The house was
originally a more simple Italianate (lower photo). It
was renovated in 1894 by architect Addison Hutton.
A series of
interior photos from c1900 can be seen at the Powelton
History Blog.
The garage was
added in 1916.
“late Queen Anne; style two-and-one-half story
building of Pompeiian brick. Two-story projecting bay, arched entry. porch
wall, and windows. Shallow pitched hipped roof with overhang.”
(Inventory of Buildings in Powelton from
the application submitted to the National Register of Historic Places, 1985)
History
1873, Sept. 18: Deed
transfer - First Presbyterian Church to Edward P. Alexander
http://philadox.phila.gov/phillyhistoricalindex/
1875
Directory: Edward P. Alexander of Alexander Bros.
The
1874 directory list him living with his brothers at 3626
Baring St.
1878
Directory: Edward P. Alexander of Alexander Bros.
Frederick
H. Andrews of Alexander J. Andrews & Sons (Alexander J. & Frederick
H.), grain at 3002 Market
Frederick
was the brother of Euretta Andrews. He was an 1871
graduate of the University of Pennsylvania. He married Meredith Baily.
1880:
Edward
Alexander 35 Belting maker;
born in N.H.
Euretta M. Alexander 27 Born
in R.I., parents born in Pa.
Charles
O. Alexander 1 month
Mary
Morning 20 Servant; born in Ireland
Mary
Redmond 23 Servant; born in Ireland
Euretta Andrews Alexander grew up at 3507 Baring St. She was the daughter of Alexander and
Amelia Andrews. The history of their family in Powelton and their relationship
to the Northminster Presbyterian Church is described in a piece in the Powelton
History Blog.
Edward
P. and Euretta Alexander, 1887
1887,
Nov. 9: Death of Alexander James Andrews, 75 years old, at 306 N. 35th St.
Funeral services at the Northminster Presbyterian Church.
The Andrews children funded a window in
memory of their parents at the Northminster Presbyterian Church, 3500 Baring St. It is the third window from the front
on the east side.
1890:
Alexander Edward P. (Alexander
Bros.)
1900:
Edward
P. Alexander 55 Belt manufacturer; born in N.H.; owned free of a mortgage
Euretta M. Alexander 47 Married
26 years, 4 children; born in R.I., father in Pa., mother in N.Y.
Charles
O. Alexander 20
Amelia
D. Alexander 18
Emily
J. Alexander 13
Julian
Alexander 11
Josephine
Alexander 63 Sister; single; born in N.Y.
Margaret
E. Furey 34 Servant; cook; single; parents born in
Ireland
Mary
Boyle 36 Servant; widowed, no children born in
Ireland
Emily
Alexander Hildebrand died in 1987 in Contra Costa, Calif.
1904,
Jan. 5: Marriage of Henrietta Richardson Page of Wellesley, Norfolk Co., MA to
Charles Orie Alexander.
1906
Blue Book: Mr. & Mrs. Edward P. Alexander
Miss
Josephine Alexander
1908:
Marriage license issued to Emily J. Alexander of 306 N. 35th St. and Joel H.
Hildebrand
In
1910, they lived at 409 N. 36th St.
1909: Edward P.
Alexander was an Elder at Northminster Presbyterian
Church, 3500 Baring St.
1909: Julian
Alexander, Sophomore, Chemical Engineering (Catalogue of
1914,
Feb. 24: Marriage license issued to Amelia D. Alexander of 306 N. 35th St. and
Laird H. Simons of Glenside
They
moved to 3412 Baring St.
1920:
Edward P. Alexander 75 Manufacturer of
leather belts
Euretta
M. Alexander 67
Josephine Alexander 83 Sister
May M. Boyle 55 Servant; born in
Bridget McCrossin [?] 52 Servant; born in
Euretta Alexander died August 1923. E.P. Alexander died in
January 1927.
1922,
April 4: “The residence with garage at the northwest corner of Thirty-fifth and
Pearl streets, assessed at $16,000, has been sold by Euretta
M. Alexander to an undisclosed purchaser for a price reported to be close to
$22,500. The sale was negotiated by Barber-Hartman & Company.” (Inquirer)
1922,
May 15: a deed transfer recorded from Edward and Euretta
M. Alexander to P. B. Garwood.
1930:
Percy B. Garwood 59 Electrician in electrics store; married
at age 23; father born in Ohio; owner, house valued at $17,000
Isabel E. Garwood 54 Married at
age 18; born in Ireland, immigrated in 1880
Walter C. Isabell 40 Lodger;
purchasing agent for department store
Thomas H. Callard 30 Lodger;
director of advertising firm; born in Oregon
-2nd household
William B. Mills
51 Police superintendent; married at age
48; renting for $125 per month
Ethel H. Mills 38 Married at age 35
Mary C. Mills 1
year 6 months
Ethel A. Mills 2
months
In
1920, the Garwoods lived at 4136 Parkside Ave. In
1900, they lived with Isabel’s (Bella’s) parents, Frank W. and Mary Savage, at
3924 Powelton Ave.
In
1920, William Mills lived at 4261 Parkside Ave. He was divorced. In 1910, he
lived at 4113 Cambridge St. with his first wife, Edith. They had been married
for 4 years and had no children. It was her 2nd marriage.
