My Dream Neighborhood - Olde Wythe

12/25/2023

From 1947 until at least 1950, The Wythe Business Men’s League held a popular Christmas Party at the Wythe Shopping Center. The annual event included a visit from Santa, who arrived in the area by plane. According to the Daily Press, the plane was to land “in a nearby cleared area” and Santa would then make his way to the Wythe Shopping Center to begin the program. A number of choirs from the area sang Christmas songs. But the most surprising aspect of the event is that many valuable prizes were given away. For example:
• An ad in the Daily Press of Nov 26, 1948 says, “At the Wythe Christmas Party Colonial Stores will give away 25 Smithfield hams and two turkeys absolutely free. Lucky numbers will be drawn at the Wythe Christmas Party and posted in the store. You do not have to be present to win.”
Radios and other valuable gifts were included among the prizes.
• Astonishingly, the Grand Prize at the 1950 Wythe Christmas Party was a NEW FORD given away by Bowditch Ford which was located on Kecoughtan Road in those years. I wouldn’t believe it if I hadn’t seen the advertisement in the December 17, 1950 Daily Press. I’ve posted the ad in the comments. The Ford was awarded to the entrant who best completed the sentence in 15 words or less: “I like to shop at Wythe because _____” The winner was Mrs. E. Randolph Lee of 3409 Kenmore Dr.
Although there is no longer a Wythe Christmas Party, the Olde Wythe Neighborhood Association keeps the holiday spirit alive through the festive decorations in public spaces throughout the neighborhood. They also sponsor a contest which awards honors to the homes with the most outstanding Christmas decorations. The homes pictured are some of the Wythe beauties dressed for the holidays, but not necessarily the winners.

08/18/2022

The informative article about Shingle Style architecture written by Gregory Brezinski in the recent edition of “Olde Wythe News” inspired me to select a Shingle Style house to feature here. This beautiful home, covered in shingles from the roof to the foundation, seemed like the perfect choice. It has many of the requisite features of Shingle Style: an asymmetrical façade, an irregular steeply pitched roof line, a dormer, and an airy porch. Shingle Style houses were meant to be left unpainted to blend with their surroundings, but this cheerful yellow color is as natural and pretty as a sunflower. Much to my surprise, this house was not built between 1880 and 1910, the years that this style was popular. Its construction date is given as 1921. Well, a thing of beauty is a joy forever, including architectural style.

Norman Drexler and his wife, Lynn Nottingham Drexler, moved into this charming home in 1923 from their former residence on Blair Avenue. They were the parents of one daughter, Lynn Mapp Drexler. Mr. Drexler was born in Troy, NY, and graduated with a degree in Civil Engineering from Rensselaer Institute of Technology. (The same birthplace and alma mater as John Shannahan, the owner of the Tudor Revival home on Chesapeake Avenue.) Mr. Drexler came to Hampton in 1912 and was affiliated with the Old Point Gas and Electric Company headed by Mr. Shannahan. He stayed with that company for approximately forty years rising to the position of Vice-President of the company and Division Manager of all electric, gas, railway and bus (CRT) operations. He had a particular tough job during the years that the company suffered through its association with the pyramid schemes of Howard Hobson and Samuel Insull. He served as Director and President of the Old Newport News Chamber of Commerce and was a member of the Rotary Club and the James River Country Club. He left Hampton in 1941 to become President of the Tidewater Power Company headquartered in Wilmington, NC. He passed away by su***de in Wilmington in 1944. The Daily Press wrote of him: “He made and held friends on all levels. His kindly and friendly personality drew to him the affection and regard of all who had opportunity to know him. His high qualifications as a utility executive were manifest when the needs of the war called for expansion here in light, power, and gas facilities. It is sad to witness the passing of so good a man, so useful a citizen, so honest a friend.” Upon his death, Mrs. Drexler and Lynn moved to Williamsburg.

The next residents of the house on Pocahontas Place were Dr. Robert H. Wright Jr. of Greenville, NC, his wife Ruth McLean Wright, and their children Robert III, William and Carolyn. When first moving to Hampton in 1933, Dr. Wright and his new wife moved from North Carolina to Phoebus where he took over the practice of the deceased Dr. G.K. Vanderslice. Dr. and Mrs. Wright lived in an apartment above the doctor’s office until they bought this house from the Drexlers in 1941. Dr. Wright continued to practice in Phoebus and Mrs. Wright remained active in the Phoebus Woman’s Club after their move to Wythe. Dr. Wright was chief cardiologist at Dixie Hospital. He also belonged to Mary Immaculate Hospital’s staff and served as President, Secretary and Treasurer of the Virginia Academy of Medicine. He was the son of the first president of East Carolina College of Greenville, NC. Mrs. Wright was a graduate of Agnes Scott College and taught French before her marriage. As a Wythe resident she served in many civic organizations and was elected President of the Elizabeth City County Federation of Parent-Teacher Associations in 1948.
Dr. Wright passed away in 1958, but his wife lived in the home until she sold it in 1980 and moved to O’Canoe Place. She later relocated to North Carolina to be near family. Mrs. Wright passed away in 1990 in Tarboro, NC.

07/22/2022

(EDITED to say the house has been sold and the link may not work.) I love the vintage kitchen and the musical history of this house. In the 1930s this was the home of Hans and Ethyle Voltmer. As a young man, Hans came “on a short visit” to the US from Germany to learn English, but married and stayed the rest of his life. He was employed in the hull design department of the shipyard.

The Voltmers sold this home to Herbert Talkin and his wife, Rose Eleanor, in 1942. Mr. Talkin was employed by NACA (now NASA). Mrs. Talkin offered day-care in this home when her own children were young, calling her business “Youth Haven Nursery School.”

In 1947 the home was purchased by two outstanding and well known musicians. Mr. Harold Chapman was a composer of many types of classical music, though his special interest was opera. His opera, “The Rose and the Ring” was performed in both Atlanta and in Hampton. Allan Jones, the artist who lived on Claremont Avenue, sang the tenor part. Mr. Chapman often held auditions in this East Avenue home. He was also music director and organist at both St. John’s Episcopal Church in Hampton and Temple Sinai in Newport News.

Mrs. Elizabeth Crouse Chapman was a violinist who offered lessons in this house. She was the director of string instruction for the Hampton Association of Arts and Humanities and also Hampton Schools. She was the conductor of the Peninsula Youth Orchestra and the first Concert Master of the Virginia Peninsula Symphony Orchestra at the time that Cary McMurran served as conductor. She was also first violinist and soloist with the Governor’s Palace Ensemble in Williamsburg. In her 1972 obituary, the Daily Press wrote, “Often their home at 127 East Ave has been the setting for gatherings of musicians from various parts of America and abroad.” The Chapman family sold the home in 1974.

The home is currently for sale. Let’s hope that the house is haunted with beautiful music.
https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/127-East-Ave-Hampton-VA-23661/74397271_zpid/?

127 East Ave, Hampton VA, is a Single Family home that contains 2379 sq ft and was built in 1933.It contains 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms.This home last sold for $215,000 in September 2022. The Zestimate for this Single Family is $235,500, which has increased by $1,367 in the last 30 days.The Rent Zes...

07/20/2022

So beautiful in its simplicity, this Crescent Drive home is likely one of the most architecturally significant homes in Wythe. It’s a fine example of the Contemporary Style, favored by architects after World War II. Its flat roof with a wide overhang, and its contrasting wall materials and textures (brick and vertical siding) define it as a Contemporary Style home. Absent are the traditional details which are seen on most Wythe homes. The earthy terra-cotta color does the intended job of blending the home gently into the landscape. The colors of Contemporary Style homes were never meant to “pop”. Interestingly this is a house that was definitely ahead of its time. The Shed Style subtype of Contemporary homes is reported to have first appeared in the 1960s, yet this 1956 house sports a side shed roof. Architects used the shed roof adjoining a flat roof to create an interesting effect of colliding geometric shapes.

The Penn family were the original owners of this home. Harry Edward Penn, born in Russia, served in the US Army during WWII in the Black Cat (13th) Armored Division as they drove through Bavaria into Austria. After the war he returned home to his wife, Evelyn Helen Brenner Penn, where the couple lived on 24th Street in Newport News. The Penns opened their successful and popular store, Penn’s Luggage, on Washington Avenue in Newport News. In 1956 they became the first owners of this new home on Crescent Drive where they raised their son Robert and their daughter Jane. Mrs. Evelyn Penn was very active in several Jewish women’s organizations. She served as President of Newport News Chapter of Hadassah of the Rodef Sholom Temple in 1940. She was a member of the Jewish Community Council and a member of the Soroptimist Club, an organization that promotes peace and supports underprivileged women and girls. She served as treasurer of the Soroptimist Club in 1963. When their son Robert married Carol Menowitz of New York in 1958, the newlyweds sailed on SS Queen Elizabeth before returning to Philadelphia where Robert was a law student at the University of Pennsylvania. Jane Penn married Mr. Clark and moved to Maryland.

