Worthington real estate

Colonial Hills Civic Association hosts its first Fourth of July celebration,  from the Timeline on the Worthington Memory site   The year? 

1945 

"July 4, 1945  Worthington        Colonial Hills Civic Association hosts its first Fourth of July celebration" 

This years Fourth of July Celebration was yesterday, July 3, 2010 according to the neighborhood website.  1945 was before holidays were Mondays, and before Colonial Hills was in the City of Worthington... actually it was before there was a city of Worthington.  Worthington was a village, when the Colonial Hills neighborhood was annexed in the 1950s,  Worthington was big enough to become a city.  

Next weekend the 2010 Worthington Historical Society's Home and Garden Tour is in Colonial Hills.  There will be a history talk at the shelter house.

Colonial Hills History

Worthington's Colonial Hills a history

Worthington's Colonial Hills ahead of it's time


Sharon Alters in Florida wrote 'Are factory built homes the next wave of New Construction' on her ActiveRain blog. ActiveRain is an International real estate network... we consort with Canadians!   There are some Australians on ActiveRain. And members in India... Perhaps elsewhere. 

Florida seems local in comparison. 

Sharon references and links to an article about "prefab" homes online, from a publication for real estate licensees who are members of the National Association of Realtors. 

Sharon wrote: 

"An article from the online Realtor® news today announced that factory-built homes are becoming more acceptable. Their cost factor of 10-35% less, plus the short length of time to build is helping them gain in popularity throughout the country, says the Manufactured Housing Institute. " 

Reading Sharon's article I wanted to say at first "we don't really have much in the way of modular homes in our market " then I think of Colonial Hills.  The first Colonial Hills homes were built back in 1942 I believe? Or assembled.   The homes were built elsewhere.

The Realtor Mag online info  is quoting an article from the Chicago Tribune written by Leslie Mann, last week, which says:

"One problem is the difficulty potential buyers have finding information and qualified builders. "We have not, as an industry, learned to promote our homes," admits Vic DePhillips,
chairman of the National Association of Home Builders' (NAHB) Building Systems Councils."

Worthington's Colonial Hills ahead of it's time?

Colonial Hills homes are Colonial in style.  They were built very afford-ably as rental housing during the Second World War.  The one story, cape cod and two story homes are small homes. Oh and there are just a handful of  split levels... Colonial Hills is a very popular Worthington neighborhood today.

Prefabrication in the 1940s.

Worthington historian George Campbell's Colonial Hills History site deals with "prefabrication" or modular homes.  The first 200 homes in Colonial Hills were built elsewhere and arrived via train to be assembled.   Colonial Hills History, shows Central Ohio was ahead of it's time.

I went to a presentation Campbell gave recently about Colonial Hills history. Campbell showed slides with examples of the modular construction of a Colonial Hills garage. 

Then there was Lustron... 

Perhaps in time the rest of the world will catch up with Worthington and Central Ohio. 

Colonial Hills history

Colonial Hills, WORTHINGTON OHIO - THE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY  brought to you by Maureen McCabe Real Living HER Worthington.

The sign on the north side of the Colonial Hills neighborhood says the Colonial Hills community is friendly so it must be so!  The community website also refers to the community as "THE FRIENDLY COMMNITY"

According to Jennie McCormick's book, 'Worthington Neighborhoods' the residents formed the Colonial Hills Civic Association in 1952.  The neighborhood was annexed to the Village of Worthington in 1954 and the combined population of the village established in 1803 and the little 1940's "colonial look village"  down the road joined together.  Combined the two communities were big enough for Worthington to become a city if I am understanding the history correctly.

Today in Colonial Hills,  WORTHINGTON OHIO - THE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY 2010 the little community is going strong and still a friendly community.

Tomorrow is the Colonial Hills neighborhood Easter Egg hunt!

According to the Colonial Hills Civic Association website, Saturday March 27 10:00 AM is the Colonial Hills Easter Egg Hunt at Selby Park, with the Rain Date Saturday, April 4 at 10:00 AM. What about snow?  There is snow on the ground this morning.

