THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 3, 1996 TAG: 9602020363
SECTION: REAL ESTATE WEEKLY PAGE: 3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LOUKIA LOUKA, SPECIAL TO REAL ESTATE WEEKLY
LENGTH: Long : 120 lines
Years ago, when Hugh and Dot Ogle were newlyweds, they saved up some money and went house hunting. They went riding and riding, looking for a place to anchor and decided on a little section off Granby Street in Norfolk.
``When we moved out here my family said to me, why are you moving out to the country?'' Dot Ogle said.
It may have been country then, but no longer. Still, the Ogles and a number of other people have spent decades in a small community simultaneously known as Granby Park and Glen Echo Shores. The neighborhood's name depends on whom you ask.
Some longtime residents call it Glen Echo Shores because that's what their deed says. If you follow the ADC Street Map Book, both names appear. If you are giving directions to someone unfamiliar with the area, it's easier to say Granby Park because it is the street that connects the neighborhood to Granby Street and the outside world.
Metro MLS, a regional multiple listing service, categorizes several streets south of Granby Park and Glen Echo Drive as being part of the same neighborhood. But, as always, it is best to heed the word of longtime residents, a majority of whom limit their community to Granby Park, Glen Echo Drive and its only intersection, Midfield Street.
Granby Park/Glen Echo Shores is situated south of the community of Suburban Park and north of Bolling Brook. Granby Street is just west of the community, which has a mixture of duplexes and single-family homes. As you drive through the community, it isn't easy to see which residences are single-family homes and which are duplexes - they blend together nicely.
The features of Granby Street - Wards Corner, places of worship, private and public schools, apartments, office buildings and DePaul Medical Center don't faze residents of Granby Park/Glen Echo Shores. Residents like having so many different features nearby.
``I love it. It's so convenient. It's quiet back here. Even though there is a fire station on Thole Street, I never hear fire engines,'' Dot Ogle said. ``If I had to move, I don't know of any place I'd like to move (to),'' she said.
Mary and George Brown are relative newcomers to Granby Park/Glen Echo Shores, moving there in the late 1980s, enjoying the community and being near their good friends, The Ogles. ``We like it very much. It's so centrally located,'' Brown said.
``Everything is right at your fingertips,'' said Carolyn Papafil, who has lived in the community more than 40 years, raised her son, Ted, there, and hasn't changed her opinion about the community during the years that followed. ``It's been a wonderful neighborhood. It's been very, very quiet back here,'' said.
Papafil said that although there are new residents in the community, there are families, like hers, who have lived there since the 1950s. Papafil said community's proximity to the Greek Orthodox church on Granby Street is a plus. A number of residents belong to the church and spend time there helping out with various programs and activities.
Ruth Wasserman and her husband, Bernard, have lived in the area nearly 44 years. Ruth Wasserman said the couple chose the Granby Park area because it was ``close to schools, it was on the bus line. It seemed like a very nice neighborhood so we settled here. It's home as far as we're concerned. We still like it very much. We like to have our roots down.''
During interviews, residents recalled the old days, when Wards Corner was the center of activity, making it unnecessary to leave the area for anything.
Residents also are quick to point out a large farmhouse where Granby Park and Glen Echo Drive merge that serves as a reminder of the ``country'' it used to be before the post-World War II building boom. City property records show the residence was built in 1848. Many of the other residences were built in the 1940s and 1950s.
A median sits in the center of Granby Park, a homey street with the character and atmosphere of small town life. Sidewalks are unrolled before tidy homes.
Structures are mostly faced in brick with various architectural styles. Dormer windows, detached garages, awnings over windows and sunrooms are some of the neighborhood features.
According to city real estate records, a random survey of 10 duplexes showed an average assessment of $122,840. A random survey of 10 single-family homes showed an average assessment of $107,537.
Residences have appreciated through the years and residents have continually made improvements and additions to their places. ILLUSTRATION: [Color Photos]
MOTOYA NAKAMURA
The Virginian-Pilot
Carolyn Papafil has lived in the area 40 years. her son, Ted, was
raised here. "Everything is at your fingertips," she says.
Newcomers George and Mary Brown moved into Granby Park in the late
1980s.
AT A GLANCE
VP Map
ABOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD
Schools: Suburban Park Elementary School, Lafayette-Winona Middle
School and Granby High School.
Shopping: Wards Corner is minutes from the community and downtown
Norfolk is about a 10-minute drive. Easy access from the community
to I-64 makes Military Circle convenient, too.
Recreation: The Virginia Zoological Park and Lafayette Park are
about five minutes from Granby Park/Glen Echo Shores. Lakewood Park
has sports fields and a music and dance center; and the Therapeutic
Recreation Center on Evans Street offers activities for people with
disabilities.
FOR SALE
At 223 Glen Echo Drive, a four-bedroom, two-bathroom home on a
wooded lot was listed for $89,500.
SOLD
At 203 Granby Park, a single-family residence sold in March 1994 for
$107,000. Records show the house was sold in 1974 for $35,000 and in
1990 for $94,000.
At 205 Granby Park, a single family house sold in August 1994 for
$89,000. Records show the house sold in 1985 for $67,500.
by CNB