Centre Park Named One of
America's Top Communities
Welcome!
New York, NY -- June 24, 2008 -- This Old House names the Best Places to Buy an Old House in its July/August issue, on newsstands June 30. The editors looked at architectural diversity, the craftsmanship of the homes, and the preservation momentum in the area as well as neighborhood amenities including walkability, safety, and community.
The editors of This Old House scoured the country, using their network of old-house experts and sources, to find these neighborhood and towns, that may be off the beaten path or unexpected, but that fit every lifestyle and cover all corners of the country.
Eight categories are featured in the magazine including: Best Place for City Slickers, Best Place for Fixer-Uppers, Best Place for Suburbanites, Best Place for Cowboys and Cowgirls, Best Place for Southern Belles and Gents, Best Place for Families, Best Place for Gardeners, Best Place for True Standouts. The online component of this features names the Best Place to Buy an Old House in each state. For the list of 50, visit www.thisoldhouse.com.
The winners are:
Best Place for City Slickers: Victorian Flatbush, Brooklyn – New York City’s Victorian Flatbush is one of Brooklyn’s six original villages and can catch those who wander by it by surprise. The homes along the tree-lined streets are reminiscent of Charles Dickens. At the turn of the 20th century, the area was developed to become one of New York City’s most formal suburbs. Manhattanites are often happy to exchange their tiny apartments for 3000-square-foot homes with ample front yards and full-length porches. Fixer-uppers are available for $600,000 to $900,000. By Big Apple standards, that’s a great deal and a restored home could sell for over a million.
Why Buy Now? Brooklyn’s real estate scene has been on fire since the 1990s and remains largely unscathed by the national housing crisis. A constant influx of people and the extremely competitive housing market means the chances of declining property are slim to none.
Best Place for Fixer-Uppers: Centre Park Historic District, Reading, PA – The Centre Park Historic District in Reading has 840 homes including five-bedroom town homes for $60,000 and the city offers 50/50 matching grants up to $5000 for façade improvements. The neighborhood offers original brick sidewalks and most homes were built around the turn of the last century, when horse-drawn trolleys turned Centre Park into one of Reading’s first suburbs.
Why Buy Now? One of the Mid-Atlantic’s most perfectly preserved historic neighborhoods can be bought into for something like thrift store prices – a large Queen Anne can be had for $135,000 and a full-fledged mansion for less than $600,000.
Best Place for Suburbanites: Pleasant Ridge, MI – Just a 30-minute drive from downtown Detroit, Pleasant Ridge isn’t a suburb at all – it’s one of Michigan’s smallest incorporated cities, with 2,594 residents. The neighborhood has been called “a time capsule from the 1920s” when Pleasant Ridge was a magnet for upper-middle-class automobile tycoons. Home prices range from the low $100,000s for a modest bungalow to over a million for a big Colonial Revival.
Why Buy Now? Pleasant Ridge is already home to two national historic districts, and plans are under way to list the city, established in the 1830s, on the National Register. Residents are steadfast in their opposition to new development and the city stands to retain its historical fabric long into the future.
Best Place for Cowboys and Cowgirls: Georgetown, TX – The town’s historic center bustles with boutiques and restaurants, but still looks like a scene from a John Wayne Western. Late-19th century homes as well as beautiful Stick Victorian homes are scattered throughout the area. Price tags on a fixer-upper bungalow can read as little as $90,000, although grander homes run in the millions.
Why Buy Now? Old homes with Western flair are hard to come by and these, close to Austin, are getting better by the minute.
Best Place for Southern Belles and Gents: Washington, GA – Washington, GA is one of the most sultry, scenic, and seemingly overlooked destinations in the South, yet it’s a close drive to Athens and Augusta. The town has about 5,000 residents, most living on the quiet streets that extend out from its historic public square, bordered by 19th century commercial buildings. Washington has more mansions than any other town in Georgia. It’s a market for modest homes as well ranging from $130,000 to $325,000, nestled in quiet neighborhoods with manicured greenery, just stops from the historic town square.
Why Buy Now? In the past five years, many homes that had been in the same families since the 1800s have popped up on the market. The town has started to attract some preservation-minded DIYers looking to tackle some of the South’s most impressive and hard-to-find architecture.
Best Place For Families: Hampton Height Historic District, Spartanburg, SC – This diverse, close-knit urban enclave, where kids can knock on neighbors’ doors in times of need, has award-winning public high school and a PK–8 Montessori school. Hampton Heights parents are also drawn by Spartanburg’s family events, including a summer concert series. For grownups, there’s quick access to a revitalized downtown packed with restaurants and shops.
Why Buy Now? One word: bargains. You can find a sturdy Arts and Crafts fixer-upper for $50,000 or a hulking, restored Queen Anne for $250,000. The Preservation Trust of Spartanburg offers qualified buyers assistance with down payments and closing costs. The city is enjoying a resurgence, thanks to a savvy mayor who is recruiting and retaining business downtown; a booming health care industry provides plenty of jobs.
Best Place for Gardeners: Old Louisville, KY – Stately Kentucky homes face one another across gaslit courtyards, and yards overflow with geraniums, azalea bushes, and magnolia trees. Many houses have oversize lots, and residents revel in the abundance of soil, turning gardening into something of a competitive sport. Each summer, their efforts are celebrated during a garden tour that draws throngs of petal peepers to a city better known for bourbon, tobacco, and, of course, horse racing. Homes range in size from 2,500 to 7,000 square feet. A rehabbed manse might run you about $275,000, and prices top out at about $800,000.
Why Buy Now? People gobbling up homes in this neighborhood feel it might one day have the cachet of Boston’s Beacon Hill and other comparable treasure troves, but the prices are a lot cheaper and there is a rebirth happening there.
Best Place for True Standouts: Albany, OR – Just 12 miles from Oregon State University, this historic downtown offers restaurants, theaters, and boutiques. The town boasts 100 blocks and four distinct national historic districts’ worth of it where no two homes are identical. Prices in Albany’s national historic districts range from $90,000 for a run-down Italianate to $400,000 for a fully restored one.
Why Buy Now? Get your hands on that $90,000 fixer-upper before it’s too late. Despite slumping markets across the country, property values continue to rise here as people put off by growth in Portland and Seattle discover the place’s charms.
This Old House Ventures is America’s premier home enthusiast brand, netting 50 million multi-media impressions each month through its award-winning television, print, and web properties. The leading consumer publication for home how-to and inspiration, the award-winning This Old House magazine, published by Time Inc. currently has a circulation of 950,000 and reaches an audience of almost six million.
The Centre Park Historic
District, Inc.707 North Fifth Street
Reading, PA 19601-2209
610-375-7860
O. Christopher Miller
