The Cheltenham Township Historical Commission’s September edition of “The Ivy Today” includes a Philadelphia Inquirer article from Sunday, June 13, 1926 titled “Cheltenham Township to Have Public Building”.

The $100,000 building was erected on Bosler Estate, which once housed the Bosler Mill, an award-winning grist mill. The building was intended to house the police department, board of commissioners, township treasurer, departments of building and plumbing, inspection and engineers, according to the article.

The Commission noted that the “The Ivy” references the Richard Wall house of Elkins Park in the article.

“At the time of this article’s publication, Old York Road merged with Church road to cross the stream, and then split off where the Old York Road spur is today,” the Commission wrote. “So, the Wall house did front on Old York Road at that time. The formidable stone of Ogontz Hill, where the Ogontz Fire Company was eventually located, stood in the way of the road and the current path of Old York Road was not blasted out of the rock until later.”

From the article:

Rapid development of Cheltenham township, largest first-class township north of Philadelphia, and the improvements being made to Old York Road, nationally known highway, will result in the erection of a new municipal building to house the officials and departments handling township affairs.

Announcement was made yesterday that “The Ivy,” the ancestral Bosler estate fronting on Old York Road, has been transferred to Mr. Charles Bosler, and it is understood an agreement has been reached by which the township will acquire a considerable frontage at Church road and Old York Road.

Plans have been outlined for erection on this site of the Cheltenham township building, to house the police department, board of commissioners, township treasurer, departments of building and plumbing, inspection and engineers. The cost will likely be $100,000.

The history of “The Ivy” goes back to the time of Penn, and the old mill facing Tacony Creek at the base of Ogontz Hill, erected prior to the Revolution, is a suburban landmark. Announcement of the proposed erection of the new township building follows the recent opening of the new Abington Municipal Building, Old York Road and Horace avenue, which cost nearly $100,000. Both improvements are the result of growth of the districts.

For more on the Commission or for past editions of The Wall Paper, you can click here.

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Photo: Wikipedia