Yes Virginia, Hopewell has a few Sears Homes. In fact they have eight in their Crescent Hills area.
And what’s even better than Sears Homes? Well, nothing now that I think about it. Hmmm. But wait, there’s more.
Hopewell also has a significant collection of Aladdin kit homes. It’s a puzzle why the city invests so much effort in promoting those eight Sears Homes, while forgetting about the dozens of Aladdin kit homes. Why, if I were a little Aladdin home in Hopewell, I’d feel like a red-haired stepchild!
Most likely, the majority of the Aladdin Kit Homes were ordered by Dupont in 1914, for their dynamite factory in Hopewell. And there along the waterfront – on Ramsey Avenue – are the Aladdin Wenonah, an Aladdin Brighton, and an Aladdin Plaza. Also on Ramsey is a perfect Aladdin Edison.
In short, there are several extra-fine houses on Ramsey Avenue, and they’re really nice homes, spacious, attractive, and a little bit fancier than the rest of the houses in that immediate area. Heretofore, I’ve been able to identify each and every one as an Aladdin kit home. Which brings us to the mystery house.
Mystery
This house also sits on Ramsey, but I haven’t been able to identify it as an Aladdin home. Perhaps it was built pre-Aladdin (1906 or before). Perhaps it has no connection to the other houses whatsoever. Perhaps it’s the original farm house on that piece of land.
However, it seems likely that this house was built about the same time as the others. And the Dutch Colonial housing style was wildly popular in the early 1900s. And it is literally surrounded by Aladdin kit homes on every side.
I’d love to learn more about this mystery house there on Ramsey Avenue.
Is it Aladdin? Or not? If it is, it’d have to be a customized design. I’ve searched every catalog and every resource and can find no houses that match this design.
If you have an insights or info, please leave a comment!
This is the sixth of six blogs on Hopewell’s Aladdin kit homes.
Part I can be found here. Part II is here. Click here for Part III.
The fourth series is here. And number five is here.
To buy Rose’s book, click here.
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My house was built in 1914 on brown ave. It has different features than the others is there anything you can tell me about it.