It’s always interesting to look at an older property and try to envision it during earlier times. Two problems we typically face are having little information about the families who lived there and no photographs showing the property during their ownership.

At that point we look at its current appearance, close our eyes, and put our imagination to work. Let’s try that concept with a home I recently had the opportunity to visit, found in the Hillcroft neighborhood of Spring Garden Township.

Rosemont Estate, 370 Lambeth Walk

Photo courtesy of Randall Dubs

In 1910, a beautiful home was built whose only means of access was via a private drive from South Queen Street. The entrance was guarded by a wrought iron gate hung on stone pillars. Though the private drive no longer exists, the iron gates can still be seen at a private residence along Queen Street and just to the south of Lambeth Walk.

Lambeth Walk isn’t your typical street name, but it may have gotten its start from the 1937 musical “Me and My Girl”. One of the songs was “The Lambeth Walk”, named after a street in the Lambeth, a borough in southern London, England. Chreography created for the musical inspired a walking dance craze that reached the United States in 1938. It became popular in nightclubs and was played by orchestras including that of Duke Ellington.

The families of Rosemont…

One has to wonder how many people walked through the home’s front door into the foyer, as shown above. One of the earliest families to live at Rosemont Estate was that of Dr. Francis Roman Wise, who purchased the property in 1926 from Charles Ness.

Dr. Wise operated an office along East Market Street in York, but also from his Lambeth Walk Home. He had beautiful prize roses growing on the property and was a past president of the York Garden Club.

An elderly neighbor recalls as a little girl, seeing Mrs. Wise stick a rose in her husband’s lapel every morning before he headed to the office.

The dining room was surely the focal point of many gatherings over the years, and each family who used it surely had many memories of it. Following the ownership of the Wise family, Rosemont Estate was purchased by William and Katherine Lynne in 1954 and then Delphine and Beatrice Brown. Little is known about these families.

In 1967, the estate was purchased by John E. and Martha Baker II. John’s grandfather, John E. Baker, founded the J.E. Baker Company in 1889. Years later, John II and his father William founded the Dolomite Brick Corporation of America.

After nearly 30 years of ownership, the Baker’s sold the property to William and Marguerite Laird in 1986. William was the former owner of Blockhouse Furniture when it was located in Red Lion. The business manufactured hospital and dormitory furniture, and several of his chair designs are registered with the United States Patent Office.

In 2002, Randall and Louise Dubs purchased Rosemont Estate from William and Marguerite, and have enjoyed their 10 years of ownership.

Let your imagination be your guide…

Take some time to look at the photographs below and try to envision how these beautiful rooms appeared decades ago. It would be interesting to compare them to examples from the early years of the property.

The living room, where countless guests were entertained…

The dressing room…

The master bedroom…

Photo courtesy of Randall Dubs

One of the most interesting rooms at Rosemont Estate can be accessed one of two ways. When using the stairway above, you must duck down as you make your way to…

… the tavern room. This room is decorated to give the appearance of an early tavern setting. Around the small wall to the right is the stairway to the kitchen and features…

Photo courtesy of Randall Dubs

…a trapdoor that is still present. I’d love to learn what the door was originally used for.

Quite literally, every aspect of Rosemont Estate is interesting to look at, and the possibilities of how it looked for previous owners is endless.

The second floor hallway…

Photo courtesy of Randall Dubs

and finally the library with beautiful marble fireplace…

Timeline of ownership…

• ???? – Charles Ness from ????
• 1926: Dr. Francis Roman Wise from Charles Ness.
• ???? – William and Katherine Lynne from the Wises
• 1954: Delphine and Beatrice Brown from the Lynnes.
• 1967: John E. and Martha Baker II from the Browns
• 1986: William and Marguerite Laird from the Bakers
• 2002: Randall and Louise Dubbs from the Lairds

Before we wrap this story up, I want to mention the carriage house that was once part of Rosemont Estate. Found on the opposite side of Lambeth Walk, it was made into a home when G. William Schaumann and his wife purchased it in the 1950s. Mr. Schaumann was vice-president of Yorkraft, Inc., an innovative company that created many types of decorative products. The company opened a gift shop called “The Drum” in 1961 at 3550 East Market Street but later moved to the Vilage Green Shopping Center. In 1964, Yorkcraft expanded its operation to a four-story building at 550 South Pine Street.

Want to see more?

Rosemont Estate is ready for a new family to call the property home as Randall and Louise are ready to start a new chapter in their lives. To view more detailed information and additional photographs of this unique property, please visit its real estate listing which was recently placed online.

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