1940:
Percy Garwood 69 Engineer with the Dept. of Gas and
Lighting earning $1,500 in 1939; 4 years of high school; owner, house valued at
$12,000
Isabel Garwood
54 Four years of high school
Walter Trupell 40 Lodger; purchaser in a department store earning $1,700 in
1939; single; 4 years of high school
—Next Household
Wilmer Ritteman 34 Salesman
for wholesale paper earning $2,000 in 1939; born in Minnesota; 3 years of college;
renting for $35 per month
—Next Household
Sarah Parker 49 Librarian for U.S. Dept. of Agriculture
earning $2,000 in 1939; widowed; 5 years of college; born in N.Y., lived in
Bath, N.Y. in 1935; renting for $50 per month
Louella Parker 75 Single; 2 years of college; born in
N.Y., lived in Bath, N.Y. in 1935
—Next Household
Phillip Efinger 55 Unemployed for over a year, he was previously personnel
manager for a traction company; 2 years of college; lived in this house in
1935; renting for $50 per month
Ella Efinger 47 Nurse for Board of Education earning $$1,900 in 1939; 4
years of high school
The
Powelton Post (Jan. 1964) noted that “Mrs. Garwood, who owned the house where
the Parkers live, was a driving force in the neighborhood until her death when
the Kangians, George and Mary, bought the house. Mrs.
Garwood as a young girl used to sled down 36th Street from Lancaster
Avenue to Market Street.” (“The Fence Post,” by Maggie Funderburg)
Isabel Garwood’s family lived at 3924 Powelton Ave. in 1900.
1949,
July: Deed transferred from Isabel S. Garwood to George E. and Mary Kangian.
George
Kangian and Mary Sarkisian were married in
Philadelphia in 1945. (Phila. Marriage Index)
1949,
Nov.: Zoning approval given to convert from a five-family rooming house to five
apartments.
1950
Directory: George E. Kangian
George
Kangian was born in Philadelphia in 1919. In 1930,
his family lived at 3721 Haverford Ave. He described his background on a
website for memories of WWII veterans. "My father was an immigrant from Bitlis, Armenia. He came to this country and opened a shoe
store. When he made enough money, he brought over other members of his family,
who in the tradition of the times and at Georges fathers request brought with
them a wife of 15, sight unseen. The marriage worked out and the family grew to
two girls and George the youngest and only son. Arranged marriages were common
throughout the world in those days.
“The
depression wiped out my father’s business and he lost his four shops, all the
money in the failed banks and our house. It contributed to his death at the age
of 55. Times being what they were I never had access to a car, there was not a
lot of money for anything beyond the rent at times. We rode the trolleys
everywhere we wanted to go. I went to West Philadelphia High school and was
active in the Boy Scouts. I had plans to attend the seminary as religion was
always an important part of my life and my mother thought it would be a good
idea. As my father had died and my sisters were married I felt I should take
care of my mother. I worked prior to the war at the Baldwin Locomotive Works in
Eddystone. When war broke, being the only son and in a war critical industry I
could have easily avoided serving in the military. I felt it was my duty to
enlist, especially being the leader of a scout troop, always telling boys about
patriotism. The farthest I had ever been from home prior to the war was upstate
New York for the first National Boy Scout Jamboree in 1937….
“I
heard about Pearl Harbor like most people. I was on Lancaster Avenue and
someone had a radio. Being a bit older than some of my later peers in the air
force I was more aware of world events and like the situation today in the
middle east, we all knew something was coming. No one expected it to come the
way it did though. At 23 I signed up at the local armory where the Army was
quartered. One of the recruiters was asking what people wanted to do and I said
fly for the Navy, I was told to shut up.
“I
joined in July of 1943 at 23 and went armament school at Lowry Field in Denver
Colorado and then a course in Amarillio before going
to gunnery at Harlingen Texas where we got our wings….
“Post
war I did some radio work for WCAU and some people thought I should become a
disc jockey, television was in its infancy but with my background in Miami, I
decided to try for a job as a social director for the Philadelphia Housing
Authority. The man who took my application thought I would be better suited as
a manager of the projects and that is what I became. I worked over 15 years
with the housing authority before opening my own dry cleaning business from which
I retired. I stayed active with the Boy Scouts in the inner city as well and
have been in scouting for 70+ years.
“I'm
still working with the Boy Scouts [Dec., 2002], Mary and I have traveled pretty
extensively as I also have a great interest in anthropology. We have a large
collection of commemorative spoons that is unusual as they represent different
events and visits to all the countries and states we have been to. Some of my
crew still keep in touch and there have been the reunions over the years that
we have attended together.”
These
memories from George Kangian and his memories of his
WWII experience.
1963: Lanie Melamea was quoted in the Powelton Post.
1964, Powelton Post: “Several years ago
Powelton Neighbors had the pleasure of serenading MRS. LUELLA PARKER with
Christmas carols. This year the carolers hope to serenade again and it will be
particularly appropriate for December 24th will mark her 99th
birthday! SARAH PARKER and her mother have lived at 35th and Pearl for 24
years.” (“The Fence Post,” by Maggie Funderburg in
the Powelton Post)
<
304 N. 35th across to 315 N. 35th >
Revised
7/27/2022