A photo sent to me during recent civic association meeting…
I spy with my little eye a new Inquirer article on the 19035. No not about the grifters currently visiting Club Fed or wherever that the civic association didn’t want mussing up their “vibe” but the article is about the equivalent of the hypothetical company town owners.
(Inquirer article has a pay wall and you have to subscribe to read it, unless they are still allowing people a few free reads a month?)
What do I say company town owners? Easy. In part this reminds me of our history when it come to factory / mining / mill towns when they were first settled (think 19th century.)
These company towns were controlled by the owners of the factory / mining / mill towns. They built the houses, school, local store, etc. etc. (Related aside: Gladwyne already once was a mill etc. town once upon a time, so is that the rich man poor man vibe the developers are going for again?)
Anyway these company towns had the ability to control every single person. They had literally a monopoly on everything. Workers and their families were dependent upon the owners of factory / mills / mines for their survival, which was a great way to control these people yes? Of course, history refers to boom and bust cycles with these towns which is why tourists visit ghost towns out west to this day, yes?
If you are interested in learning more about these types of towns see:
Yeah I know you think I am off on a tangent but the origin of the Gladwyne Village is HELLO a MILL TOWN. Do the upwardly mobile of nouveau 19035 really want to be owned again in a sense? Sociologically it’s a fascinating point to ponder.
So the article also talks about the mythical green space that is so fake sounding I can practically feel the sickly sweet taste.
Here is a link to what they presented to HARB at the beginning of May, which is what they presented to the 19035 gated community errr I mean Gladwyne Civic:
(I will tell you that Lower Merion Township’s website sucks, it’s as if it was designed to hide things, but I digress.)
So once again they are with the green space and fakakta gazebo with parking butting up against existing residents’ homes like it’s a city and WHY? Do they not see the big assed park that is 14.8 acres DIRECTLY ACROSS THE STREET?
I mean I am told that developer guy Andre worked in the village as a kid before he became an Andre? Does he have selective male Alzheimer’s or something? Are they literally BLIND as to the amount of green space, open space, natural water features, etc etc that ALREADY FREAKING EXIST IN GLADWYNE FOR ALL TO ENJOY? Are the residents also green blind?
Literally WTF in Gladwyne?
They don’t need a developer manufactured pocket park in essence….there is one across the street that is HUGE. Then there is Rolling Hill, Saunders Woods, Flat Rock Park, need I go on?
So these people and Lower Merion Township are either not listening hard enough, not caring enough to hear, or are just freaking green blind aren’t they?
Do the historic preservation and adaptive reuse. Rebuild the Gladwyne Pharmacy etc building, as that was probably just a favor for some pal that Walter Durham designed it in the first place because he designed houses, not mini malls. But leave the zoning alone which will threaten a well established historic district that is recognized on a local, county, state, and federal level. (Unless of course they plan to add a Trump Arch like planned for Washington DC?)
Listen harder and hear developers.
Don’t tart up the village. Do better, be better.
If these developers want their legacy in the 19035, they need to respect the legacy that already exists. Right now they are merely paying it lip service in my opinion.
Gladwyne is a wonderful place with a historic village. The nouveau and uninformed see it as this money-laden Main Line place to be conquered. Yeah, so they have done that enough in general to the Main Line, but there are some places that they should just leave alone. That includes the literally historic village in Gladwyne.
Yesterday was Azalea Day at St. Christopher’s in Gladwyne. It was the 73rd year.
I went to Azalea Day from the time I was 12 pretty much until I moved to Chester County. It was and is a perfect example of the magic of the village and surrounding environs which just don’t need tarting/messing up.
Historic preservation and adaptive reuse YES.
A zoning change and development circus? NO.
Gladwyne doesn’t need to be other than it is. Maybe people can’t stop Lower Merion from approving horrible out of place LEGO infill development McMansions, nor keep predatory development out of Ardmore with BS plans every few years for Schauffele Plaza, etc., but Lower Merion needs to be proactive with stopping the madness in the 19035.
It’s like Groundhog Day in Gladwyne every few years when a bad plan arises. The only thing now is that they neither have a civic association with people willing to protect the historic village, nor elected officials who are willing to do so and did you ever think Gladwyne would be in this predicament? Honestly, I did not because all of my observing prior to this was admiration for Gladwyne sticking up for Gladwyne.
Historic preservation and adaptive reuse YES.
A zoning change and development circus? NO.
Now there are still some people on Gladwyne Civic who were part of the magnificent years where they STOOD UP and fought for Gladwyne and the historic village. But they are the minority and probably tired. And my so much civic “leadership” yet where IS the leading? Oh I am sure they don’t care for my opinions and they even tossed me out of the closed Facebook group started by a friend. They have social climbers from Chester County in the group, but I am a threat. They tried once before this to remove me unsuccessfully.
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So I am out of the group now, which is no great loss as it is quite the insipid government ass kissing shadow of the group it once was….and civic it once was.
They will say that I am talking about this because it is merely sour grapes and no it’s not. If they kept such close tabs on my activity there before the co-prez removed me, they would see that I really did not visit much as the involvement of my friends lessened. That and knowing that I could not keep my mouth shut over the insipid nothingness that was being posted. Gold foil stars for all, and the nerve of that horse for not picking up its poop!
I had posted about what was happening in the historic village district because THEY WERE NOT. And it was and IS important. But now I realize WHY they aren’t and it’s sad that I realized it’s in my opinion a combination of a lack of spine and it would mean actually working for the community, right? For these people it’s easier to have a “greenspace” and gazebo that is not needed and for the historic village district to lose protections with a zoning change and an overlord they can bow and scrape to isn’t it? And if this goes through like this, history in my opinion, will not remember them fondly.
Again, for the cheap people in the expensive seats: historic preservation and continued adaptative reuse is a GREAT thing. Creating a fake narrative and a Peddlers Village/Disneyesque landscape is NOT. Potentially changing the zoning, tearing down houses and undoubtedly trees is also a BIG MISTAKE.
I can indeed have these opinions. My opinion remains the same: yes to historic preservation, tree preservation, and adaptive reuse. No to zoning changes and the ensuing circus. It’s still supposed to be a historic 18th/19th century crossroads village and THAT is ok.
The Gladwyne Civic needs to recover where they left their collective balls.
Lower Merion Commissioners need to not sit on their hands.
Residents can’t depend on either the commissioners or civic association here and they should go to every single meeting possible to save the village.
Historic preservation and adaptive reuse YES.
A zoning change and development circus? NO.
Vanity projects can be useful, this project has many problems. The developers here should use their big money for good….if they are really listening, that is?
The “greenspace” and then shoving parking next to private homes of residents who were there first. Quite disrespectful at a minimum if it matters to these people.
Greenspace is great, but have these people also actually paid attention to Gladwyne?
Right across Youngs Ford Road is a most marvelous park, and some of the best trails and open space anywhere are already existing in Gladwyne and have for many, many years. That “greenspace” is lipstick on the proverbial pig and a vanity thing along with the “water feature” and most of this project. And yes I can have that opinion. (Creeks and a big river are apparently not enough of a NATURAL water feature?)
A lot of people were not around to remember the “water feature” that worked for like ten minutes in Ardmore at the “gateway” on Ardmore Ave by Bryn Mawr Trust (don’t know what it is now). And the water feature was crooked, as in not level.
Today it is an oversized flowerpot that whomever owns the property should care for, but not sure who does?
Gladwyne is a beautiful area with natural water features, not an urban center that needs the calming influence of the sound of water so you don’t hear buses and taxis etc etc.
I am all for historic preservation and adaptive reuse, not Disney.
Gladwyne does not have to be Peddlers Village, there already is one.
Gladwyne does not have to be anything other than the sweet village it already is.
Reading and reciting history to (in part) appease HARB and the public doesn’t mean you get it, and part of the whole they aren’t there yet, is they do not get Gladwyne any more than a lot of the nouveaux who have moved in over the recent past.
What I have sadly observed is I do not think that the commissioner who now serves this ward including Gladwyne gets it, nor do most of the 14 member board of commissioners. The current leadership of Gladwyne Civic either doesn’t get it or they in my opinion have personal agendas and yes, I can offer that opinion. One co-president in particular is a problem and he treats Gladwyne as a gated community, which oh my means he won’t like it in the end if the village turns Disneyesque. The other co-president is nice (and his wife is fabulous.) The civic today seems to not have the same spirit past iterations have had, and a lot of the people willing to get up and fight for Gladwyne have moved and even passed away. Can we send up a prayer that Gladwyne Civic finds it’s lost spine?
BUT (and it’s important) If the commissioners allow that zoning change it will mean eventual disaster for a little, VERY historic crossroads village, which historically is supposed to be just that. Nothing more, nothing less, it doesn’t have to be.
The other thing is this: there are other areas the “developers” AKA new village owners could pour their energies into. Like Narberth, which is no longer a magical small town that I used to call Main Line Glocca Mora, it’s a hot mess with local borough government that acts like they all have had lobotomies or something. (Cue trying to sell Sabine Park for development, right? Or the disgraceful condition of parts of “Main Street” near the old market.)
Look, the bottom line is these people see a PROJECT in Gladwyne, and IMHO it is still a vanity project because I still feel they don’t SEE Gladwyne for who she really is and can remain. Again, I don’t object to restoration and adaptive reuse AT ALL, but as for some of the rest of it, there was something one of my grandmothers said once upon a time: just because you CAN do something, it doesn’t mean you should.
Enjoy the screenshots courtesy of the Lower Merion Historical Society and my photos with many happy memories of the village of Gladwyne.
Here’s hoping they figure it out. Here’s hoping they realize that some places can retain their historical and beloved character and it’s ok just the way it is.
(Also, I had heard that there MIGHT be some kind of a meeting possibly at Waverly Heights on May 19? Is that just a regular civic meeting or a special meeting? And ummm on Election Day? That’s kind of shady isn’t it? And if it is happening, where is it posted so people can verify it? Or can’t the public attend?)
I am also including in the post, proposed changes to historic preservation stuff in Lower Merion and Class I and Class II resources. (It is a draft of a historic preservation plan.) As I know longer live there, doesn’t affect me, but it bears reviewing by the public before the commissioners act upon it in the future. I will note that the LMT employee head of HARB, Greg Pritchard, is a really good dude and incredibly knowledgeable. I came to know him years ago when he was with the Radnor Historical Society. He helped me research the Wayne Natatorium when I was submitting it to the state for the historical marker.
And we thought school districts around here were crazy?
In a nutshell, a Montgomery County school board director seems to have had a massive fit of Fibbar McGees after an Inquirer reporter researched an article they must’ve not liked?
Souderton Area School District? Souderton School Board Member Kim Wheeler apparently said an Inquirer reporter was under investigation? And police responded yeah no it’s reporting and it’s protected by the first amendment?
So yep, I thought that’s crazy and then there’s a video so is she crazy? I mean to make up something about a reporter or to repeat something made up? I mean, what’s wrong with this woman and what’s wrong with the school board that if you look at her political past as a member of that school board and as a politician, why is she still on the board?
Now what this is about is spending, including lavish trips by Montgomery County Intermediate Unit? And apparently this school Bird person said she got her information from I guess the person who runs the intermediate unit Regina Speaker? I have to ask how was the African safari?
Of course the best thing is this isn’t the first time the school board member has been shall we say controversial and that’s being kind?
Do you want to start with the reports of fake Facebook pages? Or the whole ACLU of it all?
I want to say thank you to the community group Right to Know Souderton for having all the information at my fingertips. And NO they didn’t ask me to write anything I found all this on my own because once I read the Inquirer article I was like what the Sam Hell is going on in Montgomery County?
And the best of all there is a connection to Chester county, because the woman who is head of the Montgomery County Intermediate Unit used to be the Superintendent of the Great Valley School District. Yep….her. And remember before she was at Great Valley she was at Phoenixville School District . 
The craziness in Bucks County School Districts is bucolic by comparison.
I hope The Philadelphia Inquirer publishes MORE articles about Souderton. Also note one of my readers referred to Souderton as the Alabama of Montgomery County and I don’t think they meant it to be flattering do you? 
Swatting is a hoax where people make fake emergency 911 reports—such as bomb threats, murders, or hostage situations—to dispatch police to a victim’s address.
This is not only dangerous but is also illegal and it uses caller ID spoofing to trigger a massive, armed response, creating severe risks of injury or death, while wasting law enforcement resources and ultimately taxpayer dollars.
These things can also often trigger eight real life SWAT team. As in not the TV show.
Yesterday I’m told there was one in Bucks County. I also know there was one in Gladwyne, and then last night as people were getting ready to go to sleep in Easttown it happened there.
So imagine if you’re over in that part of Easttown last night and all of a sudden there are police everywhere? That’s not funny, that’s scary.
I don’t know if there’s some stupid ass teenager trend again or what but why would anyone think this is funny?
A friend of mine verified with Lower Merion police that this was a swatting incident yesterday. I have not verified anything with Easttown, but I did take the time to put together a recording of most of the scanner stuff last night involving this.
I started getting messages late last night into this morning about the Easttown incident. I think it is incumbent upon that township to talk about this. I think it is incumbent upon any municipalities dealing with this to talk about this. And if they find who’s done it, then they also need to prosecute them.
This whole billionaire is buying up a Main Line area village is disturbing, yet expected at the same time, isn’t it? Is it as simple as nothing says I’ve arrived like “I own you and all of this?”
Ok yes, slightly generalized and sarcastic but that is how this feels, doesn’t it?
Why Gladwyne village? Some might say “why not” but I honestly want to know why don’t you? To me, in my opinion, this doesn’t feel altruistic or having a love of historic structures. I can have that opinion, unless of course in this process the first amendment was purchased as well?
Doesn’t this feel more personal to you? I mean look, Jeff Yass, who is very much part of this is a self-made man of an extraordinary level? An impressive career and financial trajectory is undeniable. After all when you look up his Wikipedia page you see he was a guy from Queens, NY. Described as growing up in an average middle class family and now he’s the Sheriff of Yasswyne, err Gladwyne?
All snark aside, on its face it is impressive. BUT. And this is a big BUT. But why Gladwyne? Is it to be able to look out from what we grew up with as The Guard House, now part of the Union League Club to be able to wave and arm and declare ownership? I don’t have that answer only the little voice inside me says this is still not just about sprucing up a historically listed village, but most billionaires play things close to the vest don’t they? (Not actually a dig, it just makes sense.)
I don’t know that I like the idea of this all being bought up by a new entity who doesn’t seem to truly understand the history of Gladwyne or Gladwyne village. Or maybe it’s just I truly wonder do they care? Is this a passion project or an enormous exhibition of ego meets narcissism?
Things I really don’t like are the word of mouth and direct conversations with people who have been having land agents or realtors or whomever showing up unannounced and uninvited. Whomever these people or this person is, they are trying to chat people up to sell their property and why? They don’t seem to wish to disclose who they are representing and why? Is this deliberate vagueness? A question I have NOT heard asked is DO THEY HAVE SOLICITATION PERMITS FROM LOWER MERION?
What these smiley doorknockers are doing is door to door soliciting, so has the commissioner now representing Gladwyne actually looked into that matter? Shouldn’t he and shouldn’t Lower Merion? They aren’t exactly peddling Girl Scout cookies, after all.
In my opinion (again allowed to have) the more properties acquired means the project gets bigger. I found the house bought at the end of 2025 close to other acquired properties:
So this house is zoned residential, right? I guess then it has to be moved to like some kind of commercial zoning in order for it to be a viable part of the revamped village concept or whatever the hell they’re calling it?
When it comes to bending over for developers, the current director of building and planning at Lower Merion Township is an expert isn’t he? I mean, we all remember or some of us remember the days of eminent domain for private gain in Ardmore don’t worry?
I don’t trust Lower Merion Township. When Bob Duncan was head of Building and Planning you could always count on him doing the right thing, or at least giving you an honest answer, even if it was hard to hear. In my opinion, those days are long gone at far away. And then you look at the manager’s office – the guy formerly from West Chester Borough. He was at that job for 27 years until 2014. He is super development loving manager, look no further than the path he set for West Chester Borough, yes? So in my opinion, is he going to actually care about preserving the historic village center of Gladwyne, PA?
I don’t know enough about the composition of the current Board of Commissioners in Lower Merion to know if any of them really give a good goddamn about the Historic Village of Gladwyne being preserved and not turned into Peddlers Village do you? What I doknow is Lower Merion is prone to historically bad decisions. Look at the failed attempt at eminent domain for private gain years ago?
And for those who think houses can’t be torn down by subsequent owners? Remember La Ronda.
I grew up in Lower Merion and enjoyed it and loved the quirkiness of old Gladwyne. I laughed when with the presentation for the Yasswyne of it all people were ooohing over picnic tables. Why? Had they never visited the Gladwyne Lunch? Not new.
Again, adaptive reuse and restoration? Not a bad idea. But wobbly plans that seem too good to be true? Shall we contemplate they probably are? I’ve been looking at their plans and again no problem with restoration and adaptive reuse but there’s big question marks over the Walter Durham building that houses the pharmacy, etc. and it’s always been an awkward building.
That’s nothing new. I actually don’t think it’s worth saving as it doesn’t work. BUT what replaces it? This is listed historic district, correct? It can’t be too huge and average retail looking it has to be special. It has to fit with the historic district. Size and scale matters. Design matters and this is a historic village, it’s not a beige beige world with loads of stucco.
When you look at the back of the parking lot, which actually isn’t that expensive now you can’t help but wonder are those townhouses over that wall an eventual target of this “reimagining”?
And no matter what happens who protects the residential residents around this “reimagining” ? Why do I feel like the Civic Association isn’t doing much here? Are they afraid? Are they unsure? Are they ignoring it hoping it’ll all go away? And what about the commissioners, including the new guy in Gladwyne?