Penn’s Luggage was sold in 1974 to William Roos, the owner of Nachman’s Department Store, who continued to operate Penn’s Luggage until it closed in 1993. In 1979, Mr. and Mrs. Penn sold their home to Doctors Beverly Eve Golemba and Michael Golemba and the Penns moved to Florida. Harry Penn died in 1984, his wife Evelyn passed away in 1993, and their son Robert died in 1996.

Dr. Michael Golemba was a psychologist who consulted at the Sarah B. Hudgins Regional Center for the handicapped, taught at Eastern Virginia Medical School, and was on the staff of Hampton General Hospital (now Sentara). He served as chairman for the Hampton Mayor’s Committee for the Handicapped in 1985. He passed away in 2021. Beverly Eve Golemba held a Doctorate in Education from NOVA University. She was an Associate Professor of Sociology for St. Leo’s College and the author of several books. She preceded her husband in death in 2015.

07/01/2022

(EDITED to say that the house has been sold and the link may no longer work.) "The aspect of the venerable mansion has always affected me like a human countenance... It was itself like a great human heart, with a life of its own, and full of rich and sombre reminisces,” so writes Nathaniel Hawthorne about the House of Seven Gables in Salem, Mass. I think of this Chesapeake Avenue home as “The House of Seven Gables” though I’ve never actually counted the many gables. The Hawthorne quote will probably be meaningful to the descendants of Albert Woodfin Patrick, a partner in Patrick’s Hardware, and his wife Alma Branch Patrick who bought the house around 1944. Though Mr. Patrick died in 1973 and his wife passed away in 1979, this house has remained in the family since then having been handed down to their descendants, but it’s now for sale. The striking Tudor Revival style house was built in 1939 with a side addition added in 1955. It is absolutely NOT “Victorian Style” as described in the advertisement.

2912 Chesapeake Ave, Hampton VA, is a Single Family home that contains 3409 sq ft and was built in 1939.It contains 4 bedrooms and 3 bathrooms.This home last sold for $460,000 in August 2022. The Zestimate for this Single Family is $506,800, which has increased by $2,633 in the last 30 days.The Rent...

06/27/2022

• At the end of the Civil War in 1865, the town of Hampton lay in ruins having been burned by Confederate troops. Hampton citizens, both black and white, were living in poverty. Who can we thank for rejuvenating the economy of Hampton? A group of Yankees who created a thriving seafood industry in Hampton. Chesapeake Avenue resident, James McMenamin, gave Hampton the nickname “Crab Town” thanks to his crab packing business. But there was also a thriving oyster industry. The largest oyster firm in the world was that of James Sands Darling who lived near the present day Hampton Yacht Club. However, other men were in the oyster business, as well, including George Dixon, S.S. Coston, and the Armstrong brothers, Matthew and Richard, who also developed much of the Wythe neighborhood. Two black men also had profitable oyster businesses: John Mallory Phillips and Henry Armstead. This house, built in 1881 on Orchard Avenue, once served as a shucking and packing house for oysters brought up Robinson Creek. It’s said that there is a ten foot thick bed of oyster shells in the side yard.
• By 1930 this was the home of Augustine/Augustus Eibell and his Russian born wife Rose/Rosa. (Their names vary on documents.) They were New York natives who moved to Virginia in 1924 when Mr. Eibell joined the faculty of Hampton Institute (now Hampton University) as a teacher of finishing and decorative painting. He passed away in 1934 and is buried in the school cemetery. {The 1930 census has a question mark in the house number field, so if you can verify or correct this information, please do so in the comments.} Mrs. Eibell sold the house to her next door neighbor, Walter B. Fetner, in 1935 and he sold it to Edith Mason Armstrong in 1938.
• Mrs. Edith Mason Armstrong, the widow of M.K. Armstrong, lived here with her two youngest daughters, Nancy and Rose Ann. As a child, Edith Mason was one of 13 siblings who were the basis for her characters in her stories called “The Tucker Children”. Fifty seven of Edith Mason Armstrong’s stories were published in “Child Life” magazine, later republished in a book form, and then broadcast as a six part radio program on WGH radio. The series was later picked up by WHIP radio in Chicago.
• In 1940 Mr. and Mrs. Irven Naiman moved to this house from their former home on Maple Avenue. Mr. Naiman was a physicist at NACA and on the faculty of the Newport News-Hampton Extension division of the University of Virginia. They brought their newborn daughter to this home in 1942, and brought their baby son home in 1944.
• The Naimans moved to California, and by 1945 this was the home of Norman Wayne Smith, his wife Ivey Lee Smith, and their daughter. The Smiths were members of the First Baptist Church of Newport News. Mr. Smith was active in sports programs for youth including the Hampton Pony League of which he was vice president, the Civic Bowling League of which he was president, and he was one of the organizers of the Peninsula Junior Tennis Tournament. He was active in the March of Dimes and was a member of Wythe-Hampton Exchange Club. He was Peninsula sales representative for Broudy-Kantor & Co. Inc. He passed away in 1961. In 1964 the house was sold to its present owner.

