About Lancaster's Historic Lancaster Homes

Have you ever wondered where the "Flatiron" style of architecture came from?

I never really thought about it, until I read this article in the Lancaster Newspapers. According to the article, the Flatiron styled buildings are named after antique household "irons".

Yes, the bane of every housewife in the world -- whether in by-gone eras or in today's modern Rowenta world -- was the influence for this triangular style of architecture. If you click on the link to the article, you can see some excellent photos of examples.

There are a number of "flatiron" buildings in Historic Lancaster City - many of them historic warehouses as well as a few apartment buildings. I always thought they were just "triangular" shaped buildings.

Who knew?

Which makes me wonder:

Will they ever come out with a "Permanent Press" architectural style?

Wash and Wear?

I guess those with rates that are adjusting are "hanging out to dry". (bad pun ~ I admit ~ but couldn't help myself!)

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For more information on Homes for Sale in Lancaster, or questions and/or concerns about buying or selling a home in Lancaster County PA, please contact Jeannie Kontis at (717) 330-5137 or email at Jeannie@JeannieSellsLancaster.com.

Search for Lancaster Homes for Sale at www.JeannieSellsLancaster.com

Jeannie Kontis, RealtorⓇ, is a member of the award-winning Bob Wells Realty Group of Long & Foster Real Estate, Inc, and serves buyers and sellers of real estate throughout Lancaster County.

All content Copyright ⓒ 2008 Jeannie Kontis Homes in Lancaster PA - Real Estate in Lancaster County

Food that soothes....

I love Greek food. Granted, I am a Greek girl and was raised on this delicious gastronomic cuisine of my forefathers (and foremothers to give credit where credit is due). I remember as a young girl thinking that the lasagne at my italian girlfriend's house tastes okay, but it didn't beat the creamy bechamel sauce and cinammony meat mixture of my mother's Pastichio. Now that was flavor!

In June '07, while in Greece with my husband and younger son for three weeks (before my 'accidental tourist' trip back for another several weeks in August were I lived like a true native) we had our fill of the delicious local cuisine. We made it a point to eat where the locals eat, and to pass on the touristy places. We ate at the "tavernas" where you order lamb chops by the kilo, cooked over a real charcoal grill. We ate at the local "psaro-tavernas" -- fish taverns -- where they grilled the catch of the day whole for you. The grilled octopus, hanging out to dry in the salty air, was always a treat. Mmmm..... anyway....

If you are a lover of Greek food and are in the Lancaster area this Saturday, November 1st, or Sunday, November 2nd, you have to make it a point to stop by the:

• Greek Food Festival at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church, located at 64 Hershey Avenue, Lancaster.

Okay, there is no grilled octopus at the Annunciation Greek Food Bazaar, but the menu does include the ever tasty "souvlaki" and Greek style baked chicken. There are also the staple side dishes, such as "dolmathakia" -- grape leaves stuffed with rice -- my all time favorite "pastichio" - and an array of extras and desserts, including "baklava" and "loukoumathes" or honey balls.

Rounding off the food bazaar are other cultural activities, such as Greek music and folk dancing. When my children were little, they participated in the folk dancing, practicing twice a week and travelling to perform in other communties and events. They were also helpers -- the honey ball runners -- as the young children had the task of delivering the fresh, hot loukoumathes from the fryer to the waiting customers. It was a wonder those honey balls made it without sticky fingers trying them out!

You can also shop at the bazaar, as there will be shops set up where you can purchase Greek delicacies to take home with you, Greek jewelry (a favorite!), as well as Greek Orthodox Icons. There will also be tours available of the Annunciation church for whoever might be interested.

This is the 50th Anniversary of the Greek Food Bazaar being held at Annunciation Church. The first Greek Christians came to Lancaster in 1921, and purchased their first church building about 20 years later. They held their first bazaar in 1958, and it has become a favorite annual event ever since.

