212 Washington Avenue

The history of the home has been passed down to each new owner.

In 1890, John Campbell Danenhower II (1866 - 1925) and Alice May Bewley (1868 - 1949) built 212 Washington Avenue. Alice loved architecture and was very involved in designing the home. She chose every last detail from trim to flooring. The couple had 3 children: John W. (1839 - 1966), Donald (1894 - 1975), and Alice. John W (1897 - 1897) was eventually put in charge of the trust which included the house.

John W married Laura Elizabeth (1902 - 1979), lived on Evans Street and had 2 children, Elizabeth (1924 - 2014) and John C (1931 - 2003). They raised their children in Haddonfield and their daughter, Elizabeth, would marry Robert Rhoads, also of Haddonfield. After John W and Laura Elizabeth died, 212 Washington Avenue was left in trust for their children.

John C was in the navy and upon his return from the Korean War, suffered from what we now know as PTSD. He was unable to hold a steady job and while he could live independently, his sister took care of his wellbeing. His navy footlocker is still in the house containing his uniform, stationary, and other artifacts from his years in the navy.

Elizabeth would eventually move to Indiana with her husband but kept the Washington Avenue home for her brother. In order to give him his own space, she had the house split into 2 apartments with John C living downstairs and her having access to the upstairs when in town. When John C died in 2003, both apartments were eventually rented out for income, but the property remained in the family trust.

Upon Elizabeth’s death in 2014, the house was put up for sale as no remaining family members wanted to take over ownership of the property. The only stipulation in the sale of the property was that it go to a family and not a builder. It was important to Elizabeth for the home to remain with a family in Haddonfield.

As only the 2nd family to ever own 212 Washington Avenue, the current owners took the responsibility very seriously when they purchased the home in June 2014. They made it their mission to restore the home to its original beauty with respect to its history and fulfillment of today’s modern needs. They updated everything - insulation, electric, plumbing, heating, cooling, and roof and took care to keep as much of the original home as possible. They preserved plaster walls where they could, reused original wall registers for the new ductwork, and duplicated original trim and doors throughout.

While keeping the integrity of the original hardwood floors throughout, the current owners worked with craftsmen to restore the floors with the same wood from the year the home was built in 1890, with replacement pieces coming from the Philadelphia Racquet Club. Looking closely, the original pattern of the floor was deliberately kept even though the walls were moved. In another nod to the original home, an antique kitchen sink and clawfoot tub were shipped from MA and NC respectfully to add touches of 1890 to the finished home.