A wonderful piece of art on a building not owned by the current buyer uppers of the village
And other than the legal wrangling and wondering about commercial and residential deeds and commercial and residential zoning of it all, what about traffic and practical things? Like current traffic? The car rider lines for the Montessori school are no joke and even I have seen those over the years. And then there’s the car rider lines for the elementary school.
And parking. I think it’s a no secret that the Guard House doesn’t have sufficient parking right? So how do we know there will be sufficient parking for this proposed Shangri-La of a Main Line Peddlers Village?
I mean, come on wouldn’t that be better to start smaller and see how this all works? Restore and work with what they have and not tear down houses? or did they buy that house in December to put a business there? If so, what kind and where will the people park for that?
Should we ponder that this is about the soul, moral values of a community and what people want it to be in the future? Do these village purchasers actually want meaningful input from the community or are they paying the community lip service just to get what they want? Come on now, don’t act surprised that I said that because developers do that all of the time, don’t they?
I have written before that there’s a whole history here. That history should neither be ignored nor denied. One of the problems overall on the Main Line in general as newcomers have moved in is they’re there for the lore not the reality. You have all the funny bullshit of what the Main Line is supposed to represent and a lot of. It’s just realtor marketing, take Malvern, which isn’t actually the Main Line but every time you turn around somebody is saying it is.
The village of Gladwyne I first saw as a kid wasn’t perfect. It was quirky, it was old, it was historic, and it was kind of awesome. It still is kind of awesome and it doesn’t need to be tarted up, just spruced up and restored a little bit better.
But nothing is going to happen if concerned residents don’t get off of their behinds and start going to commissioners meetings. Every resident in that municipality has a right to public privilege of the floor as they call it. There is a section set aside for that for non-agenda items at every commissioners meeting. There is also public comment on agenda items, should any of these things about the village of Gladwyne come up on the agendas.
I have noticed that the Township of Lower Merion offers Zoom. I don’t know that they offer comment on Zoom but residents can ask. People can keep up with the agendas and things that have been filed that are loaded on the website as well.
Years ago, the then director of building and planning also often used to have specific mailing list for specific issues within the township. I don’t know if they still do that. But again, I do know that residents can’t depend on the civic or going to those civic association meetings alone. People have to go to the township meetings, when they can in person, an alternatively on Zoom. The residents need to speak for themselves.
But people should be polite. And I know it can be difficult when you’re dealing with a municipality and you don’t feel like you’re being heard. But taxes pay for those bureaucrats, etc., remember that.
It’s not hard to organize, but the people of Gladwyne have to want this for themselves. Because if they roll over now, no matter what happens they’re going to end up with stuff they’re not happy with because they did not participate.
These are just my opinions and observations. In my opinion on the specialist of Gladwyne, as in the village has lived in me since I was a kid. It does not have to be super expensive and overpriced. It just has to be nice. Gladwyne used to be a bit more inclusive.
At the end of the day, I’m also concerned because I have seen what random development does and I’ve seen it in Gladwyne in other parts of the 19035.
Historical Gladwyne Photo belonging to Lower Merion Historical Society.
Yasswyne? Really?
Gladwyne, is kind of a special to me. Circa 1975 was my introduction, and it was magical. Sledding on crazy hills off of Monk Road and Rose Glen. Free range kid wandering from the historic village through to the haunted feeling sanatorium buildings of the once “Gladwyne Colony”. Halloween and sleepovers and birthday parties with my friend whose dad went to high school together. The Gladwyne Library and its wonderful stacks and things like the plant sale. (And the cookbook fundraiser- I still have a copy!)
And the horses. Gladwyne then was still an equestrian hub. Sledding and carriaging with Mr. Gwinn. Leaning how to ride. Watching pony club. I didn’t belong to that I was not good enough.
The old village. It was just so nice. One of my friends was related literally to founding fathers of the village. Tree lined streets and marvelous old houses from so many eras. Whimsical Victorians. Charming Bungalows. And even 18th and early 19th century houses, mostly frame.
I realized this morning that the Gladwyne I stumbled upon as a kid was actually reminiscent of parts of Chester County I love so much. And to that end, sprucing up the village is not a bad idea, but this mass appropriation of buildings in the center as well as talks of tearing things down including one of the houses near the library I guess that was purchased? My opinion is a HELL NO.
It’s hell no to Peddlers Village-lite complete with all those absurd picnic tables scattered about the village that will not in my opinion be maintained long term. It’s hell no to making it a faux tourist attraction bringing lots of traffic to little streets with barely enough parking for residents.
Look I felt something was up in the fall, when I went digging into who supposedly was doing this, and that was not when any of us knew a big contributor to the destruction of the White House and the East Wing and the McMansioning of the people’s house.
I remember when I first started nosing around about this Gladwyne thing people on the Main Line were really odd with their reactions and I even had my comments taken down in places. And literally what I was sharing was who bought the place and was on the deed records with Montgomery County. That was before anyone even knew Yass was involved. But now I wonder what Gladwyne’s new commissioner knew and when?
And I remember when I figured out who these Bryn Mawr people were without knowing that anyone else was involved, I had reservations. Mostly because they just seemed like they were about themselves.
So they live over on Rock Creek Road and I knew a lot of people growing up and into adulthood that lived on that winding road and it had cool houses and beautiful trees and gardens, still does. So they restored their house and reinvented it and that’s their right but I remember looking at it thinking it’s really brown and it’s not quite here but I could appreciate some of the design elements.
But the Historic Village of Gladwyne, and it is a historic district, turned into some odd thing that it’s not? That’s not worth the renovation of the older buildings in my humble opinion thank goodness I don’t live there. 
But I had no idea the scope of this project until I saw the website and some of what the people who want to do this were posting:
To follow are four screenshots from their public website below. Go onto their website and read every word.
It’s Gladwyne Village as in the Village of because literally that’s what it is. Then I noticed that they magically weren’t doing a zoom of the meeting and when you don’t want to record a meeting that always set up red flags in my head. If you’ve got nothing to hide on a project, you put it out there for the world to see, including the meetings don’t you?
And now, it seems, historic Gladwyne has Jeff Yass.
