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<\/p>\nIt was a drizzly late-summer Saturday in 2024 when about three dozen residents of Wynnewood\u2019s English Village finally admitted defeat and moved their traditional block party indoors. It hadn\u2019t been held since before Covid, but the neighborhood has always looked for ways to keep the flavor of the 1920s alive\u2013in more ways than one.<\/p>\n
Last year marked the 100th anniversary of this cluster of 29 Tudor-style homes. Tucked away between Cherry Lane and Wister Road near Lower Merion High School, the neighborhood\u2019s medieval charms are an offbeat surprise even to some locals. \u201cNobody would build this today,\u201d says architect Tom Hall, who moved to nearby Bryn Mawr eight years ago and hadn\u2019t a clue about the English Village. \u201cIt\u2019s sort of like the Grand Canal in Venice.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt aimed to evoke a setting that felt genuinely old and organically evolved,\u201d adds Kathleen Abplanalp, Lower Merion Conservancy\u2019s director of historic preservation, noting its stone and brick facades, leaded glass windows, Moravian tiles, stone floors and broad fireplaces. \u201cResidents recognize the neighborhood\u2019s distinct character and have worked to preserve it.\u201d<\/p>\n
For the English Village, the passage from the 20th to 21st centuries hasn\u2019t always been smooth, but its certification as a state historic district in 2010 has assured the preservation of its unique exteriors. \u201cIt keeps anyone from putting in Andersen windows,\u201d says Mark Dinneen, a resident for 30 years.<\/p>\n
But costs for owners have ballooned, mainly because of the small number of companies skilled enough in historic preservation to do the work. Many newcomers make interior changes, which aren\u2019t regulated but can still be pricey. Nonetheless, Dinneen says vacancies are rare\u2014and when they do occur, a home is snatched up quickly. Each fresh arrival brings a \u201cnew vibe\u201d to the neighborhood. \u201cThere\u2019s a surprise around every corner,\u201d Dinneen notes.<\/p>\n
Jesse Kahn became a resident in 2022. The psychotherapist can\u2019t imagine any tensions with his neighbors\u2014and if you have a dog, you\u2019ll soon know every other dog owner in the village. Decades ago, Elaine Serota and her husband were so charmed by the place that they left a note with several households expressing their desire to live there. \u201cThe religions and the marriages are mixed,\u201d says the painter and woodcut artist, who\u2019s been a resident since 1972. \u201cWe\u2019ll stay until we can\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNOBODY WOULD BUILD THIS TODAY. IT\u2019S SORT OF LIKE THE GRAND CANAL IN VENICE.\u201d
\u2014ARCHITECT AND RESIDENT TOM HALL<\/p>\n
Developer Donald M. Love and his architect brother, S. Arthur, built the English Village in the 1920s, back when interest in styles of the past was high. Both had spent time in England\u2019s Cotswold District\u2014Donald as an infantry captain in World War I and Arthur as a student at Oxford University. Neither was an artist, but they started the village as a colony for creatives. To a degree, it remains so to this day.<\/p>\n
After looking at many \u201csterile\u201d houses, interior designer Jane Moore and her architect husband, Isaiah King, made the move from of their Brooklyn, New York, apartment in 2023. Their English Village house reminds her of Disney World\u2019s Epcot. She also appreciates the \u201cstrong, well-bonded community.\u201d And while the coveted Lower Merion School District is a big draw for families, newcomers tend to be closer to middle age due to home prices. Late last year, a four-bedroom, three-bath house in the neighborhood sold for just under $1 million.<\/p>\n
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As you might expect, there\u2019s a certain reverence for history in the English Village. Hall\u2019s wife, Lisa, notes that most residents have previously lived in hundred-year-old homes. But this doesn\u2019t always mean they\u2019re thrilled with the regulations that come with living in a historic district. \u201cPeople say, \u2018Why do we need this?\u2019\u201d says Megan McNish, a community coordinator for the Pennsylvania State Historic Preservation Office.<\/p>\n
Many Main Line buyers are attracted to vintage homes. \u201cBut they want move-in condition,\u201d says Mike McCann, a realtor who\u2019s sold in the area for decades. \u201cHistoric homes are desirable if they tell a good story, but more people want contemporary modern these days.\u201d<\/p>\n
Over the years at the English Village, Abplanalp has seen one constant: \u201cResidents have been loving and respectful students of their houses.\u201d Hall\u2019s house was the rare exception. Neglected when he bought it, renovations took a year while the couple lived elsewhere. Lately, the only major structural change made in the village was a garage expansion approved by the township.<\/p>\n
In 2020, Abplanalp helped spread the word about the English Village community by sharing a self-guided, eight-stop walking\/cycling tour of its two streets, Loves Lane and Arthur\u2019s Round Table. She also provided a detailed history to the Lower Merion Conservancy. \u201cDuring Covid, there were more people on Loves Lane than in Times Square,\u201d says Dinneen half-jokingly.<\/p>\n
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Greg Prichard attributes the English Village\u2019s success story to the people who call it home. \u201cThe character has been maintained now for a century thanks to the dedicated residents who understand and appreciate the uniqueness and importance of the community,\u201d says Lower Merion Township\u2019s historic preservation planner. \u201cThe work to preserve its character has been an effort spanning generations.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDEVELOPER DONALD M. LOVE AND HIS ARCHITECT BROTHER, S. ARTHUR, BUILT THE ENGLISH VILLAGE IN THE 1920S, BACK WHEN INTEREST IN STYLES OF THE PAST WAS HIGH.<\/p>\n
Visit\u00a0The English Village Historic District\u00a0<\/a>website.<\/p>\n