What’s this all about?
There’s a house on Linden St in Bethlehem, PA that I’ve always been curious about. Have a look:
Pretty unique, right? That giant stained glass window, the stone porch beams carved to look like trees, that crazy looking peaked roof on the back part of the building: it doesn’t look like any other house in the area. Since the outside is so ornate, I’ve always wondered what the interior looks like. Well we are in luck - the house is currently for sale, and several real estate companies have photos!
Links to real estate listings:
- http://www.weichert.com/65126340
- http://www.trulia.com/property/3239906425-3300-Linden-St-Bethlehem-PA-18017
The realtor’s (Weichert) description of the home provides more information (emphasis mine):
“This stone gingerbread house with walls of old mosaics, carved stone porch columns and stained glass windows has tremendous historical and artistic value and is listed by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. It was built by Tilghman Fogel from 1899 to 1906 and every exterior wall is a work of art. The hand-crafted blocks have a menagerie of story telling and each are an artistic expression, with blown glass, Chinaware, and many artifacts built by hand in an artistic tale. This is a large estate style property with what was a stable attached in the rear, which is now a 4+ car garage and workshop, with a 3 bedroom apartment on the top. This is surrounded by almost 3 acres of prime, flat, partially wooded land. Originally designed all 29 rooms for active air flow and natural light for most of the day. Much of the 100 year old architecture has been preserved. This house must be valued as "artwork" and it will captivate your artistic imagination immediately.”
Fun fact: I also found another Tilghman Fogel (1842 - 1915), from Lehigh County, who was a well-known blind musician. The two men do not appear to be immediately related.
But what about the house?!
Now that we know a little about the family, let’s talk about the house. Why would a prominent farmer decide to build such an eccentric home? Google Books comes to the rescue again, with two articles containing details about the home itself:
In summary, Tilghman Fogel built the home after he traveled around the United States, collecting souvenir rocks, broken glass, and other scraps along the way. He decided to incorporate his plethora of souvenirs into the facade of his new home, embedding his creativity into the house itself.
While looking for information on Tilgman Fogel and his “Souvenir House”, I came across a photo of some unknown young men on the home’s porch:
