The Schultz House off Locust Grove Road in Springettsbury Township has been making news lately. Beatrice Rowe, who has owned the house since the 1940s, gave the historic home and outbuildings to Historic York, Inc. for long-term preservation. The house is important because it is the oldest surviving building in York County. But it is not the only Schultz House.

Approximately two years after Johannes and Christina Schultz constructed their home, brother Martin Schultz built a blue limestone house not far away in what is now Hallam Borough. Brothers Martin and Johannes left a legacy in the area, founding the Kreutz Creek Lutheran Church and creating a milling operation today known as Macklay’s Mill.

The Martin Schultz House was built in 1736 and is located on Emig Street. It is smaller than the other Schultz House, and has received several upgrades over the years. The most notable of the upgrades was a 1956 project that removed the central shed dormer and added new roof dormers. Still, the house maintains many of its original German Colonial features, including central chimneys and steeply pitched roof. Both the Martin Schultz House and Johannes Schultz House were built atop vaulted cellars.

Posted in 18th Century County Buildings German Architecture

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When three Schultz brothers traveled from Friedelsheim to Pennsylvania in 1732, they could never have imagined the legacy they would leave York County. Before there even was a York County, and before there was a York Town, there were the Schultz Houses. Two of the three Schultz brothers settled in the area known as Kreutz Creek and constructed sturdy stone homes.

The oldest of these homes is the Johannes and Christina Schultz House located off of Locust Grove Road in Springettsbury Township. The unassuming German Colonial building has witnessed its share of history first-hand. When members of the Second Continental Congress journeyed to York Town in 1777, some are believed to have stopped at the Schultz House for a break and a meal. And when Camp Security was built nearby to house British and Canadian soldiers captured during the American Revolution, the Schultz House is believed to have been used as an administration building.

In 1944, Clair and Beatrice Rowe purchased the property and over 130 acres around it. The home would stay in their family for the next six decades – and they wanted to make sure that any future owner would care for the house the way they did. Clair passed away in 1984, and Beatrice, who is now 95, recently gave the historic home and outbuildings to Historic York, Inc., a local non-profit dedicated to historic preservation.

The property includes several buildings – the 1734 home, a bank barn dating from the 1870s, a summer kitchen, and a smokehouse.

So why is the Schultz House important to York County? It is the oldest known surviving structure in the county. It was constructed in a simple German Colonial style of architecture, with an asymmetrical façade. While Philadelphia was predominantly settled by the English, the “frontier” – of which the land that is today York County was a part – began witnessing an influx of German and Scots-Irish settlers, as well as English Quakers. The English believed in grand symmetrical designs, but the Germans were more thrifty with their buildings. The appearance of the façade followed the function of the interior spaces – not vice-versa. The Schultz House of today does have end chimneys, but probably originally had a central chimney, as was common in German homes.

Above the front entrance is a datestone inscribed in German. The translation is, “In the year 1734 Johannes Schultz and Christina my wife have built this house.”

Historic York, Inc. plans to list the home on the National Register of Historic Places and provide public water and sewer to the property. The organization will also work to ensure the long-term preservation of the buildings.

If you are interested to learn more about the home and the organization, a tour will be held on Saturday, October 27. Watch this blog for more details.

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The 1898 York County Court House is making news again, but not for any notorious trial. A contingent representing York County recently returned from San Antonio, TX and the American Public Works Association national conference. They were there to accept an award for the renovation of the courthouse and conversion into the York County Administrative Center. The project was recognized as a “Public Works Project of the Year” in the Historic Renovation category for projects in the $10 million to $100 million range. The award application was prepared by project architect NuTec Design Associates, Inc. on behalf of the County, contractor Wohlson Construction, and local chapter of the American Public Works Association.

This award focuses a national spotlight on York and the efforts of many to combine York’s historic architecture with the needs of a modern society and vibrant community.

Posted in 19th Century Beaux Arts City architecture Government Buildings

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Recent news reports have noted that the United States Postal Service will be vacating their facility on South George Street. York City government has expressed an interest to acquire the building and renovate it for use as a new City Hall. But the building on South George Street is not the only one downtown to have housed the Post Office. At the intersection of West Philadelphia and North Beaver streets a prominent red-brick Romanesque building stands on the northeast corner. Today, many people know it as the Lighthouse Youth Center. Others remember when it was a Masonic Temple. The reality, however, is that it was actually constructed by the federal government for use as a Post Office and government office building.

From “Postcard History Series: York”:

Constructed in 1895 on the northeast corner of Philadelphia and Beaver Streets, the “Federal Building” was built for a cost of $80,000. In addition to housing the Post Office, the United States Revenue Department was located on the second floor. Prior to the erection of this building, the York Post Office had been located at nine different sites.

Over the years, John Augustus Dempwolf has become identified as the architect who designed the building, probably because it exhibits a Victorian Romanesque style of architecture found on Dempwolf’s nearby Central Market House and his firm was quite prominent during the time the building was constructed. However, published lists of Dempwolf projects and drawings do not turn up any information on the building. After further research, it became apparent that no local architect was involved with the project. In fact, the architect is actually the Office of the Supervising Architect, United States Treasury Department.

Prior to the creation of the U.S. General Services Administration in 1949, most federal buildings fell under the control of the Treasury Department. The Office of the Supervising Architect was responsible for design of federal buildings, including the old Post Office. The building is actually featured in a 1901 book entitled “A History of Public Buildings under the Control of the Treasury Department.” According to that publication, the building was first occupied in November 1895 but not completed until 1897. From this book we also learn that the cubic contents of the building were 203,000 feet and seven rooms were occupied by the Postal Service and Internal Revenue service.

So who is the real architect of the building? Federal buildings designed by the Office of the Supervising Architect were credited to the appropriately titled Supervising Architect of the United States Treasury. Based upon the various tenures of Supervising Architects, Willoughby J. Edbrooke and Jeremiah O’Rourke were probably both involved with the project.

Edbrooke designed buildings at the University of Notre Dame as well as the Georgia State Capitol, while O’Rourke was best known as a church architect, designing prominent buildings in New York and New Jersey. Edbrooke hailed from the United Kingdom while O’Rourke was born in Ireland.

If you happen to be passing by the building, be sure to stop and look up. On the corner tower you’ll notice several gargoyles. These decorative features also once originally had a function: water drainage. You’ll also find gargoyles on Calvary Methodist Church on West Market Street at Richland Avenue.

In future posts, we’ll look at some of the other local post office buildings.

Posted in 19th Century City architecture Government Buildings

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Welcome to the new Windows Into York Blog. Fans of local history have a lot to celebrate these days with blogs by Jim McClure, Scott Mingus and - coming soon - June Lloyd. How will “Windows” be different from the other blogs? In the construction industry a common term is “built environment,” and it refers to man-made structures and buildings. And that is what “Windows Into York” is about: local history through the eyes of the buildings and structures that witnessed it. But it is not just about bricks and mortar. I like to say that “every façade tells a story,” so we’ll combine the visual of a building with the story behind its four walls. Some posts will deal with architectural styles or features. Others will deal with themes (e.g., 18th century buildings, Underground Railroad related homes, etc.). Or we’ll visit some of York County’s forgotten treasures – notable buildings that are no longer with us. And finally, you may find a few “general history” posts here or there, because there is just so much great local history! I look forward to taking this tour of York County with you! And if you have a suggested topic or information of note, please post in the comments section or e-mail me directly at sbutcher@yorklinks.net.

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