This three bedroom ranch house has been designed along sensible lines with a basic simplicity which means savings in construction and insures its popularity through the years. This good basic look has been achieved, however, without sacrificing eye appeal. Large windows, horizontal and vertical wood siding, brick trim and a sheltered flagstone porch leading to a recessed door all provide an air of graciousness. The foyer is king-sized, a center from which all areas of the house can be reached. Because the living room is completely separate it will be easy to keep looking just right for company; it has an off-center fireplace on the back wall, built-in alcoves for television and hi-fi, a front picture window and enough unbroken wall space for interesting furniture placement. 

 

City dweller and country dweller alike will appreciate this versatile ranch house design. The simple lines and the warmth of the wood shake and fieldstone exterior combine to look well in any setting. One particularly lovely feature is the fieldstone planter beneath the bow window. The flagstone entry is in a protected corner of the house; the front door opens on a center hall which has a handy coat closet. To the left of this center hall are the three bedrooms. The room at the front of the house is the large master bedroom and it has double exposure windows and two closets. The bedroom in the center has a double window and a large closet with sliding doors, and the rear bedroom has windows on two walls and a large closet with sliding doors. In the bathroom there is a dual vanity sink and a towel closet plus tub, and there is additional storage for bedroom linens in a hall closet. 

A bow window with a window seat provides one of the focal points of the living room; another is the fireplace centered in the side wall. The dining room, with windows overlooking the property at the rear of the house, is actually an extension of the living room. Thus these two areas may easily be decorated and used as one unit or, by the simple device of furniture grouping or a room divider, they can retain their individuality. In any case, these two rooms provide an elegant place in which to entertain. The kitchen, which has a built-in oven and a counter top range, an "L" shape cabinet arrangement and dinette space in front of the windows, also has a rear entry opening on the porch. The attached two car garage, with space along one side for the storage of tools, toys, etc. has a door to the porch, too. This means that in addition to being a fine place to relax when the weather is nice, the porch is also useful as a protected passage between the house and the garage during inclement weather.

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source: Best Homes, issue 47, 1968

Gemini AI Rendering

 

Any suburban property becomes a country estate when this house appears. The lines are casual and hospitable, and the use of colorful shingle or siding, plus white-painted brick, adds just the right note. The covered front porch or portico, with its arched colonnade protecting the handsome double front door and offering a covered way from the garage, really invites you to come in and stay a while. A slate floored foyer is practical inside, and pretty, too, with a planter corner as a highlight. 

You'll find a den or bedroom on one side and the gorgeous beamed family room at the back. Stop for a moment and enjoy the fireplace corner, or have a look at the rear garden and terrace through the back window wall. On a more practical note, there's a complete laundry room, with a most convenient and tidy lavatory adjoining it, all very close to the rear service door. Living, dining and kitchen areas are on the level up three steps to the right. See how convenient this is for housekeeping, extending the scope of the kitchen to the lower-level laundry without too much stair climbing. A curved bay in the kitchen invites a dinette table (and don't think the youngsters won't use this for homework and snacks). 

The living room and dining room form a most attractive L-shaped area, and a second fireplace is shown as a home-owner's option in the living space. The bedroom level is reached by the stairway shown with wrought iron rail balcony overlooking the foyer (basement stairs are available under this from the laundry side). Three bedrooms and a split bathroom area are found on the upper level. Seven closets are a blessing to an active household up here. The bath combines master lavatory, private tub enclosure and family lavatory (2 toilets, 2 vanitories and tub room plus towel storage in this well-planned unit). This is a home that turns tired city commuters into country squires as they turn the key in the lock each day.

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source: Best Homes, issue 47, 1968

Gemini AI Rendering

There’s an entirely different kind of energy captured in this postcard—one that hums with life, movement, and the unmistakable rhythm of a seaside summer. The scene, labeled “The Beach and Casino,” unfolds along the bustling shoreline of Asbury Park, a place that once stood at the heart of East Coast leisure and social life.

Unlike the quiet elegance of a park fountain, this image is alive with density. The beach is packed—umbrellas clustered together, figures scattered across the sand, and crowds wading into the surf. You can almost hear it: the crashing waves, the laughter, the distant music drifting from the boardwalk. The ocean stretches out calmly, but the shore itself feels electric, charged with the presence of hundreds of lives intersecting in a single moment.

Dominating the background is the grand casino structure, extending confidently along the waterfront. Nearby piers reach out into the Atlantic, dotted with people who seem just as intent on being part of the spectacle as those in the water. These weren’t just architectural features—they were social platforms, places to see and be seen, to participate in a shared ritual of summer escape.