-- Can't make it to the Greek Food bazaar?? --

Then you might want to try the Red Rose Restaurant, located at 101 E King Street, Lancaster City, PA.

The last Friday of every month is dedicated to Greek Night, with real authentic Greek cuisine. I'm not talkin' just a gyro like you can find in any corner diner (although there are several in Lancaster and I will post about those one day). I am talking about authentic Roast Leg of Lamb, Moussaka, Kokinisto, and a variety of other selections and desserts.

Interested in some of the Annunciation Church Greek Food bazaar recipes? You can find some in this Lancaster Newspaper article.

Kali Oreksi (Bon Apetite!)

(and yassou to my new Greek A/R friend, Meli!)

The Origin of the Cape Cod style home -- Part 3 of "The Origin of Home Styles Series".

I’ve written previously about:
The Origin of the Tudor home, and

The Origin of the Stick Style Victorian

...and I thought I would continue this series with:

The Origin of the Cape Cod style home.

The Cape Cod style is as popular today as it was when it was first introduced to America in the 17th century by English Colonists.

These early settlers of Colonial New England were the first to build these steep gabled homes, mimicking their homes back in England. Homes during those early years included the half-timbering construction, such as the Tudor style home, that was popular in their homeland of England.

Through the years, these homes were re-styled to weather the stormy Nor’Eastern climate. This is how those famous shutters, cozy dormers and the steep pitched roofs became a discerning quality of the Cape Cod style home. According to This Old House, 17th-century settlers "drew on a shipwright's skills to build a tight house that was almost a ship upon land, able to withstand the fiercest Nor'easter."

From these original designs, the term “Cape Cod” home was invented. During the Colonial Revival period in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s, these economical, tidy homes sprouted throughout the nation in suburban settings. It was during this Post WW2 housing boom, that neighborhoods such as in Levittown, NY - built by Levitt & Sons - became the epitome of life in the suburbs.


Discerning Features of the Cape Cod style home:

• Steep Roof with Overhang

• Side Gables

• Usually 1 1/2 stories (early homes were only 1 story)

• Small in Scale (usually 1,000 SF +/-) and Low to the Ground to conserve heat

• Wide clapboard or shingle siding

• Symmetrical in style with a centered door

• 2nd Floor Dormers - providing light and ventilation (usually later styles only

• Shutters

• Plain Exterior

• First Floor Master Bedroom
  
• Hardwood Floors
  

As Realtors, I'm sure we've all had our share of sales of the Cape Cod homes that dot the countryside, from the East Coast to the West Coast. They are the perfect starter home, and an ideal empty nester home. It's no wonder their popularity has *weathered* every storm.

The Cape Cod style home is still popular with today’s home buyers, although new construction has taken some liberties with the original designs of those early Colonial Settlers. Still popular though, are the First Floor Master Bedrooms and 2nd Floor Dormer Windows, although today’s newer Cape Cod homes are much larger in scale and offer more exterior ornamentation than the original designs ever would have featured.

For lovers of Cape Cod homes, you need to look no further than 19 Gable Park Road in Millersville, PA. This particular Cape Cod style home is built of stone, unlike the early wooden styles, and features not only the 2nd story Dormer Windows and steep pitch roofs that Capes are known for, but the hardwood flooring and plaster walls throughout each room, as well.

This lovely Lancaster County home for sale offers the choice of either a first floor Master Bedroom or use of the spacious second story Master Bedroom. Unlike the smaller Cape Cod homes of the past, it features 5 bedrooms and over 3,500 square feet. Yet, it is cozy and the epitome of what "hearth and home" stands for.

It is located just minutes from Downtown Lancaster City and is just outside of Millersville Boro. It is convenient to both, Millersville University and Franklin & Marshall College for faculty and staff.