The richest man in Pennsylvania, and his wife, Janine, have partnered with a younger husband-and-wife development/design team to both turn back the clock on Gladwyne village AND propel it into the next century.
The partnership spent millions over the last several months to buy or lease key properties in the heart of historic Gladwyne: the former Gladwyne Market, Gladwyne Village Shoppes (which house the beloved pharmacy and Homeroom luncheonette), Gladwyne Post Office, the former longtime OMG Salon building and, as of Dec. 31, a private home in the Village….The designated face of the partnership, Andre Golsorkhi revealed the quartet’s vision….At the outset, Golsorkhi (below) emphasized that his investor/development group is 100-percent local and, believe it or not, was NOT doing this to make money….The first resident who spoke felt blindsided….Another speaker feared the conformity of a Gladwyne Square. “It’s going to end up looking like Nantucket, she said. “This presentation makes me even more nervous about what you guys are doing …You’re saying Gladwyne needs branding… it’s gonna be a certain architecture that you think is important when you’re destroying a quirky Walter Durham house… I like communities that are organic and grow up in different ways. We have other buildings in Gladwyne that are just as important for the community that are not owned by Mr. Yass. I just wonder what the end game is. There’s always a price for this.”….Architect Ed Lewis (below), a 60-year Gladwyne resident told Golsorkhi that he “started the historic district in my living room with a meeting of neighbors concerned about overdevelopment.”
My photo
Read the entire Savvy article. It is very long and gives a lot of detail and thank you Caroline for what you do.
OK, I’m going to be 62 years old this year so why mince words? I think this plan is bullshit. This is about someone’s sanitizing and reinventing a place that first and foremost is a historic district.
I have no problems with people restoring things, but this isn’t about restoring. This is about changing history. And it’s not really the history of the people who bought the buildings.
To these four individuals, this is about making money. It’s not necessarily so all realistic, and I am allowed to have that opinion.
Again, I have no problem with someone fixing up old buildings and creating an adaptive reuses. But when you start to want to add parking lots and a random nouveau village green with lots of picnic tables that never existed within the history or framework of this village, it stops being about preservation and switches to just being about profit, doesn’t it?
Now I will agree the Walter Durham buildings that comprise the pharmacy, etc. are awkward. I’m really familiar with them. My mother was a realtor with a real estate office that was in the lower level years ago and for all the years that I banked at PNC, my branch was Gladwyne because they were the nicest people. And Gladwyne Pharmacy was our first pharmacy out here when we moved here and I still used to use them here and there until I moved to Chester county because I wanted to support them because they were independent like Parvins in Bryn Mawr.
I also have to admit when the Union League club took over the Guard House, I wondered what the future held for Gladwyne because that was a big change. But I didn’t anticipate this. And I have to say that The Union League respects the village. They have done a fine job with the place, although I do miss the ability to just go in there on a Friday or Saturday because I don’t belong to the Union League. I have been there for dinner several times since it reopened as part of the club and I love it and why do I love it because it’s still retains what we knew as its history. Even down to some of the dishes that were signature to Albert Breuers.
Found this on Wikipedia and I can’t find my photos and I have tons of The Guard House somewhere 
I know change will happen, but the change doesn’t have to be this drastic and it shouldn’t be. These people have the money to restore what they bought in the village of Gladwyne without making it look like Disney or a more expensive Peddler’s Village with insufficient parking.
I did dig out some of my photos of Gladwyne and why is still so special to me. And a lot of that includes things like the Memorial Day Parade. or walking down the little streets in the village and hearing the ghosts of my childhood passed and it’s a simple as knowing who lived where and things we explored St. John Vianney was our parish. Our first vet was Gladwyne vet. And the library. That library is still my favorite library anywhere. I won a Martha Stewart cookbook years ago as an adult in a raffle, I used to bury myself in corners as a kid and read, and I loved the plant sale. And I have a copy of their cookbook they used as a fundraiser. They could’ve had more than one cookbook over time, but I have the original one. and at one point in time, one of their librarians was actually a princess.
Yes a princess. She died in 2005 and her name was Maria de Pasquale. She was a friend of my parents along with her husband, Joe, who was one of the famous DePasquale brothers of the Philadelphia Orchestra and my friend’s aunt. She was a descendent of Napoleon‘s first wife, Josephine and Czar Nicholas I. She was born Maria Madgelena, Duchess von Leuchtenberg in Nice, France, daughter of Duke Serge Nicolaievitch and Duchess Anna. She renounced her title somewhere around 1949 to marry Joe.
So yes, my childhood librarian was once a princess. And she was tough. You didn’t have your books over to you returned them on time. but she always had books to recommend, even to kids. She also spoke five languages. and I remember being in the library one time when her inner princess came out because she was annoyed with someone on the phone.
I found her fascinating. So these are the little things that make up the history of Gladwyne that creating some artificial version of a Nouveau Gladwyne will never capture.
Of course, I bet they don’t know about things like in the early 2000s when the pharmacist went to jail.
Or all the contretemps over the years with a now deceased member of a founding family of Gladwyne who at one time owned a lot of the things in the village. He’s long deceased now and could be so cranky.
Or the whole controversy over the Gladwyne lunch years ago or Barker Mill or Oddfellows.
Now, of course, the 19035 has become known in recent years as being the home of shall we say Main Line grifters, correct ? And the McMansion ridiculousness?
And we can’t forget about all of the controversy surrounding what will be the redevelopment I guess eventually of the Dorrance estate on Monk Road. Course I was also on that property as a kid and it’s nothing sort of spectacular even if the old apple orchard no longer exists.
And I remember when the estate on Waverley Road was sold to become Waverly Heights. And there were other surrounding properties that got fed into it and when I was a kid, there were lots of horses with swishy tails hoping for a pat at the fence or maybe an apple. The Junkin Estate.
The Gladwyne I grew up with was always a mixed bag originally it had been like mills and farmers and people with grand estates who owned lots of horses. It was very much like parts of Chester County, including Willistown.
