like Tuckahoe and Marmora (love the names!). And I always keep the car windows open for the last 5 miles so that we can smell the salty air along the marshes before you get to the bay.

After walking the 2.5 mile length of the boardwalk, and being tempted by all the games (my range includes Skee Ball and Miniature Golf) and food (for me this list of food includes  Johnson's World Famous Caramel Corn, Johnson's World Famous Caramel Corn, and Johnson's World Famous Caramel Corn, for which I have saved last year's plastic bucket for a $1 discount), it's time to take a walk west and enjoy the twilight sky, and hope my friend Barbara invites me back next summer.

The latest figures are out, and July new and existing home sales were 39.3% lower than a year ago in New Castle County, Delaware.  The tax credit is no longer acting to motivate buyers, but mortgage rates are at all time lows and buyers can save even more now with mortgage rates at all time lows, over the length of the loan.

Speaking to a potential seller today, I encouraged her to look into putting her home on the market, since there are all kinds of buyers out there with all kinds of needs and tastes and motivations, and as long as the house is correctly priced for its condition, her buyer could be out there waiting for just such a house as hers!            

  The Kennett Square Farmer's Market is held every Friday from May 14 to October 29 from 2-6 PM at State and Union St. (Route 82).  There is a great variety of locally produced goods including Amish baked goods, cut flowers and plants, European bread, artisan cheeses, home-made jams and jellies, and grass fed meats. Everything looks so good! I tried something new this week, and it was delicious--blackberry pie made by a young woman from Nottingham, Pennsylvania.  Out of this world!

While strolling through the weekly Farmer's Market in Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, I was impressed by this enterprising architect, Will Hurd, of Footprint Architecture and Design p.a. in nearby Newark, Delaware, and his neatly lettered sign, "Architectural Help 25¢". His idea is that if you stop by his booth and briefly describe an architectural problem to him--maybe sketch something on a scrap of paper, he can give you some ideas, add a few pencil strokes, and point you in the right direction, for only 25¢.  Of course, if you like his idea, he is available at his regular rate.

So should I try "Real Estate Help 25¢"?  Sort of like Lucy in "Peanuts" with her "Psychiatric Help, 5¢"? It's not that people don't want to talk about real estate.  Everyone asks how the market is.  But they already know the answer. It's not that nothing is selling in our area, but there is a great deal of reluctance to make a move. And buyers are wandering into open houses without a clue as to how they would sell their present home, but they sure do like this house! Here is my 25¢ worth of advice--Start at the beginning.

A. Have an experienced Realtor do a market analysis for your present home.

B. Have your Realtor tell you how you need to get your home ready to market. Get rid of the clutter, pack your nick-nacks and get them out of sight. Clean.  Really Clean. Paint. Repair, Landscape.

C. Then sit down with your Realtor and compare your clean, freshly painted, de-cluttered home with other homes on the market and recent sales.  Set a realistic price that will draw attention away from the over-priced competition.

D. List at a realistic price.

E. Wait for a buyer.

F. Go ahead and look at open houses and houses on the internet.

G. If you find your ideal price, you could make an offer if your home is not yet under contract, but there is a good chance the offer may not be accepted.

And there is no magic pill that will make buyers flock to your home, unless you have a very special, unusual home in a very desirable area. Even then, it has to be priced competitively.  Maybe not 25¢, though.

Talk about the last rose of summer!  Well, maybe a few roses are trying to survive the heat, but they are the hardy ones! But the birds can't take a break in the air conditioned confines of my house, so this robin is looking at me from my arbor as if to say, "Well, aren't you lucky!!"

Temps in the 90's have not been usual for Wilmington, as a matter of fact, this is the hottest month since records have been kept 100 years ago. The hottest month in U.S. history came during the Dust Bowl in July 1936, when the national average temperature hit 77.43 degrees, according to the National Climatic Data Center.  Take that, climate change doubters! And for extra measure, turn off those air conditioners!

Wilmington's Bayard Marin, the founder of the Quaker Hill Historic Preservation Foundation, has received the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Historic Preservation Medal. They honored him for advocating the restoration and preservation of "buildings of historic cultural significance, including the former home of Elwood Garrett, the son of the great abolitionist, Thomas Garrett."

The Thomas West House (no longer extant) on Quaker Hill was built 2 years before the founding of the City of Wilmington.(photo courtesy of the Delaware Historical Society)

Wilmington Friends Meeting, at the heart of Quaker Hill, is the burial site of Thomas Garrett and John Dickinson, a Delaware signer of the U.S. Constitution.  The hill also is a landmark of the Underground Railroad.  It was the home  of abolitionist Thomas Garrett, who is credited with helping more than 2,000 slaves -- more than any other individual -- to freedom in the North, collaborating with Harriet Tubman and others.