Category: State College

Stopping by 224 Ridge Ave., State College

For several years I’ve been wanting to stop by the home I grew up in (224 Ridge Avenue) to take some pictures. My family moved to State College in 1947. My sister, Jean, was ten years old and my brother, Mark, was seven. I was born in November of 1946, so I was just six months old when we moved from New Jersey.

When my mother passed away in 1988, Dad moved to Foxdale Village in State College. The home has had several owners in the last 30 years and it has been remodeled and updated over those years. While Dad had some contact with the folks that first bought the house from him, after a year or two he felt he didn’t need to stay in touch with subsequent owners.

The house was a Sears, Roebuck & Co. craftsman home built in 1926. Here are some pictures I have of the house around the 1950’s.

The front of the house.
The back porch with Paul, Jean, Ruth and me! Mark must have taken the picture.
The side yard. The house next door had not been built yet.
The front yard looking toward Atherton Street. Check out the car on the street!

In the 1960’s Dad had the house remodeled inside and out. The front porch was enclosed with huge windows and a fireplace. The back porch was turned into a landing that led to an enclosed room with lots of windows that became Dad’s office. I don’t know exactly how long the construction lasted, I just remember having to step over construction materials as I went through the back door in my senior prom dress!

The front door was relocated to the left side of the house.

I’ve been able to check the property out on Google over the years and lately I noticed the most recent renovation drastically changed the roof line of the house. Obviously, an addition to the back of the house increased the living space of the structure. I think a second story was added to the room my Dad used as an office. Here are two screen shots from Google maps:

View from above.
Side view. You can see the windows of the dining room, but I don’t think the footprint of the house has been changed.

I stopped by the house this week to take some pictures. I rang the doorbell, but no one answered. So much for thinking I could see the inside of the house!

First, I checked out the front steps…I know when the concrete was poured on the steps in the 1960’s, I signed my initials and placed a 1964 penny there. I guess it’s been covered up. These steps look much better!

I saw this plaque by the front door:

From the porch, looking down the driveway to the garage, the view is certainly filled with green plants.

When I turned around to go to the front sidewalk, I realized how HUGE the tree in the front yard was! I don’t even remember if there was a tree there at all. There may have been a large pine tree there when I was much younger. This tree has to be almost 30 years old, but it’s beautiful.

The people living here certainly like lots of plants and privacy hedges.

When I stood back closer to the curb to take a side picture, I can barely see the brick chimney on the right with the overhang from the tree in the front yard. Yellow siding and white painted brick certainly changes the whole look of the house. However, it is the best kept house on the block.

The Adams house next door is still there but doesn’t look like it’s been upgraded at all. Next to that is the brick apartment house on the corner of Burrows Street. From the evidence of assorted stuff outside the house, it looks like student housing.

As I drove down Atherton Street toward Boalsburg I was stopped at the light at Atherton and College Avenue. Imagine my surprise to see giant high rise apartment buildings on either side of the intersection! Things have certainly changed! I guess I should drive through town now and then just to keep up!

I guess things stay the same only in our memories! To my family, I hope you enjoyed the updated pictures of 224 Ridge Avenue! To everyone else, treasure the memories you have of the places you’ve lived! Enjoy!

Please comment or email me directly at marykisner@comcast.net.

Finding Vintage Fabric at Apple Hill Antiques

I’ve always been interested in vintage fabric. So many things left in attics and estate sales remind us of life in by-gone times. Those days folks did not use disposable paper products the way we do today. Now, I’m hoping to never need to figure out how to do without toilet paper, but I remember the days before paper towels, paper napkins and Kleenex. I still have an assortment of beautiful handkerchiefs, cloth napkins and dishcloths from my mother. The dresser scarves and crocheted doilies seemed to be everywhere in my grandmother’s home. I have found many similar items in antique stores and flea markets. Besides representing how my parents and grandparents functioned in their homes, I find them a great resource of one-of-a-kind beautiful fabric.

I recently visited Apple Hill Antiques in State College. This large warehouse-size building is divided up into individual sections for individual sellers. This building used to be the local roller-skating rink back in the 1970’s and 80’s. I have fond memories of learning to skate with my kids back then.

