125 Howard Avenue Lancaster, PA

This home is one of the most rare and early house types in Lancaster. It was built ca. 1740s as a Germanic half-timbered house (Fachwerkhaus) with a floorplan of a corridor-kitchen house (Flurküchenhaus).
The house’s interior showcases a half-timbered wall crisscrossed with original timbers and brick-nogging infill. Gable-end construction of this same type is visible on the exterior. The exterior walls were encased in brick ca. 1820.
Architect John de Vitry restored this house for his home in 1973. The current owners are retired schoolteachers who moved into Lancaster City from Lebanon County.
The historic houses of Howard Avenue are often under-appreciated because they are off the tourist trails. But some of the city’s oldest homes are on this street. These buildings preserve centuries of Lancaster memories.