06/11/2022

Whether shopping for home décor online or strolling through the home goods department of a local store, it’s clear that farmhouse style is hot. The term “farmhouse” is often (incorrectly) applied to simple, homey, charming houses like this LaSalle Avenue house built in 1901. However, “farmhouse” describes the function of a house, not its style. The style is correctly called “folk house” because it’s the type of home built by average folks during the years 1850-1910 whether the house was on a farm or in town. One of the subtypes of folk house style is Victorian folk, where “gingerbread” detailing is present. Another subtype uses classic Greek or Roman columns like the ones here. Of course, this folk house could have also been a farmhouse because there were small farms on LaSalle Avenue in 1901.

This was the home of the Boggs family from at least 1910 (and possibly earlier) until 1965. Frank Major Boggs, and his wife Maggie Pritchett Boggs lived here with their daughter Rosa Lee Boggs. Mr. Boggs was employed in an administrative position with the shipyard, and he served as chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee of Elizabeth City County. He was a member of the Elizabeth City County (later Hampton) School Board beginning in 1920 and served as its chairman for many years. He taught Bible Study at the First Methodist Church where the family were members. Mrs. Boggs was active in the Hampton Woman’s Club and the Daughters of the Confederacy.

In December 1931, as prominent members of the community, the Boggs were invited to attend the Old Virginia Fox Hunt which was held on the farm of G. K. Sinclair on Pine Chapel Road. The fox hunt was followed by a breakfast party, and later that night the Hunt Ball was held at “The New Hotel Chamberlain”.

After Mr. Boggs death in 1941 and the passing of his widow in 1960, the house was inherited by their daughter Rosa Lee. In 1964, a terrible tragedy resulted in the death of Rosa Lee, age 49, when she became trapped in an unused refrigerator on the property and suffocated.

In 1965 the house was purchased by John Hyslop Ennis, Sr., and several members of his family called this home. From 1934 to 1958, Mr. Ennis was co-owner of Frost-Cole fuel company along with his brother Willis “Buz” Ennis who also resided here in his last years. Buz was a member of the Hampton Yacht Club and the James River Country Club. The brothers were members of the Lion’s Club. Also residing in this home, in her later years, was one of their sisters, Julia Ennis Miller. Julia Miller moved to Hampton to be with her family after retiring from teaching in Florida. She then established the Virginia division of “Reach for Recovery” an organization aimed at aiding the adjustment of women whose breasts had been removed because of cancer. She was president of Miller Educational Books of New York. Willis “Buz” Ennis died at age 64 in 1969. Julia Ennis Miller passed away in at age 80 in 1981. John Hyslop Ennis, Sr. died in 1988 at age 80. The house was sold out of the family.

05/15/2022

This club house was near the corner of Hampton Roads Avenue and Kecoughtan Road in what is now the Wythe neighborhood. It faced the water so that members could enjoy a wide view of the bay beyond the ninth fairway. Each fairway had a name: 1. Vanity Fair; 2. Great Expectations; 3. Fool’s Errand; 4. Easy Street; 5. Rip Rap; 6. Prairie; 7. Chilcoat Pass; 8. Hopson’s Choice; 9. Santigo. My home is on what was once the sixth tee, and I have found rotten golf balls in my yard. Is your house on the golf course? See the map in the comments.

Today in Hampton History
1915 - President Woodrow Wilson visits Hampton and golfs at the Hampton Roads Golf and Country Club. Under doctor’s orders to rest and relax, Wilson arrived at Old Point Comfort on the presidential yacht USS Mayflower and was driven by local doctor Edward Chiles Blackmore to the course, located in today’s Olde Wythe neighborhood.

