On impulse I looked at Zillow for Manhattan, wondering about the houses my parents owned. Didn’t find any of them, but this one is close. It’s part of the huge Phelps Addition. Phelps built exactly two floor plans during the ’50s, then switched to a slightly larger plan in the ’60s. My parents owned one of the Type 2 houses from ’56 to ’61. I made a digital model of it here. (The ‘Tecumseh’.)
Zillow has one of the Type 1 houses, which seem to have started a bit earlier than Type 2. My friend Warren lived in one of these, so I remember the details well.
This one is a perfect time capsule. Some of the floors have been “fixed” with the wrong color of tile, and the sink and appliances are newer. All windows and doors and the kitchen cabinets are original. I think the utility room was shortened at one point, but this could have been a variant. There were some slight variants in that area.
Outer view:
Front door from inside:
Living room:
Hall to bedrooms, with the original pegboard sliders:
Into the kitchen, which had a ‘lookthrough’ toward the living room as a vague representation of the trendy Open Plan. These kitchens had a distinct dining area, while Type 2 had a smaller kitchen and larger living room.
The kitchen cabinet, original Youngstown. The originals had a utility area large enough to hold both dryer and washer, so they didn’t need the washer in the kitchen. I modeled the Type 2 kitchen here.
Looking toward the possibly shortened utility area.
The original flip-up garage door, which was never a very good device. Rollups were vastly better.
Garage looking back toward utility. In most the utility room extended across the garage. Maybe the washer was supposed to go in the back end of the garage, but I don’t see a faucet on the walls.
Overall nicely preserved for 70 years old! All surfaces look straight and unmodified, doors and windows have their original varnish. Phelps houses were mass-produced and drab but SOLID.
Polistra's Mill 