West Whitehall Road | Richards

Edith Richards was a sister of Dorothy Stover, who taught art at Penn State. Phil was a (probably outstanding) student in Dorothy’s class. When Edith wanted to build a home, she also approached Phil about doing the design for her adjacent to her sister’s home. This is a second instance where Phil designed adjoining homes for sisters, both on Whitehall Road.

From the plans, she apparently wanted to have a design where the lower level could be used as a separate apartment. From the current photo, the house has now indeed been converted into a duplex. Another major change is the addition of a large deck in front to replace the former smaller balcony.

This is Hallock’s initial sketch for the dwelling. The main entry is from the carport.

MAIN FLOOR PLAN

LOWER LEVEL FLOOR PLAN

Hallock used a contemporary window treatment for the living room.

Hallock often used carports rather than garages. The decorative outside wall uses common concrete blocks.

Though less fancy than The Stover House (I), Hallock still used a raised hearth and a sculpted design. Note how the chimney width extends above the fireplace opening.

The treatment of the stairs to the lower level is very similar to The Stover House (I). The quite different area divider formerly had translucent panels. These were removed to provide more light.

The lot for the Richards home is quite deep, so the living area was oriented to the rear. The large windows are for the living room and the kitchen is to the left. Hallock’s traditional rectangular chimney is also used.

Composition or rubber roofing was not available in the mid-1950s. The contemporary homes of the period typically had flat or low-pitched roofs and standard shingles would not work. Built-up tar and gravel was then widely used, per above.