Details: 19 Gable Park Road - Stone Cape Cod Home

• $369,000
• 5 Bedrooms
• 2 Full Baths
• 2 Half Baths
• 2 Stone Fireplaces
• First Floor Master
• 2nd Floor Master
• 3,542 Square Feet
• Penn Manor School District

Learn more about 19 Gable Park Road, or search the MLS for additional Cape Cod Homes for Sale and all Lancaster Real Estate.

Jeannie Kontis, Realtor
The Bob Wells Realty Group
Long & Foster Real Estate
717-330-5137 direct
email: Jeannie@JeannieSellsLancaster.com

or visit: www.JeannieSellsLancaster.com

Yes, I did. I had a business meeting with two Amish men in their barn.
We would have met at the end of the day in my office, but they don't drive and it would have been difficult for them to have gotten a ride that time of day. So, my husband and I agreed that we would meet at their place.

The day was warm and it was great weather even as the afternoon turned into the evening. On our way there, we stopped at a red light at an intersection which is adjacent to the farm down the street from my home. All of the sudden, the stench overtook the car, and I look over and realize that today must have been fall fertilizing day. Ewwww -- the odor permeated the car! We quickly rolled up the windows and I took note of all of the other cars passing us having the same expression on their faces! I wished out loud that our Amish friends also didn't spend the day fertilizing their own property, for fear I'd walk away smelling like a barn.

Well.... it must have been fertilizing day for them, as well.

As we pulled up to their property, the farm odors were quite pungent. I have to admit, you do get used to it after a while, and it wasn't too bad in their "office" in one of the barns. A very stark office -- we held our meeting under a propane lantern and a battery operated hanging flashlight (I think it was the propane fumes that drowned out the methane gas fumes!)

Getting down to business, I really forgot where I was. Gone were the dairy odors, the hiss from the propane lantern and the fact that the two men sitting across from me had no buttons on their clothing. Instead, out came the pencils and papers and some number crunching. The fun part was trying to explain the internet to them. You see, Amish businessmen do use the internet, only they hire people to run their websites for them, as they will not have a computer for their own personal use. It gets hard for them to compete with the "English" as they call us regular 'ol non-Amish folks when it comes to business, especially when so much marketing is internet-based.

They need to expand their business, and they even have business coaches, but they need help in order to implement certain ideas. They do have a fax and a telephone, but only check it once or twice a day ~ and that's it. They stand firmly alongside their beliefs ~ they are all for having their products photographed and displayed online and on CDs and DVDs, but refuse to be photographed alongside their products. Yet, they feel the same pressures of the economy and have the same worries we all do. They have the same business questions we do: "How do I reach the largest pool of prospective buyers?" "How do I market my product to them?" "How can *they* find me?"

Can you imagine, as a Realtor, what it would be like if we couldn't use the internet to market ourselves?

If we couldn't have our photos on our business cards or web sites?

If we couldn't answer our own phones or emails? Receive or send faxes? Even from our "home" offices?

As we talked and the evening sun disappeared into the night, I could hear the wonderful farmland noises around me. My mind wandered during our conversation as I found myself wondering what life without electricity, without the technological luxuries I've become accustomed to, would be like. Like Gilligan's Island "No phone, no light, no luxury... as primitive as can be".

I snapped back to reality as I found myself answering my cell phone ~ ironically ~ and explaining to my Amish friends that it was my son calling who was arriving at the Lancaster Amtrack station and needed a ride. I haven't seen him in several weeks, as he's in New York working two internships in the television production field ~ a city only three hours from here yet it seemed worlds apart at that moment. The boy found it quite humorous to hear that I was on an Amish farm "talking business" ~ clearly a world apart from the world he's grown up in, as well.

I found it quite humorous too, as I drove home wondering if I still had the farmland odors permeating my clothes and hair. As I walked into the house, and the lights were turned on, the television was turned on and the computer awakened from it's sleep mode, I had a brief yearning to be back on that quiet, peaceful, dark farm that was worlds apart from my own home ... yet just a half hour drive away.

But, I could do without the farmland smell!