Albert Place Housing Group –Exemplifying the Garden City Suburb

By Matt Ayer

An English urban planner, Sir Ebenezer Howard founded the garden city movement, with dreams of a utopian city in which people enjoyed the benefits of both modern urban life and country living. His only book, originally published in 1898, To-Morrow: A Peaceful Plan for Real Reform, summarized the garden city objectives in a clever graphic. His premise proves true to this day, that a carefully planned community with the benefits of both town and country will draw homeowners like a magnet. His vision sparked the founding of the Garden Cities Association, a co-partnership housing movement, and funding for Letchworth Garden City, a suburb 37 miles north of London.

As noted by Millard Rogers in the application prepared for the National Park Service for Mariemont to be designated its National Historic Landmark status, “The Village is a premier example of a planned residential suburb associated with the American garden-city movement of the early twentieth century.” Nationally recognized urban planner and landscape architect John Nolen embraced the garden city movement and Howard’s “magnetic” forces in his plan for Mariemont: beauty of nature, social opportunity, parks of easy access, field for enterprise, plenty to do, pure air and water, good drainage, no smoke, no slums.

Charles Livingood, our town’s project manager extraordinaire and Mary Emery’s right hand, carefully selected the finest available architects to deliver the attributes of a built environment to complete Howard’s towncountry “magnet” model: bright homes and gardens, low rents and low rates. Livingood hired a well-known architect from Philadelphia ready to apply his remarkable talents to a housing group for the Mariemont project –Robert R. McGoodwin.

McGoodwin, born in Bowling Green, Kentucky in 1886, graduated from Philadelphia’s Central School in 1902. He earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in Architecture from the University of Pennsylvania, then furthered his studies at the Atelier Duquesne in Paris as the recipient of the Cresson Traveling Scholarship in 1908. From 1910 to 1924 he served as an instructor, then assistant professor in design at Penn’s School of Fine Arts. Best known for the many houses he designed in the Chestnut Hill section of Philadelphia, many in the English Garden City model, he also designed dormitories, hotels and other commercial buildings. Livingood selected McGoodwin to design a group of homes on a cul-de-sac in Nolen’s plan, named after Mary Emery’s late son, Albert.

Concerning the Mariemont project, McGoodwin wrote: “It was Mr. Livingood’s intention to build a village which would solve the housing problem for people of very moderate means. Therefore, I felt it was my problem to design buildings which would be constructed as simply as possible, and which would derive their charm from the study of composition and fenestration, and relied on the proper use of blinds, plants, trees, etc. to form the proper background for this simplicity. All refinement of detail in the use of woodwork was eliminated. The walls were constructed of common hard brick and whitewashed. Contrasting notes of color were obtained by the use of mitis-green on the doors in the building and the courtyard walls. Of course, it is needless to say that the architect’s vision

Albert Place (from previous page) of this group will not be realized until the planting has been entirely completed and has developed sufficiently with age to produce the background and the softening effect that was visualized.”

In September 1923, McGoodwin provided a sketch showing his concept plan, noting that the effect of the group would be enhanced by building 12, not the originally planned 10, homes to achieve the semblance of a group. He strongly recommended a service drive to the rear of the homes, to keep the front entrances free from driveways. He also bumped the expected cost upwards, to $9,450 per house (including garage). His figure (see previous page) shows the “wing” houses added on Miami. Immediately apparent are balance and symmetry. The 12 homes, moving clockwise, are comprised of five designs (four of which are two-family homes), following a pattern of A-B-(C-C)-D-(E-E)-D-(C-C)-B-A. This cleverly designed sketch shows the first floors’ plans on the right-hand side of the figure, the second floors’ plans on the left-hand side.

The two-story homes are characterized by their white-washed brick, steeply pitched gable roofs, and narrow casement windows. A single course of red brick accents windowsills and drip moldings. The sidewalks echo the red

Dear Santa Claus

By Matt Ayer

The following story provides compelling evidence of an enhanced “social community” as envisioned by Ebenezer Howard, the founder of the Garden City Movement, referred to in the previous story.

Back in the 1950s, Albert Place residents would chip in and purchase, erect and decorate a Christmas tree for placement in the median of their u-shaped street. Their tradition also included gathering around the tree to sing Christmas carols. In 1952, residents were setting up a locally purchased, 18-foot fir tree when Mr. Bill Huls of 5 Albert Place spotted a piece of oil cloth tucked in the branches near the trunk. Inside was the pencil-scrawled note (pictured at right):

Well, of course Santa answered that beautiful note as the Albert Place community sent young Gordon the money for skates, a cap, mittens, muffler, and a pen and pencil set. Soon after, Gordon replied with a package containing 10 corsages of fir sprigs and cones – a bit dried out but well appreciated.

Long overdue on an update to this heartwarming story, the Town Crier checked in on Mr. Troop to learn that he is in good health, and that he just recently shared the story of the Albert Place generosity with his grandchildren. We are happy to report that from his childhood on that woodland property where his father harvested fir trees, Gordon found work with the local Post Office, then served three years in the Army, next a government job at the docks in Halifax, and finally a career as an electronics technician at Dalhousie University. At age 79, Gordon joins a group of “old cronies” to skate three times per week!

By all accounts, while the days of an 18-foot cut Christmas tree wholesaled for 20 cents are long past, a sense of community remains alive and well with the residents of the 12 beautiful homes of Albert Place.

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Albert Place (from previous page) brick theme. Some units are joined by garden walls with arched entries.

Looking at Albert Place today, the overall integrity of McGoodwin’s design has been maintained, including restoring original open front porches, where some owners had enclosed their front porches decades ago. Some owners have converted their one-car attached garage to a “bonus” room, but the appearance from the front remains unchanged. McGoodwin clearly emulated Letchworth’s Garden City in his design for Albert Place.

As one example, Cindy Chalfonte exquisitely maintains her 1,678 square foot garden cottage-style home at 3 Albert Place. Original interior features include distinctive red pine flooring, brick fireplace and simple moldings and millwork. Updates include a renovation to open up the kitchen/dining space, custom built-in cabinetry, and all new mechanicals. An owner since 1993, she cites the “best neighbors in the world” in her Albert Place circle and enjoys their diversity of ages and backgrounds. Mariemont provided an ideal place for raising her two daughters, as she notes the schools, parks, pool, walkability, and sense of community. She embraces the “garden” aspect of McGoodwin’s vision with beautiful plantings that accent her front porch and her patio garden. The talent and vision of Charles Livingood to John Nolen to Robert McGoodwin to Cindy Chalfonte clearly have resulted in meeting those ideals of the garden city movement developed by Ebenezer Howard. Who wouldn’t be drawn as though by a magnet to Mariemont?