Slow-henadel: Winter’s Lull on Indian Queen Lane

When we last left the Hawleys, they were hanging artwork on Hohenadel's walls, decorating their Christmas tree, and getting ready for the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas (Vegas, Baby! Sorry can’t say “Vegas” without a Vince Vaughn reference.) So what’s been happening in the new year so far? There hasn’t been much work on the house itself, according to Mike Labetti. A few weeks ago, his crew had done some painting of the outside...

Deck the Hawl(eys)!

Few things are more beautiful this time of year than a historic house decked out for the holidays. Hohenadel House's sweeping ceilings and dramatic architectural details are made for garlands, wreaths and twinkling lights. But celebrating the Holidays in a house under construction presents its own special challenges: How to hang stuff without damaging 200-year-0ld molding?  Where do stockings go, when fireplaces are kinda being used for storage...

East Falls House Party Rocks Capacity Crowd of All Ages

What a night at Hohenadel House Saturday, October 18th!  Thanks to some last-minute press by "Joe Sixpack" in last Thursday's Philadelphia Daily News, tickets started selling so quickly we were advised to turn off online sales to prevent a "Fire Marshal" situation. The packed house included almost 150 partiers -- most dressed to the nines-- some from as far as Allentown and Maryland, not including Felicite's dad from Oklahoma and Mike the...

Home Stretch: Sprint to the Finish for East Falls House Party!

Unbelievable progress in Hohenadel House's ballroom, thank goodness -- the party is this Saturday, yeep! Let's recap the incredible effort Mike and his crew have made, and give a huuuuge high five to Patrick the Plasterer -- pulled from retirement as a personal favor to Tom from Epicure. Last week. Can you imagine Patrick's face when he first saw this rush restoration job? Patrick got right down to business patching holes and building out the...

Last Chance Landscaping: Crepe Myrtle TO DIE in 72 Hours

Grant Hohenadel's lovely crepe myrtle a stay of execution, if you can. Pro-flora contractor Mike Labetti has tried to figure out a way to save 'er, but she's just too big to work around. Monday, she's gotta go. Sorry, pretty pink flowers, cheering up the entrance. Now that the god-awful overhang is gone, Mike can start working on seating for five while he designs a new, period-appropriate pediment for the home's facade. He was hoping to get a...

Harry Prime Looks Forward to his Big Night

Last week, Harry Prime came out to Epicure Cafe to meet Hohenadel House's Felicite Moorman, and have a look around the grand ballroom he'll be performing this October 18th. He brought his friend, fellow performer Bill Parsons, for a nice lunch and then a tour of the mansion. Harry was full of stories about almost every inch of East Falls -- except 3617 Indian Queen Lane! Though he traveled the road frequently as a kid on his way to baseball...

Restoration Revelation: Contractors Do NOT Like Surprise Deadlines

 Mike Labetti was blindsided!     After overseeing six months of round-the-clock repairs, refinishing, reproductions -- even whimsical fabrications -- at 3617 Indian Queen Lane, he might know every inch of that mansion but he was totally in the dark about East Falls House Party coming up in two weeks. (Ed note: we totally blogged about it back in June so he only has himself to blame, ha) He found out about it at the end of last month, when...

Extreme Makeover: Tornado Edition

“Old houses are a slow process. There’s no hurry up and get it done.”  -- Stan Moorman "Screw that, let's do this now, man!"  -- Tornado, 2006 Stan Moorman understands better than most what his daughter Felicite has been through in restoring Hohenadel House. He also shares Felicite’s passion for old houses. But the two are very different in their approach to restoring their historic houses. Unlike Felicite’s warp-speed plan for...

In search of: A Dobson Connection to Hohenadel House

From the start of our research into the house at 3617 Indian Queen Lane, we've heard that one or more members of the famous Dobson family either built the house or lived in it. So far, we've been unable to track down a Dobson connection to the property on any census reports, city directories, land records, deeds, bank notes, etc. Granted, we haven't searched under every rock -- and with a house this old, tracing owners and occupants is hardly a...

“I Learned It By Watching You!” — Felicite Follows in Father’s Footsteps

Seems Felicite may be genetically predisposed towards historic homes... Her dad's "Hall and Parlor" house in Edmond, Oklahoma was listed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 2006, as a rare surviving example of 19th century folk architecture once prevalent in the South- and Mid-West. His spare, one-and-a-half story home is a far cry from the ample, romantic design of Hohenadel House, but it's just as significant culturally and...