Retro Renovation

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1965 time capsule house with basement beauty parlor, Reading, Penn.

pam kueber - Updated: January 31, 2019

Retro Renovation stopped publishing in 2021; these stories remain for historical information, as potential continued resources, and for archival purposes.

1965 with beauty parlor in the basementWhat a fabulous week it’s been — topped off last night with a great phone call with Pennsylvania real estate agent Jeffrey Hogue, who gave me permission to feature his photos from his listing of this fabulous 1965 time capsule house. Yes, complete with a professional beauty parlor in the basement. Thank you, Jeffrey. Snaps, too, to reader Jamie, who sent me this tip. Luv.

basement bar in 1965 time capsule houseThis fun and fabulous in-home bar makes it on to the homepage, too. Golly, did I just use the word “fabulous” a third time? I guess I’m excited by the orange-and-brown (wood?) stripes … the tic-tac-toe wine bottle holder … the scalloped indoor awning designed to hold can lights … those yellow shelves behind orange arches. Who thought this space up? They were fabulous.

Above: Setting the scene before I further amaze you with…

… the kitchen. Are those authentic Saarinen tulip chairs, do ya think?

 The ceiling in this kitchen has pushed me over the top: I neeeeeeed to wallpaper a ceiling, stat. I’m gonna do it. I’m gonna.

The living room is sedate, by comparison. Love the chartreuse upholstery. S0 1965. So 2012. And the window treatments: Please, new owners, don’t change them! Fortunately, Jeffrey says that houses like this — retro time capsules with style — usually find appreciative buyers. This house is in Reading, Pa, about 50 miles outside Philadelphia. I was so pleased to talk to Jeffrey, who said he tells sellers of houses like this not to change anything. Buyers either want completely renovated — or completely original; no middle ground, he said, because a house can’t be half-one and half-the-other. It just does not compute. Love the house you’re in. Sell the house you’ve loved.

Original 1965 George Nelson bubble light — on a pulley? Any experts out there to confirm?

The green chairs! Swanky!

You know what else Jeffrey said that made me really happy? He said that very typically, the owners of these older homes … original or longtime owners … almost always took care of the houses, impeccably. “If anything broke, they fixed it right away.” Theirs was not a disposable, “oh if it breaks, I’ll just get a new one” generation. Stuff was made to last if you took care of it, and they took care of it.

Link love:

See all the time capsule houses that I’ve featured — click here.

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41 comments

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  2. Carolyn says

    I am 95% sure I bought something off craigslist from the sellers of this home a few years ago. I think it was a trio of Lane Acclaim tables? hmmm, trying to think of what else it could have been, but I definitely purchased a piece of vintage furniture from a home in Reading with that beauty parlor in the basement- sadly I did not get to see the rest of the home!

  3. Jenn C says

    I live less than 2 miles from this house and it is so awesome! I swear I stalk the website at least three times a week and drive by the house at least twice a week on purpose. Despite showing my husband this house (repeatedly) and explaining to him how awesomely cool it is, he does not grasp the concept and love of kitsch.

    I do think it should come furnished. I wish I could just move right in….and invite the Ropers over. 😉

    • pam kueber says

      michael, this is not a DIY site in the sense of your question. Consult with a properly licensed professional… Good luck.

  6. Jamie K. RD says

    Wow, memories! My mom had a ist cousin who had a beauty shop in her Tri or Bi Level home in the country, Monroeville, IN. R.I.P. Both Mom and her cuzs, Marcele, Margaret and Aunt Bessie! Always wanted a home like hers and this, could you transplant it here, in Indiana?

  7. Jeffrey Hogue says

    Hello all. This is Jeffrey C Hogue. It is an honor for one of my home listings to be featured to such an appreciative crowd. As I told Pam last evening I am listing a home this weekend that is straight out of 1956. The original owner still lives there and she is a sprite 90 years old. Wait until you see the custom 1960’s s curved couch. It will be a headline maker! I list many homes like this and always tell the sellers to leave them alone! I take special pride in the photography which I do myself and hope you all enjoy it.

    • Elaine says

      The pix are lovely, and the house is to die for. I want that bar! Caught me just as I was getting ready to design a bar in my basement.

      I did have a question, do you know what is up with that fireplace in the living room? It looks like they put an alternative fuel fireplace on the hearth in front of the original one.

    • Jamie D says

      Thank you so much for telling people to leave these houses alone rather than updating! My husband and I recently moved into a Whitman split with a lot of original features from the 1950s and we love it. We looked specifically for a home that hadn’t been renovated, which was a bit more of a challenge than we expected. My husband’s 90 year old grandfather used to live in the neighborhood, and several of our neighbors are still the original residents. I like to talk to them and get the history of the houses.

      We have so many mid-century gems in Berks County but it seems like most people here want a more traditional country look, so these great homes often get stripped down and painted beige and lose all their fun character.

      I’m looking forward to seeing your listing for the 1956 house!

  8. tammyCA says

    Oh, how I love old beauty shops…spent a lot of time going to them when my mom would get her hair done in the 60s. The warmth & white noise of the big hair dryer lulling you to relaxation. I still remember the old photos on the wall of women with pink, blue & lavender tinted hair. Sometimes, we went to the neighbor’s beauty shop she had set up in her breezeway. For years I would tease (pun maybe intended) my sister about us finding an old time beauty shop to get the treatment…we’d come out with boufants and beehives. lol.