Colonial Hills History

Established 1942, Worthington, Ohio, USA

Nine Types of Homes

In 1942 the Defense Homes Corporation constructed the Selby streets, Kenbrook Drive, and a few homes on the cross streets between them. These were all homes with no basements, and there were nine styles designd by the young architect Todd Tibbals replicated throughout. These pictures came from the Franklin County Auditor's web site. By downloading each picture, I was able to sort the homes into the nine categories. Some were challenging to sort due to extensive modifications over the years, but most remain recognizable 65 years later. The names for each type are my invention, cities in Connecticut all.

The Hartford
quantity 34

Out of 34 models built, ten still have their original cedar shingles, nine have garages converted into living space, one has a second floor addition and one almost collapsed on East Selby a couple of years ago because the owner refused to maintain it.

This is by far the most common type of home in the development. All of these houses have the garage on the left.

The Waterbury
quantity 26

Of the 26 examples of this unit, fourteen still have the original unpainted brick front, two have the garages converted to living space, one has a two story addition and one has a checkerboard pattern on the garage door.

The Litchfield
quantity 26

I live in this style house and know it well. Mine still has the original cedar shingles, as do eight others. Five have converted their garages to living space, and it will be six when I do my project this year.

Most, but not all, of these models have the garage on the right side.

The Farmington
quantity 24

Two of these houses have been two-storied, and only one has the garage converted to living space. Of the nine designs, this one may be the best in terms of interior space layout. There is a lot to be said for even a small sheltered front porch during a rain storm as well.

My neighbor's house is this style. It is really suitable to adding a second story, which they did many years ago and it is the nicest house on the block. I get to thinking about a second story from time to time. With the cost of labor and materials today, it would probably cost in excess of $125,000 and I doubt if our equity would increase by even half that...

The Glastonbury
quantity 23

This is the smallest of the nine models, and is found exclusively on corners. It features a bay window facing the side street. Of the 23 units built, eight still have unpainted brick fronts, two have second stories, one is purple and one is surrounded by a magnificent porch.

The Meriden
quantity 21

This is the largest of the nine designs, with an extra room between the house and the garage. Three have garages converted to living space. A few are missing the shutters, and they don't look quite right without them. Nothing says "colonial" like a non-functioning shutter on each side of the window.

I like the forward facing gabled roof. A lot of credit should go to Todd Tibbals, the architect, because of the way these houses work together as a whole when laid out on the street.

The Saybrook
quantity 19

I really like this design - it is unusual in that the garage is protruding out, rather than set back. Combined with the picket fence and you have effectively "brought the indoor space outdoors" as they say on "Flip That House!". To make this style of house work, you really need to have a snazy garage door since it is so prominent. I also think putting the front door at the corner allows for more efficient use of space. Three of these homes have that big garage converted to a living space.

The Weston
quantity 17

The only true two story of the original nine, the upstairs is one big room. Several folks have squared off the back to enlarge the upstairs. Two have converted garages. These homes cost more to build, so there were fewer. Tibbals made sure to plant four of them near the entrance on of the subdivision on East Selby to make the entrance more impressive.

The Mystic
quantity 10

This is the only split level design of the original nine. The design of these houses permits a massive addition to the back, which several brave souls have undertaken. The tall, narrow peaked roof above the garage gives this design a subtle gothic quality. Like a zesty spice, the master chef Tibbals sprinkled this design sparingly throughout the development. They were arranged in pairs, one on each side of the street.

Note: On East Selby near High Street, 164, 170, 175, 178, 186, 191, 196, 199 and 223 were built around 1947. Ditto for the stub ends of Foster and Morning Streets at the southern end of the development. Only houses built in 1942 by the Defense Homes Corporation that were designed by Todd Tibbals are included in the original 200.

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