Or my one friend‘s house across the street from St. John Vianney which was sold and bulldozed and it had the nicest pool. It was the best house. In its place? A McMansion so big I don’t even say you can. I don’t even know how you can say they have green space or a garden. Of course Lower Merion planning really didn’t say much about that. Did they? and that will be a definite hurdle here because that planning department is so pro-development, along with the fact that the new commissioners, including the one for Gladwyne have not been there long enough to understand the place. And that even includes River Road.
Again, I know, change happens, but here it shouldn’t be so drastic. It should truly be keeping the history in mind and the current plans in my opinion do not.
Holy run on title Bat Man! Yes I know but there’s so much right?
So West Vincent Township definitely in the opinion of many not only has a sketchy track record with supervisors (I mean hello? Everything old is new again 2x former manager Jim Wendelgass is now a supervisor, right?) and managers and solicitors? Things might be good or ok for a couple/few years and then it’s a swirling hot mess again, right?
So the newish manager, Tommy Ryan? First of all what kind of shlub later middle aged man goes by the name of Tommy? Does he have a Bobbie Sue and Jimmy John in his family tree too? So Tommy boy (that’s a fitting nickname right?) seems to play municipal hopscotch?
So this post on Facebook, December 8th made me take notice.
Cue the screenshots:
So if the doctor of this Fox Run Road property in question is the same one I researched from California, why would he pick West Vincent for his little real estate project?
So this is at 2 Fox Run Road in West Vincent. It’s 4.4 acres.
So….the website describes it as a site for micro events and a bed & breakfast?
I have no problem with a bed & breakfast inn but what defines a “micro event” ? Maybe Tommy boy should elaborate on the “gray area”? For a bed and breakfast inn, there is zoning in West Vincent but they had issues with short term AKA Air B n B rentals a while back right? Now I do not know enough about West Vincent Zoning to know if B & B owners have to be on site or not. I know they have a form:
Now I noodled around on the West Vincent website looking for historic commission mentions of this property. Couldn’t find anything and that property and barn did major reno right?
So yes, this is all curious, and might not be a problem if people simply understood what is going on, right?
But then West Vincent Township Manager Tommy Ryan appeared in a second post on Facebook December 9. Allow me to present verbiage and screenshots:
Thank you to those who have reached out to me about the new event venue that West Vincent Township is turning a blind eye to in my residentially zoned neighborhood (its apparently a “gray area” for how commercial businesses can be in residentially zoned spots). But who is this bumpkin that is running the township and making these decisions? Buckle in folks, and let me give you the background i found online about Tom Ryan…. complete with a lie he put on his resume when he applied at WVT (wait… maybe it’s a “micro” lie??).
When Tom Ryan applied to WVT for the manager spot, his resume stated the following jobs:
* 2010-2015: West Bradford Township Manager
* 2015-2022: Worcester Township Manager
* Jan 2023-current: East Cocalico Township Manager
The resume is an item you can RTK as is his cover letter. How do I remember these dates? Because I googled him to see what his history was, and what I found didn’t match the dates on his resume. Odd, isn’t it? And then I had other secretaries and his former coworkers who reached out to me before he started at WVT to “warn” me about him because his reputation as a horrible boss and questionable person compelled them to reach out. If you ever bump into me and want to hear MY stories as one of his employees, just ask. I’ve had many people ask me things, and I have zero-problems giving my impression and experiences (and I wrote down EVERYTHING as it happened).
Back to his work history that can be found online, and what I found that made me scratch my head…
This was the SECOND job where Tom worked with WVT solicitor, Dave Onorato (the first place being at Towamencin Township). This was one of the jobs where I received “warning” calls about Tom from previous coworkers and various secretaries. I won’t detail those conversations in writing since legally some of that information was hearsay (although I fully believe this info since various sources told me the same naughty things). However, the information I received about how he treats people and his persona? SPOT ON! And I witnessed those things first-hand when he started (as have many of you). It does not surprise me AT ALL that he was no longer there after 2 years. I’ll leave it at that.
This is interesting because he said on his resume which he submitted to WVT that he was working at WEST BRADFORD in 2010. How is that so?? And he only held this job for 11 months. I found an interesting newspaper article mentioning that shortly after Tom was hired, the solicitor resigned. Here’s a portion of that article:
…..Interesting article, no?
And Tom was gone from that job before his one-year anniversary in March 2011. Sooooo, it doesn’t look like he was in West Bradford in 2010 like his resume detailed.
* 5/2011-9/2015 (4 years): West Bradford Township Manager (this was the job he said he started in 2010, but WBT BOS meeting minutes don’t show him being appointed until mid-2011).
Someone said this is the township where he lived. Hmm, so why leave? Ironically, he resigned when the Public Works Director resigned (accepted at the same meeting). I read some interesting articles about this double-resignation. When a boss and his employee leave like this, there’s always a story. I found out some questionable news about this, but we still have more jobs to cover, so let’s move on, shall we?
Sure, Tom was here for 7 years. But coincidentally, Tom’s resignation was at the same meeting where a Public Works Laborer resigned as well. A repeat of his last job maybe? The stories about this double resignation run rampant there, too.
* 1/2023-2/2025 (2 years): East Cocalico Township Manager.
Interestingly enough, the tax collector of that township filed a Federal Lawsuit right after Tom left alleging him and others of First Amendment violations. I’m sure the lead-up to this had nothing at all to do with him leaving.
* 3/2025-current (9mos and counting): West Vincent Township Manager.
And now he’s here in WVT. And he’s back together with Dave Onorato who is our solicitor (job #3 with him). OH! And I believe there was a short stint as the VP and Director of Water Services at ARRO Consulting. But I was told by ARRO-peeps that it was only a few-month thing “for obvious reasons” (didn’t ask for elaborations on that… I already got a good picture in my mind).
Now think back to when John Granger was WVT manager (SURPRISE: John also worked with both Dave and Tom at a previous job like three amigos; Tom spoke very highly of John Granger when he started at WVT). People asked about whether background checks were done on Granger. Did anyone do them for THIS hiring? And if they did, did they ask about these things that were found with simple googling? And if so, were all these things just easily explained (although that year assigned to West Bradford seems a bit harder to let go)?
