Neighborhoods

During the 1920s, investors purchased numerous Morris County estates and farm properties and developed them into residential neighborhoods. The newfound affordability of automobiles encouraged the trend of building houses on the outskirts of town. Streets and property lines were laid out; lots were improved with electricity, gas and water lines, and then offered for sale. The 1929 stock market crash, however, significantly slowed the building frenzy of the mid-1920s.

M-19-2 Burnham Park Estates Development1926.jpg

Burnham Park Estates, Inc., located in Morristown, was a large-scale residential development advertised in 1925. During the summer of 1926, a new model home was opened for public visitation. This house was advertised as the “Co-operative Home”' because a large number of businesses joined together to decorate its exterior and interior. It was a promotional effort to sell prospective homeowners on buying and living in Morris County. Some of the businesses conducted contests with cash prizes, and the marketing ploy attracted 3,000 visitors.

Georgian Gardens between Morris and Washington Avenues, Morristown

Jerseyman, July 22, 1921, Newspaper Collection

The Co-Operative Home.

Curtiss Collection, June 25, 1926, Newspaper Collection

During the summer of 1926, a new model home was opened for public visitation. This house was advertised as the “Co-operative Home”' because a large number of businesses joined together to decorate its exterior and interior. It was a promotional effort to sell prospective homeowners on buying and living in Morris County. Some of the businesses conducted contests with cash prizes, and the marketing ploy attracted 3,000 visitors.