Was Your Home Built on the Old Rentzheimer Farm?

The GI Bill of Rights was passed by Congress in 1944 to provide low interest, zero downpayment home loans to servicemen returning from World War II. After the war ended in 1945, Bethlehem Steel began to benefit from a post-war economic boom that resulted in the construction of new bridges and skyscrapers. These two factors help explain why housing development near Bethlehem Steel factories exploded in the 1950s. 

With the "Baby Boom" in full swing, and a location that was just a few miles from Bethlehem Steel's coke works, Hellertown was a logical place in which to build middle class housing.

The Mountainview section of the borough began to be developed in the 1940s, and when the old Rentzheimer Farm was sold in 1950, an adjoining development of 154 homes known as "Durham Terrace" was built. Together these clusters of modest single family homes became an idyllic neighborhood in the southeastern corner of Hellertown that to this day retains the character of a close-knit community.

The history of Rentzheimer Farm began when Carl Rentzheimer immigrated to the United States from Germany in 1774.

Rentzheimer settled down in Hellertown to farm, and three generations of his descendants continued to worked the land they inherited. Carl's son, Tobias, built a stone farmhouse on their property in 1832. That farmhouse is today the headquarters of the on Durham Street, next to the Hellertown Pool.

Dr. William H. Rentzheimer, great-grandson of Carl, rejected farming to become a doctor in Hellertown. His office was located at 502 S. Main Street.

William also served Hellertown as secretary of the school board and treasurer of the borough. In August 1880, he married Ellen E. Beidleman, and they had two daughters, May Irene and Stille Agnew. It was after William died on Dec. 7, 1944, that the 45-acre farm property that had been in his family for generations was sold to developer Guerber Associates of Newark, New Jersey.

In 1950, Mr. Peck, an officer of Guerber Associates, contacted Hellertown Borough Authority chairman (and former Chief Burgess)  and advised him that his firm planned to build several hundred homes for which they would require public water. Peck inquired as to what portion of the project's expense the authority would assume. It was at that time agreed that the authority would construct, at its own expense, additional water storage facilities to furnish water to the proposed development, and that Guerber Associates would furnish and install, at its expense, all water mains, valves, fire hydrants and connections.

Thus began a series of requests and complaints on the part of the developer to have the Hellertown Borough Authority fund the construction of water mains, in spite of their agreement to take care of this expense themselves. Guerber Associates pleaded with Hellertown Borough Council, the Hellertown Borough Authority, and finally before Judge Barthold of Northampton County Court, to be relieved of this obligation. In 1957, Barthold dismissed Guerber's complaint and the Pennsylvania Supreme Court upheld the decision in 1959.

Meanwhile, the 154 houses, constructed between 1951 and 1954, were sold to families for amounts ranging from $9,450 to $10,300. The three-bedroom Cape Cods had everything a family would need, with the exception of water. How residents of the new development coped with their water woes during this period is an interesting question, and anyone who remembers what life was like in those early days is encouraged to share their recollections.

The homes themselves were designed by architect Erwin Gerber (1903-1983), who was well known for his designs for apartment buildings and middle class housing developments. Early in his career, Gerber was the youngest licensed architect in the state of New York, and at its peak in the 1950s and 1960s his firm was the fourth largest in the United States.

New Jersey builders Howard Bernstein and Irving Sanders built the one-and-a-half story homes of Durham Terrace with gabled roofs, and even received publicity for the project from a source as august as the New York Times.

Inside each home's front door, a central staircase led to a small upper level, which consisted of two bedrooms. The lower floor of each home consisted of a central hall, living room, kitchen, bath and a master bedroom.