There are over a dozen Colonial Hills homes on the market now ranging in price from $145,000 to $239,000. One story, cape, two story and a split.

Kenbook Drive

Park Blvd.

Indianola Ave.

Looking for Colonial Hills?  The easiest way to find the neighborhood is to enter  the neighborhood from the  corner of W. Selby Blvd and High St.   A landmark?  St. Michael's Church is on the northeast corner, turn east into the Colonial Hills neighborhood from High Street. Drive slow, there are  two elementary schools in the area, Colonial Hills Elementary School and St. Michael's School.

Search Colonial Hills homes for sale 

The Search Colonial Hills homes for sale link allows you to search  the online inventory of homes via Real Living HER.  You will be offered the opportunity to receive listings directly from the Columbus Board of Realtors MLS (multiple listing service)  in real time.  Know the true status of the properties you are interested in.

About Colonial Hills,  WORTHINGTON OHIO - THE FRIENDLY COMMUNITY

Worthington's Colonial Hills a history

Worthington's Colonial Hills neighborhood

Mid Century Style

Colonial Hills history

1950's video of Colonial Hills after a huge snowstorm....

I found the video via George Campbell's Colonial Hills History site. He says the storm in the video was in November 1950. November for anyone reading this from outside Central Ohio ... we don't usually have snow in November... a few flurries maybe...

Worthington's Colonial Hills

Colonial Hills - A History

Maureen McCabe Real Living HER Worthington

The Colonial Hills neighborhood is on the south end of Worthington, east of High Street.  The east end of the neighborhood is bound by the rail road tracks.

It's a short walk, bike ride or drive to shop in downtown Worthington or the Graceland Shopping Center.

Worthington Parks in the area include Park Boulevard Park, Indianola Park and Selby Park, right in the Colonial Hills neighborhood.

• Indianola Park - 5500 Indianola Avenue  3.2 Acres
  
• Selby Park - 358 Selby Boulevard South 4.1 Acres
  
• Park Blvd (formerly known as Devil's Hill Park) - 125 Park Boulevard  6.1 Acres 

Schools Public and Private

Colonial Hills Elementary School - 5800 Greenwich Street

St. Michael's Catholic Elementary School - 5800 Greenwich Street

Home Sales

• YTD 2009 sold price range  $139,900  to $220,000
• 2008 sold price range   $125,145  to $228,500
• 2007 sold price range   $120,000  to $245,000

Sales information is from the Columbus Board of Realtors Multiple Listing Service data and subject to errors.

Worthington's Colonial Hills A History

Last Week in Worthington

Search Central Ohio Homes -   Maureen McCabe -  614-388-8249 - Real Living HER

The first section of Colonial Hills was platted in the 1920's.  The first section of Colonial Hills was built in the 1940s. 

Colonial Hills  was not in the Village of Worthington when it was platted or built, it was in an unincorporated area.  Colonial Hills was built as a rental community for executives at a defense plant near the Columbus Airport. 

The Worthington Historical Society's Neighborhoods says the neighborhood was built in 1927 to 1941 by "WWII Defense Homes Corp"  I think it was Defense Homes Corporation and they were built during WWII.  Defense Homes Corporation became part of FHA in the 1940s.

The plat maps and a lot of what I know about the history of Colonial Hills is  from the entry about Colonial Hills on Wikipedia written by George Campbell a Worthington / Columbus historian which says "Colonial Hills was built in an assembly line fashion that predated Levittown by five years."  I knew there was a defense plant and that was why the houses were built but I did not know a lot of the details prior to reading the history on Wikipedia. 

There were nine styles of homes that were built "prefab" elseswhere and delivered to Central Ohio. The 1941 Plat was built first. 

Colonial Hills had alleys when it was platted and built.  The alleys in Colonial Hills were vacated, divided and deeded to the homeowners at some point.   The homes in Colonial Hills were sold after the Second World War, many to investors so many homes remained rental property for many more years.  

Today Colonial Hills is a thriving Worthington Ohio neighborhood.

Image credit both images, 1927 Plat and 1941 Plat are from George C. Campbell and according to Wikipedia are in the public domain.  "This work has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder. This applies worldwide."