Friday, February 14, 2014

A Walk Down Lindenwald Terrace


Winter View
Lindenwald Ave., Ambler, PA

There's a street
I love to walk down;
 I find it dreamy.


#1 Lindenwald Terrace

It is tucked away in a little suburban town,
and when I am there I forget suburbia exists.
Instead, I am captivated with the homes.


#5 Lindenwald Terrace

For me it has to do with the
 architectural detail and history.
I'm such a sucker for those two combined.
They'll get me every time.


The Mattison Castle
Ambler, PA 
Now home of The Villa, previously St. Mary's Villa, 
provider of services for abused and neglected youth.

The place: Lindenwald Terrace, Ambler, PA
The history: Keasbey and Mattison Co.


#3 Lindenwald Terrace

In 1881, Keasbey and Mattison Co. moved to Ambler, PA.
This had a huge impact on the development of Ambler:
they were the main employer;
Mattison built a castle like home he named Lindenwold;
and homes for their executives and employees.
These homes all share a distinctive architectural style
and define the homes in most of Ambler.







#8 Lindenwald Terrace
(Blogger is giving me formatting headaches here.)

What made this company successful
was also an unknown curse in the making.
Mattison discovered how to make asbestos stick to piping
by mixing it with milk of magnesia.
The company became a major asbestos manufacturer
and left Ambler with a Superfund Site in their aftermath.
But Mattison was long gone by the time
the dangers of asbestos became known.


#4 Lindenwald Terrace

Much of the asbestos has been treated,
but you can still find areas in town fenced off with warning signs.
I am much happy dreaming about Lindenwold Ave.,
than thinking about the asbestos issues.


#6 Lindenwald Terrace

I love this place
 and have posted previously:
Behind the Castle Walls,  photos of Lindenwold Castle interior.
Lindenwald Terrace in Winter

I'll be touring the castle again shortly
and will have new photos to share.
The property is for sale
and I want to capture the beauty before it is ruined developed.




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41 comments:

MadSnapper said...

i had chosen number 1 as my favorite, but number 5 at the end wins first love because of all the trees. they are all magnificent...

Laura said...

How beautiful!!! I never knew this was there and I grew up in Lansdale, just around the corner! I will have to look for it next time I go down to PA to visit family, thanks for sharing this:-)

Ruth Kelly said...

Thanks for sharing. I would like to visit that street - in the summertime.

Mersad said...

So many great ones to choose from. Your latest ventures have been quite fruitful with amazing images.

Anonymous said...

I like your winter scene. I enjoyed all the rest of your pictures. Thank you for sharing.

Nancy said...

Your first photograph is just gorgeous....such a wonderful representation of winter.....I'd love to visit the area and see some of these homes....The architecture is amazing and so beautiful...It's a pity they did not know about asbestos.....

Pauline said...

Is the first street Lindenwald Terrace, too? I love that first scene, so soft and dreamy. But the magnificent houses are dreamy too. I could dream for hours about who lived there, what life was like behind those grand exteriors. I think no 5 is my favourite.

Jama said...

Love that first shot, so beautifully taken. The houses are magnificent too.

Sarah Huizenga said...

That is an amazing street. You know that I am loving those houses :)

patty said...

beautiful, beautiful homes... and i love the history, too. congratulations on your up and coming 30 yrs, too-that's wonderful! thank you for linking at 1440! xo

patty@www.findingserendipity.com

Barb said...

Another place for me to visit when I get to PA hopefully this year. Thanks for the tour and the wonderful pictures.

lissa said...

great tours. those houses looks like another time. you certaintly don't see them that often in new york.

thanks for dropping by my blog, have a great day.

Debbie said...

i thought the first image was my favorite....then i saw the rest, WoW!! i would love to visit these beautiful places!! i took some notes, we are not far from pa.!!

Jill said...

Now, that's one special place to roam around! Stunning places.

Lisa Gordon said...

Oh my goodness, I am in Heaven here. I would love t explore these.
The architecture is amazing, and I'll be the inside is equally so.

Wayne said...

Unfortunately, I think you are correct with the 'ruined' comment. They are such amazing houses.

aspiritofsimplicity said...

so pretty.

GingerV said...

some of the first photos I saw of yours were of some of these homes. wonderful town / lucky town to have so many. thank you for sharing with us.

DawnTreader said...

Very photogenic houses :) I know I've seen some of them before on your blog. I'd love to walk along that street as well.

The Artful Diva said...

I'd take any one of those houses as long as I didn't have to clean it!

A Bit of the Blarney said...

The history of homes and their residents are something I enjoy as well. A lovely and informative post! Thank you!! Cathy

Kathie said...

A gorgeous neighbourhood - in summer and winter! The homes are really something. I'll have to google Ambler - we lived in Philly for a year but we somehow we missed out on a visit to Ambler!

EG CameraGirl said...

I hope the new owners don't ruin this lovely neigbourhood. It would be such a shame.

My Little Home and Garden said...

It is a sad thing that the asbestos undercurrent goes along with these photographs of such beautiful architecture. These are the sorts of building I would enjoy touring; they have interesting stonework detailing.

Karen

Suburban Girl said...

If you come to Ambler, well, I can give you insider tips depending on what you want to do, see, eat!

Deb said...

These are all beautiful but I favor #5. I love stone houses. Deb

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

Spectacular homes, it would be a shame to see anything happen to them.

Helen said...

Wow - they look like buildings from a fairy tale - so unusual ! I love interesting architecture like this. Thanks for linking to my Weekend Walks - it's sometimes hard to keep motivated at this time of year!

Cindy said...

What an amazing street to stroll along and take pictures as you walk. I've always had a thing for castles. You take lovely pictures, thanks for sharing

Rhonda Albom said...

What an incredible street. Thanks for sharing it. I am visiting from Sunday's in my City.

Molly said...

Oh my what an amazing place.... these buildings are so interesting. I shall have to try and visit the next time we get to Philly

Mollyxxx

Pondside said...

I'd walk there too - what a pretty neighbourhood! We lived on the Main Line for four years in the 70's and I have wonderful memories of the architecture of the area.

troutbirder said...

What a gorgeous set of buildings. I could walk down such a path everyday....:)

Anonymous said...

Oh my - those building and photos are stunning!

Lili Sulastri said...

Such beautiful houses.

Claudya Martinez said...

All these pictures are so stunning. The colors and sharpness are amazing.

Unknown said...

What a storybook heaven! If I lived nearby I have no doubt that it would quickly become my favorite street as well. Thanks for sharing and have a fantastic week.

cedarmerefarm said...

Wow! Beautiful! I would go there all the time too. Thank you for sharing those gorgeous photos. I particularly like the first one.

Jarek said...

Great photos!

Kathy said...

It's certainly a gem. I hope the new owners will appreciate its specialness.

JJAstor said...

Great photos. The third photo, labeled #8, is actually #5, and the photo labeled #5 is actually #6. I know this because I grew up living in #6 in the 80s and 90s. It was a great place to live and I'm sad to hear about the development across the way.