If you like to wander through small shops with an assortment of items, Apple Hill Antiques is a great place to visit.

Usually, I find it helps to focus on a specific time period or a specific kind of item from toys, glassware, furniture or textiles. Otherwise, I find the mixture of items overwhelming. When I focus on vintage fabric my eyes look for a certain kind of display.

Some items, like quilts, are displayed tucked into trunks.

Things like handkerchiefs and napkins are often piled into baskets.

Larger items like hand towels and tablecloths are often hung on hangers or racks.

I have a project in mind this time–Christmas Ornaments–so when I stopped by, I focused on smaller items. I was looking for edging on handkerchiefs or embroidery on hand towels. A few crocheted doilies looked promising.

Here is an example of what I hope to make…enough to give as gifts at Christmas:

Therefore, I’m looking for unusual edging on handkerchief or interesting doily patterns.

Apple Hill Antiques is a great place to spend time…to relive the past or to search for special items for your own collections. Here’s their flyer with more information:

You could even join their mailing list:

A great way to spend some time! Enjoy!

Please leave a comment or email me directly if you have questions at marykisner@comcast.net.

Exploring S. Fraser Street in State College

I had a mission today…get more comfortable using the Fraser Street parking garage AND shopping at The Nittany Quill. With only an hour or so this morning before freezing rain was supposed to start, I ventured out. Here’s a map of what I hoped to explore:

I have avoided exploring downtown State College for many years because of the parking choices. Don’t tell the Driver’s Ed. teacher from the 60’s that I still don’t enjoy parallel parking on the street. I have no experience with the routine of parking and paying in a parking garage. Usually Bert handles things like that but I’d like to be comfortable doing it myself.

I also rationalized that I didn’t need anything that I couldn’t get someplace else (Amazon is just too easy!). However, I really wanted to visit The Nittany Quill for a few things so it was time to explore and learn!

I did a trial run last week, which was my first exposure to the challenge of getting a ticket, parking my car, shopping, returning and paying at a machine, locating the car and exiting (without running over a curb). I felt a little more confident today. I also wanted to take some pictures of the surrounding stores on that block of Fraser Street.

First, I got to the parking garage and actually remembered how to get a ticket! Yea!

Looks pretty simple!

Once I left the garage (note to self…always remember where I exited the garage!) I headed down the street to the right to The Nittany Quill. They also have a nice website: https://www.thenittanyquill.com.

This is a very small, cute specialty store, focused on beautiful cards, framed illustrated sayings and supplies to do calligraphy. They also offer services such as creating custom wedding announcements and invitations. I was looking for some beautifully drawn cards with meaningful sayings and a new calligraphy fountain pen.

As I left the store I continued to the right up the block toward College Avenue. The Central Pennsylvania Dance Workshop is still there…signs pointing to the upstairs studio. The store on the corner seems to be an eye wear store called Spectacles. I think years ago that corner also used to have one of the few public pay telephone booths in town.

Across the street on the corner is a Dunkin Donuts. Continuing back down Fraser Street is a store awning that says Comic Swap. Sounds interesting.

Next down the hill is the alley (Calder Way). Then the rest of the block up to Beaver Avenue is one three-story structure with H&M on the ground floor and Target on the second and maybe the top floor. You can see behind that complex is a much taller high rise apartment building. This certainly changes the skyline of the downtown area.

After paying my parking fee at the machine on the ground floor of the parking garage and going in the correct entrance, taking the elevator to Level 2, I was able to exit the garage without hitting the curb on the tight turn out. I turned left out of the garage and stopped at the light on Beaver Avenue. (This felt strange because Fraser Street used to be only one-way), Straight ahead was the familiar State College Presbyterian Church! Yea! I recognized something!

I’m sure this adventure sounds rather silly, but I’m pleased I made the effort to do this. Maybe I can learn something new out of my comfort zone! Thanks for coming with me. Next time I’ll go up around the corner from the garage and explore that first block of Beaver Avenue. Stay tuned!

If you’d like to comment on this post, leave a comment on this page or email me at marykisner@comcast.net. Thanks!