Rose Valley’s Will Price Historical Marker
Three Price family descendants attended the marker installation – Morris Potter and Janney Goodman (granddaughters of Price’s brother Walter) and Eleanore Goodman, (Walter’s great-great-granddaughter).
More than 2,600 state historical markers have been installed throughout Pennsylvania.
The newest one is at Rose Valley Road and Price’s Lane.
Nearly 75 history- and architecture enthusiasts gathered Nov. 6 for the unveiling of the marker, which honors William Lightfoot Price (1861-1916), who was the founder of Rose Valley and a nationally known architect in the Arts and Crafts style. The marker, provided by the borough following approval by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC), is surrounded by Price-designed houses and situated on the grounds of the home where he once lived.
“It is easy to imagine him canoeing, picnicking and walking along the many wooded paths,” said PHMC Chair Nancy Moses. “This marker celebrates his life, your life, and the future.”
Price—who had been a student of Frank Furness—opened an office with his brother Frank, and they became prominent Philadelphia residential designers. Their work is evident in homes in Wayne, Overbrook, and Mt. Airy, and in mansions for area business magnates.
Price experimented with new materials, especially reinforced concrete, which he used in the design of hotels—in Atlantic City, New Jersey, and Asheville, North Carolina--and the design of stations along the Pennsylvania Railroad line—from Pittsburgh to Chicago. Local examples of his work include the Media Armory and Thunderbird Lodge, home of the Rose Valley Museum.
In 1901, as a reaction to the industrial revolution, Price purchased 80 acres in the name of the Rose Valley Association. His aim was to create a utopian community where artisans, craftsmen, wood carvers, stonecutters, and glassmakers could live and work side by side, raise and educate their families, and enjoy social activities and the arts together.
“Will Price’s idea was to form a place where all could live and share life with one another,” writes George Thomas, Ph.D., author of William Price: Arts and Crafts to Modern Design. “It was an extremely modern concept.”
Pennsylvania historical markers recognize persons, places, events, or innovations that had a significant impact on their times and have statewide or national significance. Applicants for historical markers must submit a historical overview of the subject, three or four primary and secondary sources, supporting documentation, and letters of support.
Rose Valley Mayor Tim Plummer, the guiding force behind the historical marker application, served as the emcee of the unveiling.
Applications are reviewed by a panel of independent historical experts from across the state. They present their recommendations to the PHMC commissioners, who review the application and vote to approve, reject, or modify the panel’s proposals. The Price marker was one of 24 that were approved in 2020.
“Too often, historical markers reflect the past, but this one, like Will Price and Rose Valley, point to the future,” writes Thomas. “His design and community concepts were visionary.”
The marker was unveiled by Rose Valley borough council president Bill Hale and borough manager Paula Healy. The marker, in the state’s official blue and gold colors, includes information about the highlights of Price’s life and career.
Rose Valley mayor Tim Plummer, reflecting on Price’s experimental community, noted that, while it was not a commercial success, its social and artistic spirit is evident more than 100 years later. Plummer, who was the guiding force behind the application, has enjoyed welcoming and visiting new residents for the last 13 years. He shared some of the reasons he and his family selected the borough as their home.
“Rose Valley is magical. There is respect for our rich Arts and Crafts legacy. And at council meetings, members strive for consensus for the good of our community,” he noted. “What I can happily report is that Price’s dream is still alive!”
