206 N. 34^th Street

204-206 N. 34^th St.

The History of the Building

200-206 N. 34^th St.: Circa 1885. Both these buildings are three-story, four-bay red brick doubles. Horizontal bands of pressed brick ornament the building. Stepped bricks advance outward towards the flat roof line giving the appearance. of a slightly flared upper story. The houses have original wood porches. 204-06 has some altered posts, altered balustrades and rough casted base.

(Inventory of Buildings in Powelton from the application submitted to the national register of Historic Places)

1969: The houses on the west side of the 200 block of 34^th St. were saved from condemnation and demolition by an agreement between the Powelton Village Homeowners Association and the Philadelphia Redevelopment Authority. (see Powelton Quarterly, vol 1(1); pp 1 &3.)

Previous Residents of 206 N. 34th Street

1878 Atlas shows the owner of 200-210 as Henry D. Justi.

Henry D. and Elizabeth Justi lived at 3401 Baring St.

1890 Directory: Pritchett, James C., flour, office: 317 N. Broad

1891, December: Deed transferred from Henry M. & Elizabeth (wife) Justi to George B. & Lucy M. (wife) Evans.

Lucy M. Hickman married George B. Evans March 12, 1890. They were married by Rev. Henry C. McCook at the Tabernacle Presbyterian Church (Phila. Inquirer)

1898 Blue Book: Mr. & Mrs. George B. Evans

George B. Evans was a member of the Powelton Club. (For a brief history of the club, see the Powelton History Blog.)

In 1900, they lived at 223 N. 34th.

1900: not censused

1902, September: Deed transferred from George B. & Lucy M. (wife) Evans to John & Ada W. (wife) Powers.

In 1900, John and Ada Powers were living in Haverford, Delaware Co., Pa.

1906 Blue Book: Mr. & Mrs. John O. Powers

1910:

John O. Powers 41 Advertiser; born in [Sheffield] England, parents born in N.Y.; owner with mortgage

Ada A. Powers 46 Married 12 years, 4 children; born in N.Y., father in Pa., mother in N.Y.

Walter E. Powers 11 Son; born in Calif.

Anna Powers 7

Robert W. Powers 9

Ethel Powers 5

Esther Thomas 32 Cook; black; married 10 years, one child; born in the West Indies

Bessie Brown 20 Waitress; mulatto; born in Va.

(ED 533, 2A & 13A)

For a brief bio, see the Powelton History blog.

1911, October: Deed transferred from John & Ada W. (wife) Powers to Michael & Esther (wife) Ryan.

1918, November: Deed transferred from Michael & Esther (wife) Ryan to Mary F. Ryan.

1920:

Michael Ryan 75 Born in Ireland, immigrated in 1855; owner with mortgage

Esther Ryan 74 Born in Ireland, immigrated in 1855

Mary F. Ryan 40 Clerk in a department store

Kathryn V. Ryan 43 Public school teacher

Thomas J. Ryan 41 [Unreadable] in electric goods; widowed

Stephan Ryan 29 Clerk in railroad office

Stephen Ryan 9 Grandson

(ED 688, 1B)

1922, February: Deed transferred from Mary F. (single) Ryan to Mary H. Smith.

1930:

Andrew B. Smith 54 Manager in coal office; owner, house valued at $20,000

Katherine E. Smith 54

Mary N. Smith 56 Sister, bookkeeper in coal office

Katherine Smith 19 Librarian

A. Boyd Smith 16

Minnie M. Amon 49 Lodger; accountant for engineering firm; rent: $22

May C. Stai 58 Lodger; rent: $22; widowed; born in Kentucky

Viola Ennis 56 Lodger; rent: $22; born in Del.; librarian in a public library

Nina Walker 56 Lodger; rent: $22; widowed; clerk

(ED 397, 4B-5A)

1942, October: Deed transferred from Audren B. Smith of the Estate of Mary N. Smith and Emily Smith as of Mary N. Smith to Phila Trust Co. Helen Nebb and Mildred Tifft Trustees under Will of Robert W. Fitzell (dec'd) Fidelity.

According to the 1900 Census, Robert Fitzell was a real estate broker. He was born in Ireland in 1842 and immigrated in 1843 as an infant. His wife, Sophia, was born in Maryland in 1854. Helen Webb and Mildred Tifft were his daughters. Mildred was married to Richard Tifft, an insurance broker. In 1930, they lived in Lower Merion. Helen was married to Edward L. Webb, a graduate of the Naval Academy who was born in Louisiana. He also had a son, Robert, and another daughter, Evelyn.

1943, July: Deed transferred from Phila Trust Co. Helen Nebb and Mildred Tifft Trustees under Will of Robert W. Fitzell (dec'd) Fidelity to Sadie (widow) Wolinsky.

1976-1997: 204-206 34^th St. was the home of the Drexel University chapter of the ΣΑΕ, Sigma Alpha Epsilon, fraternity.

2009: The home of the Drexel University chapter of the ΑΧΡ, Alpha Chi Rho, fraternity.

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