When our two youngest children left for college three years ago, my husband and I started talking about downsizing. Well, I did most of the talking. We were living in a cookie cutter house in Aston, a beautiful home, perfect size for our family. While my husband listened to my reasons for wanting to move, he was perfectly happy where we were. Hardwood floors, fireplace, finished basement, open floorplan, white kitchen – everything I could want. Except it wasn’t.
Here was my list of must-haves to move:
- A community feel (I knew only one neighbor in our old development)
- Sidewalks where kids could walk and ride bikes (I had to drive my kids EVERYWHERE for years)
- A train station for easy access to the City
- A house that did NOT look like every other house on the block
- An affordable mortgage payment
- A decent-sized yard, preferably with mature trees.
We searched a number of communities: Drexel Hill, Havertown, Springfield. But I knew that Lansdowne was where I wanted us to be. I started working here in 2013 and even though I did not live here, I knew more people in this town than anywhere I’d ever lived (including Media). When I walk into the bank or any of the stores, the owner calls out to me by name. Or they at least know I am a regular and greet me in a pleasant manner. People wave to me, actually wave, on the street. They stop and talk, invite me to potlucks and evenings of music. And I didn’t even live here!
Fast forward to spring 2018, when I received a phone alert about a house in Lansdowne that seemed to meet every single item on my must-have list. It was even a fixer-upper, which was my secret heart’s desire.
We bought the house in June and began gutting it, then rebuilding it alongside our very talented contractors. We had a few surprises (every renovation does) but the biggest surprise was how many of our neighbors walked by our house every night to make sure no one interfered with our work or took our tools if we left them laying outside. I can name at least five neighbors who proudly stopped by to tell me they were watching out for us. We were so grateful for this unexpected network of support. They even offered tools or supplies if we found ourselves wanting, thus saving a trip to Home Depot. Even the police stopped by to see what was happening, and to tell us they’d make it a point to drive down our street a little more often while we were renovating.
We knew right away, that this was the community for us. Live music venues, an orchestra and a folk club, farmers markets, the arts festival – Lansdowne has it all. We felt at home here even before we moved in. Since we moved in, we’ve had neighbors bring us champagne, homemade chili, even a jar of homemade raspberry jam. We can’t wait until the weather is warmer and we can meet more of my new neighbors, but for now, I am grateful to be in this wonderful community where everybody knows my name.
Debbie Brodeur
LEDC Executive Director
PS
If you love everything Lansdowne as much as I do, please consider supporting the LEDC with an end-of-the-year donation.