So when I now hear from my neighbors that there is a “gray area” over having a commercial event venue in a residentially zoned neighborhood, I have to look at the man allowing it to happen (and being paid $160k to do so). And ultimately I need to look at the people who hired this man which is our elected Board of Supervisors (and I’m sure they are appointing him to another year as manager come the January reorg meeting). If zoning is open to this much “interpretation”, then maybe we need to get someone who can do a better job interpreting.
And a huge thank you to the county employees who reached out to me today to get more information about my previous post. At least they understand the difference between commercial and residential. I hope the township pays attention when they come knocking to discuss this with them.
Thanks for listening to my history lesson. Again, feel free to keep goggling and see what YOU come up with.
Kristina Casey used to work for West Vincent. So she is a woman who left a municipality this guy managed? Maybe I would not think twice except for this:
Hatboro’s solicitor, Christen Pionzio, faced with a situation she felt put both the borough and her law firm at risk, took everyone by surprise when she announced her resignation at Hatboro Council’s committee meeting Monday night.
In a prepared statement, she told officials it wasn’t working with the new borough manager, Tommy Ryan, because his way of operating prevents her from protecting the borough, exposing herself and her firm, Hamburg, Rubin, Mullin, Maxwell and Lupin, to liability.
“To continue to represent Hatboro under these circumstances would not only jeopardize the integrity of the borough, but my law firm as well,” said Pionzio, who has been Hatboro’s legal counsel since the winter of 2009.
Ryan, who came to Hatboro last month, declined to comment for this article.
“He told me directly that he has the expertise to identify legal issues and that he would let me know when my services were needed,” Pionzio said. “To have a non-lawyer prepare legal documents that could have far reaching liability for the borough is dangerous.”
According to Pionzio, Ryan will now draft documents, such as resolutions and ordinances. He had also requested Word documents of the easement agreements she had drafted for the borough, which she emphasized was her legal work product.
Resolutions are sometimes drafted by staff and always reviewed by solicitors, Pionzio said, but ordinances have real legal implications, such as granting rights to property owners or taking them away.
So yeah, Tommy boy was in Trappe for 2 years before Hatboro:
Before some members of Hatboro Borough Council even heard the news, two residents inquired about the resignation of Borough Manager Tommy Ryan.
During Monday’s meeting, a man said the news was already out there and asked when the council would discuss Ryan’s replacement.
Council Vice President Nancy Guenst, who chaired Monday’s meeting, refused to comment. …Ryan, who last spring filled the position vacated by Police Chief James Gardner, told Patch afterward that he has received a “conditional offer” from West Bradford Township in Chester County.
Two weeks shy of the anniversary of his hiring, Hatboro manager, Tommy Ryan is moving on.
Borough council voted to accept Ryan’s resignation Wednesday night at a contentious session during which Democrats claimed that Ryan was leaving because of the “intimidation” of the Republican minority.
Ryan was not present at the meeting. His last day is March 16.
So then traveling Tommy boy went to West Bradford where it also seemed messy:
WEST BRADFORD >> Two township employees recently resigned, one being a mutual agreement with the township.
West Bradford Township supervisors accepted the resignations of both Public Works Director Randy Behmke and Township Manager Tommy Ryan during their September meeting. Additionally, supervisors accepted the “execution of a settlement agreement” with Behmke.
During that time, supervisors also appointed Douglas K. Kapp as interim township manager, among other duties.
The Daily Local News obtained the information via a Right-to-Know request, including the resignation letters from both Behmke and Ryan, the settlement agreement with Behmke, and the salary of Kapp….Ryan recently told the Daily Local News that he resigned to become a manager in Montgomery County.
“I resigned my position after being appointed township manager in Worcester,” Ryan said. “I loved my time in West Bradford – great community, great employees, great board (of supervisors). But I was offered a great opportunity in Worcester, and it was an opportunity I could not turn down.”
Tommy Ryan likes what he sees in the people of Trappe Borough. “I’m impressed with the pride and the passion of the residents, and with the sincerity and dedication of the elected officials,” Ryan, the new manager of the borough, said via e-mail last week.
A native of Boston, Ryan has lived in the Philadelphia region for 15 years and earned a master’s degree at Villanova University in public administration. He comes to the borough from the Heritage Building Group, a Bucks County-based property development company, where he held the positions of planning manager and approvals manager. His resume also includes stints as zoning officer and community planning director for Towamencin Township.
He is no stranger to Trappe. Ryan became familiar with the community through his previous positions, but many of the elected officials he’d come to know have since moved on.
“I previously worked with the borough’s solicitor, engineer, and zoning hearing board solicitor, so this has helped to smooth the transition,” Ryan said.
Then after a jaunt at ARRO, you know where West Goshen Casey LaLonde was for a while, Tommy Boy pops up at East Cocalico in Lancaster County? Tommy Boy gets around, huh?
What happened: The board announced that Thomas Ryan will serve as the new township manager. He is vice president and director of water services for Lititz-based ARRO Consulting Inc. His start date is yet to be determined pending his notice to his current employer.
The cost: Ryan’s salary will be $130,000, plus a $5,000 annual vehicle allowance and a $1,200 cell phone allowance.
Background: Ryan has served as township manager in Worcester Township in Montgomery County and in West Bradford Township in Chester County. He also worked as borough manager in Hatboro and in Trappe, both in Montgomery County. An instructor for the Pennsylvania State Association of Township Supervisors, Ryan will be allowed five days off per year to attend PSATS.
Quotable: “We have put countless hours into this search. We feel we have found the right person,” said Lorenzo Bonura, East Cocalico supervisor.
WEST VINCENT — The board of supervisors has appointed Tommy Ryan as the latest township manager.
The township has been on a bit of a merry-go-round with township managers of late.
On Jan. 1, 2023, John Granger was appointed as West Vincent township manager, but he resigned on June 13, 2023.
So the board of supervisors appointed Jacqui Guenther as interim manager and then on Jan. 1, 2024, they made the job permanent, naming her as the new township manager, but it didn’t last long.
