Sunday, June 29, 2014

Taj Mahal, Versailles and Park Forest in State College…Yes, They Have Something in Common.

June 30th, 2014
By: Sarah Boha

In my pursuit of a Bachelor of Arts at Penn State, I, like any student pursuing their B.A. had to master a course load of humanities.  The advisors advised matriculating students, such as myself at the time, that it would make us a “well rounded human being when we entered the real world” – “The Sea Around Us”, “Study of Paris” and “Theater 101” were among the humanities I dabbled in.   In my sophomore year at Penn State I took a landscape architecture class.  Landscape Architecture was a class that seemed interesting to me, enrollment wasn’t filled and it was considered a humanity; jackpot.  I learned about the meticulously precise garden parterres in France, the spiritual importance of the landscape at the Taj Mahal and a community that was ahead of it’s time in the ‘green movement’, Park Forest.


I remember my landscape architecture professor dedicating an entire class to the community of Park Forest (it was a big deal, especially when a local community is sandwiched between lectures about the Taj Mahal and Versailles!).  Established in 1956, this development introduced a new and innovative approach, for it’s time, in the layout of a suburban neighborhood.  The curved streets, abundance of trees and layout of the homes in Park Forest would shatter the conventional post World War II neighborhood.  The idea of keeping as many trees as possible in building process would inspire the design of neighborhoods across America.

Pictured Above: An example of the greenery and gardening that can be accomplished in Park Forest

Driving down, or walking, jogging, bicycling down, (Park Forest was designed to be extremely pedestrian friendly with an implementation of sidewalks throughout the community), the main access to Park Forest, Park Forest Ave., I can almost hear my professor when she described the first houses of Park Forest.  Predominantly initiating with ranch style homes, in the 1950s and 60s it was all about convenience.  “Easy living”, was one of the phrases the LA professor used in painting a picture of the first homes sitting slightly tilted for an aesthetically pleasing look on their plot of land.  A cross breeze billowing through the living rooms of open front and back screen doors added a tranquil “easy” feeling.  To live in this community was to live in a park, easy living and pedestrian friendly.  To enjoy the cool breezes, fresh air and overall greenery was the forest element that J. Alvin Hawbaker, real estate developer, and Carl W. Wild, assistant designer and architect, had in mind when they designed Park Forest. 

Picture Above: The “Easy living” of an open back door to a patio in Park Forest

Today, Park Forest pays reverence to the past and tells of story of it’s history to the present day as you drive, walk or jog through the winding streets and admire the ever changing residential architecture.  An original intention in the design of the neighborhood was easy accessibility to surrounding parks in the area; presently, the area is adjacent to Trader Joe’s plaza, the Colonnade and a drive through Starbucks (which I frequent as a resident of Park Forest and shows my impartiality as a writer and to my shameless love of coffee).  In their original conception of Park Forest, I don’t think Hawbaker and Wild could have ever imagined how their community would evolve over the decades and become a model for suburban layouts across the country.  The next time you drive, walk or jog through Park Forest, remember that you’re in a place that was worthy to featured alongside the great Taj Mahal. 

Pictured Above: The beauty of the souring trees in Park Forest, even in the icy winter.

Interested in homes in the Park Forest and surrounding State College area?  Click here for the newest homes available and give us a call if you’d like to schedule a showing, http://sarahb.annetteyorksgroup.com/community/area/State%20College/
             

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