What’s striking is how communal everything feels. Today, beaches often leave space between visitors, but here, proximity is part of the experience. Families, couples, and individuals blend into a single mass of activity. It reflects a time when leisure itself was becoming democratized—when more people had access to travel, to time off, and to places like Asbury Park that offered a temporary break from urban routines.

There’s also a subtle contrast between structure and spontaneity. The boardwalk, the casino, the orderly piers—these are carefully built, permanent. But the crowd, the waves, the shifting umbrellas—these are fleeting, constantly changing. The postcard captures that intersection beautifully: a fixed place filled with temporary stories.

And as with all postcards, what’s missing is just as intriguing as what’s shown. Who sent this? Was it a memory shared with someone far away, or simply proof of a day well spent? Perhaps the sender stood somewhere along that crowded shore, looking out at the same scene, deciding that this was the image worth preserving.

Now, years later, it becomes more than a beach scene. It’s a snapshot of American leisure at its peak—a reminder that long before digital photos and instant messages, moments like these were chosen carefully, printed, and sent across distances to say, in the simplest way possible.

 

There are many attractive features to this ranch home. The one which will gain immediate attention is the beauty of its exterior. Shingle or clapboard is used for the major portion and handsome stone trims the front. The attached garage, topped by a cupola, adds to the long and low appearance which blends so well into any setting. Board siding and a pair of wood pillars make the covered flagstone front porch the center of interest, just as it should be. Another important feature is the variety of entrances which this home has. The front door opens on a center hall, right by a handy coat closet. 

There is a side door which opens on a work saving mud room-laundry-lavatory area. Next to this is the inside door to the two-car garage and since the stairs to the basement are also in this area you will find it easy to accomplish many household chores without tracking up the house itself. The terrace may be reached from the garage or the living room or the master bedroom. Plenty of storage space is essential to a well-run household, and for this reason the garage includes a storage closet and two storage rooms which have double access. 

A well-planned work center, large corner windows facing on the porch, pocket doors at either end for privacy when needed—all these things contribute toward making the spacious family room-kitchen a focal point for informal activities. Glass doors and two big windows add interest to the living-dining room, as does the fireplace with full-width raised hearth. A simple stockade fence, used to advantage, would make an effective screen for the barbeque part of the terrace and create a cozy outdoor dining spot. Each front bedroom has a high double window, trimmed with a window box, and a double sliding-door closet. The master bedroom includes three corner windows, a triple closet and a private bath. This room could be used as a bed-sitting room in any season—relax on the terrace when the weather permits or by the big windows when it doesn't! The location of the family bath and the hall linen closet make both generally useful.

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source: Best Homes, issue 47, 1968

Gemini AI Rendering

 There’s something quietly powerful about holding a postcard that has already lived a life before it reached your hands. This particular piece, depicting the Place Fountain in Central Park, carries with it not just an image of a place, but a fragment of a moment—February 22, 1905, carefully inscribed in ink that has softened with time.

At first glance, the scene itself feels almost serene to the point of stillness. The fountain sits at the center, framed by curving paths and gentle greenery, with figures strolling leisurely along the promenade. The composition captures an era when urban parks were not just recreational spaces, but social stages—places where people met, walked, and were seen. The muted tones and painterly quality suggest this was more than a photograph; it was meant to evoke atmosphere, a kind of idealized calm in the growing city.

But the real story begins below the image, where the handwritten message breathes life into the card. “Thanks for last card. Hope to see you on our next meeting, March 2nd. Sincerely…” It’s simple, almost routine, yet that simplicity is exactly what makes it intimate. There’s no grand declaration, no dramatic event—just a small thread of connection between two people navigating their lives over a century ago. You can almost imagine the sender pausing, choosing their words, perhaps seated at a desk or café, the city humming quietly outside.

The date—2/22/05—anchors the card firmly in time. This was a New York on the brink of transformation, a city expanding upward and outward, yet still holding onto the rhythms of the 19th century. Central Park, already a beloved landmark, served as a kind of shared emotional ground for residents. Sending a postcard like this wasn’t just about communication—it was about sharing a place, a feeling, a slice of everyday life.

What makes this postcard especially compelling is the contrast between permanence and transience. The fountain still exists in some form, the park endures, and the city continues to evolve. But the people in the image, the sender, the recipient—their stories have largely faded. And yet, through this small card, one brief exchange has survived, bridging more than a hundred years to arrive in your collection.

In collecting pieces like this, you’re not just gathering objects—you’re preserving echoes. Each postcard becomes a quiet witness, carrying voices that would otherwise be lost. And every time you look at it, you’re not just seeing Central Park as it was; you’re stepping into a conversation that began long before you, and now, in a way, includes you too.