By August, she had resigned to become borough manager of Marcus Hook in Delaware County.
So the township appointed Jim Wendelgass to serve as interim manager, an appointment that was re-affirmed by resolution on Jan. 6. Wendlegass served previously as township manager, but his appointment was not renewed in 2016.
According to the township website, although Ryan is listed as the township manager, Wendelgass remains in the township administration as the township’s treasurer.
According to a press release issued by the township on March 17, “Ryan brings 15 years of management experience to the post, including most recently serving as East Cocalico Township Manager in Lancaster County. Prior to that, he served as manager in Worcester Township, Montgomery County, and West Bradford Township, Chester County.
So Tommy Boy likes to do videos:
But hey now so in October, East Cocalico announced the case filed by the tax collector was over:
But heyyyyy it’s NOT over. it was refiled and here’s what I found:
So do West Vincent residents even know all that their current manager has been up to? What kind of background checks were performed prior to his hiring? Were thing of a litigious nature like this wild case that is not over yet made known?
I found part of his contract and what is he making at West Vincent? $160,000? And he’s the zoning officer too?
Funding for a part-time receptionist position in lieu of a full-time Township Secretary position, saving an estimated $105,000 per year.
Ok that is SUPER offensive. A township secretary is more than a random office admin. It’s actually pretty specialized. I have had a few friends perform this job, and I actually interviewed for such a position gosh almost 15 years ago out of curiosity but was glad I was first runner up in the end when I realized how late meetings could go in this particular municipality not in Chester County I was peeking at. It’s a very important job for any municipality large or small and can’t just be a spot plugged by a part-time receptionist. If that is what Tommy boy is proposing well then that position will end up being advertised more than filled in my humble opinion.
But I am very curious about this manager. It’s literally intriguing the way West Vincent gravitates to certain kinds or classes of people isn’t it?
And Tommy boy is hardly universally loved is he?
Why is he there and how much of a raise is he suggesting for his position for 2026?
Just when you think West Vincent might stop the madness, they merely enlarge the lunatic asylum there don’t they?
Yikes, pass the popcorn, cue the drama, and good night.
Yeah….so Villanova held a meeting with neighbors over at Cabrini. I actually am glad they did it, except listen to a snippet of the presentation and I have to ask if this Villanova official has ever visited Villa Blue Tarp in Mount Pleasant?
This neighborhood is mostly Chester County/Tredyffrin, but a part of it is also Upper Merion/Montgomery County. The Tredyfrin part of it has some seriously ridiculous off campus party pits. Forget about are the houses safe for the students to live in, will the neighbors ever have peace? The lady speaking at Cabrini I’m sure has the best of intentions, but she has zero clue or doesn’t want to have a clue of what actually goes on in off campus party pits in Mount Pleasant, which is close Cabrini.
Neighbors also reported the following who were at the meeting:
FYI Traffic is going to be awful when Villanova opens the Cabrini campus next year!!!
Villanova says they have purchased six large buses. Shuttle service will leave Cabrini campus every 5-10 minutes 6:30 AM to 10:30 PM.
400 on campus student vehicles. 600 staff and commuter vehicles. Who knows how many Ubers and Doordash type vehicles, right?
That’s a lot, isn’t it?
They are permitted on campus at any time. The King of Prussia and Eagle Road entrances will close at 10:30 PM and reopen at 6:30 AM.
All traffic during this time will enter and exit on Upper Gulph.
I am very glad I don’t live near there. And with Villanova going to Cabrini and Valley Forge Military failing, and who knows what’s happening to that land, how will Radnor and Tredyffrin be protecting their residents through this?
I am glad that Cabrini is not going to be a giant parcel for residential McMansion development, but all the same, Villanova doesn’t have a good track record with their off-campus students, so what’s it going to be like over there?
Also to be considered is the practicality of the traffic implications on a lot of these roads, which are overtaxed and overburdened already.
Buckle up residents, you can hope this will all go smoothly, but I predict a lot of bumps in the road.
And speaking of Villanova, what are they doing with their main campus area property (or properties?) that back up to Aldwyn Lane? And doesn’t the university own properties on Aldwyn Lane? Is Radnor protecting their residents over there or ignoring them?
This is going to be interesting for sure, right? It’s their own version of Happy Valley without the great ice cream right?
Here is some of what I saw on Compass, a PA website which has gotten rather cartoonish:
This is horrible. Parents want answers. Human beings in general want answers. Who hurt babies?
In early July, baby was taken to hospital from the daycare in what media reports tell us were dire circumstances. As this was unfolding, we all learned that something else happened to another baby in May.
This woman who I am not sure is in or out of jail at this point was a teacher in the infant room. So parents who have to put kids in daycare, who are they entrusting their kids to here? Also concerning? If there was some other sort of incident in MAY why was she still there in JULY? Is she still employed?
Also interesting? She has a Bill Cosby lawyer, doesn’t she? But then again he is one of the best.
I had shared story links to this when it first happened and then I randomly saw a comment today that made me wonder:
It was not the she is still employed comment as that has popped up here and there already, it was about the parents of kids there. Are they really and truly being shall we say discouraged from discussing this? So the owners don’t want kerfuffles in their Main Line existence? OK totally get this is their business in an uncertain time, but umm who are they hiring and wouldn’t they WANT their families to be able to talk about this an also to allay the fears of parents with kids there?
Truly I hope that is a misperception, misunderstanding, don’t you?
Also, this woman who was charged seemingly left a review of the daycare on Google? What kind of hot mess situation is that and why haven’t the owners contacted Google to have it removed?
So reading this you have to ask is this Catalina Baldwin who was charged a MOM? If so, where is her child right now?
I do not and never will understand people who hurt children. I was discussing this topic with a friend today. And we are old enough that we come from the dark ages of being a kid where stuff just wasn’t discussed or acted on a lot of the time.
Why aren’t we doing better today?
I just can’t with this and would be interested to see real reports of this daycare. But I don’t know any of us will get that because this is a criminal investigation now. So I guess that means no one will hear from daycare owners either, right?