The Hampton Roads Golf & Country Club, c.1915. Check out more photos in our online collections catalog! http://hampton.pastperfectonline.com/search?utf8=%E2%9C%93&search_criteria=%22Site--Hampton+Roads+Golf+%26+Country+Club%22

https://www.dailypress.com/history/dp-nws-world-war-1-wilson-golf-20150516-story.html

05/07/2022

Craftsman style homes come in all sizes, and this is a large and lovely one. It’s sporting the Craftsman details like broad eaves, exposed rafters, a dormer, single windows grouped in banks, stucco siding, and a lovely pergola style covered porch. And, Oh My Gosh, that lawn!
Although the current owners have been long time residents, having purchased the home in 1977, previously this home changed hands several times. Here are a few of the former owners:

Nannie Braxton Power is reported to be living on the Boulevard in 1920, though Hampton City records show the date of the home’s construction to be 1921. (So many mysteries!) Nannie Braxton, born in 1869, was the daughter of Col. Carter Braxton, CSA, and Nannie C Alsop of Newport News. Nannie’s father, Col. Braxton, helped lay out the City of Newport News in the 1880s and supervised excavations for the Newport News shipyard and the C&O railroad line in that city. Nannie attended Norfolk Female Academy. She was the first Assistant Principal of Newport News High School at its founding when classes were held in rooms above the National Bank on Washington Avenue. She later taught at the school. She married Franklin G. Power, an engineer from Atlanta, Georgia. He may have died shortly after their marriage as his name is never mentioned in newspaper articles along with hers. They had no children.

According to the 1940 Census, this was the home of Charles Olbert Hathaway and Emily Dickerman Hathaway. Nannie Braxton Power was still living in the home, so most likely the Hathaways were renting rooms. They were newlyweds having just married in December of 1939. Charles was a 29 year old graduate of the University of Virginia and an electrical draftsman in the shipyard. He grew up in the Wythe neighborhood. Emily was 21 years old, a native of Pennsylvania, and a graduate of William and Mary. Sadly, by the year’s end, their newborn baby, Pamala, died at only two months old. Nannie Braxton Power passed away in 1963 at the age of 95.

Another family that owned the home was Dr. John W. Craven, his wife Ann McLeod Craven, and their three children, John Currie, Robert, and Elizabeth Ann. Dr. Craven was installed as the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Hampton in 1969 and moved into this Chesapeake Avenue home in 1970. Dr. Craven was a graduate of Hampden-Sydney College and Union Theological Seminary. He received his Ph. D. from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. The Cravens sold the home to the current owner in 1977. Dr. Craven recently passed away in North Carolina at the age of 97. His obituary is here: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/citizen-times/name/john-craven-obituary?pid=199443795

04/17/2022

From 1941 to 1945, very few homes were built in the United States because materials and manpower were dedicated to the war effort. When building resumed after World War II, the first of the post-war homes were of the “Minimal Traditional” style. These homes were based on the popular style that dominated home building previous to the war: Tudor Revival style. Like Tudor Revival homes, the Minimal Traditional homes had a dominant front gable, a prominent chimney, decorative (not structural) half-timbering on the upper story, and stone trim enhancement to the brick. (Love that stone over the door!) However, they lacked the steep roof previously seen in pre-war Tudor Revival houses. This Bay Avenue house, built in 1953, is a perfect example of the Minimal Traditional style. Originally it had decorative half-timbering on the front gable which has now been covered with siding. (See it in the older photo in the comments.) The Minimal Traditional style was quickly overtaken by the modern ranch style house by about 1955.
This home has changed ownership several times over the years. Some of the longest residents were the Regone family, who called this their home from 1953, the year it was built, until 1969. Victor John Regone and his wife Mary Costa Regone raised their four daughters and three sons here. Mr. Regone, a native of New York, served in the army during World War II. He and his wife moved to Hampton in 1944 where he was employed by NACA/NASA as an electronics engineering technician. He retired after 40 years and pursued his hobby in wood working.
Mrs. Regone was born in Asiago, Italy, in 1922 and came to the United States in 1929. She was a busy homemaker who served as a girl scout leader, den mother, PTA member, and president of the St. Rose of Lima Catholic Church alter society. She decorated the church with flowers for 12 years and was a volunteer at Mary Immaculate Hospital after it replaced the former Buxton Hospital in Wythe.
The family moved to Williamsburg in 1969. Mr. Regone passed away in 2006 and Mrs. Regone died in 2020 at the age of 97.