About the Arts and Crafts Movement in Rose Valley

Rose Valley's history can be traced back to land grants from William Penn in the late 1600's, but the era that made Rose Valley unique among Philadelphia suburbs was the Arts and Crafts movement. Generally described as the English revival of the decorative arts, the movement was part of a reaction against the Industrial Revolution in the 1800's. One of the movement's local leaders was William Lightfoot Price, a successful Philadelphia architect who set about to put Arts and Crafts philosophies into practice. In 1901, with the backing of a group of wealthy Philadelphians interested in social reform, Price purchased eighty acres in the name of the Rose Valley Association. One of the Association's purposes was to celebrate fine craftsmanship by encouraging artistic endeavors - from handcrafted items to furniture and architecture.

Although the commercial aspects of the venture were not a success, the social and artistic sides were. Creative people were attracted to the community, and over the decades that followed their contributions added to its character. In 1923, in order to control their destiny, 250 residents established Rose Valley as a Borough. Today, the distinctive architectural style of William Price can still be seen in many of the homes, including the ones we are building in Traymore. Traymore is named in honor of Will Price's signature architectural achievement, the fabled Traymore Hotel in Atlantic City, which opened in the summer of 1915. Memories of the Arts and Crafts movement abound in the Borough, and many descendants of the original settlers and artisans still live here in Rose Valley.