By Nausicaa Chu and Mary Clare Ingram Photos by Jordan Wald
In 1926, Rosedale, Grove Park and Edgewood merged to become the City of Homewood, later annexing Hollywood and officially becoming incorporated by the state. Now, as the city celebrates its centennial, Homewood has nearly 28,000 citizens, and many of its original homes are still standing.
For homeowners, these hundred-year-old houses are more than just places to live. Their arches, alcoves, clay tile roofs, hand crafted woodwork and iron railings embody the history of Homewood. These features also give the houses something that can be hard to find in modern homes: character. “The house is a visual reminder of our city’s history and part of what makes Homewood unique and special,” says homeowner Katie Tipton.
She says the homes engage others in the city’s history. She recalls visitors asking about the house, how it came to be there, who built it and when. “Preserving our older homes keeps Homewood’s history and charm alive!” says homeowner Chloe Blankenhorn.
Homewood was once populated with farmhouses, but once the area was more settled, Craftsman, Tudor and Spanish revival styles started to dominate the architecture. “A 100-year-old house provides a sense of belonging and security through the time tested materials and craftsmanship that went into its construction,” says homeowner Eddie Griffith. He says local lumber, masonry, concrete, stone and cast iron make up the structure and character of the homes without the plastic or simulated elements used in homes today. These historic houses also make Homewood feel like a close-knit neighborhood. Griffith says that preserving historic homes in the city maintains the value of neighborhood and sense of community.
Lori Renkl moved to Homewood in 1976 after moving from apartment to apartment. Homewood was paradise, she says. Every evening, Renkl would walk through Homewood with her father. He would make up stories about the families living in the neighborhood’s homes. “As we walked down Ardsley, I pointed out my favorites, the trio of brick houses on the corner, the white one with the bank of windows and the little craftsman with the rock rubble columns. My father took special care with the stories he created for those houses. It was a lovely end to the day,” Renkl says.
After Renkl married, her father pointed out that one of her favorite Ardsley houses was for sale. “Michael and I walked through the house and made an offer the next day. And suddenly the house was ours. My parents were so happy. I was so happy!” she says.
Last month, Renkl and her neighbors celebrated her son Max’s engagement to his girlfriend Marguerite, a neighbor who grew up just across from Renkl’s house. She was sad her parents weren’t there to celebrate the engagement but recalled a neighborhood memory that made the moment mean even more. “At that first block party so many years ago, I took baby Max, and baby Marguerite was there with her parents. My mom and dad were there too; they met the baby who would grow into the remarkable young woman their grandson will marry,” Renkl says.
Homeowners who grew up in Homewood or moved into the city later emphasize the feeling of community that the longstanding neighborhoods have provided them and their families.
“In so many ways, Homewood is the greatest inheritance that I got from my parents,” Renkl says.
