It’s all about maintaining the home style of the past, one Instagram post at a time | Tech Reddy

When Sue Liedke began house-hunting in South Philadelphia in 2019, she was drawn to homes that seemed dry in time, a gateway to the past.

Old row houses in the neighborhood with South Philly designs, such as mid-century doors, archways, and elegant wrought iron staircases. Rowhouses hide lonely, sunny rooms that were well-preserved in the early 1960s and 1970s, when the people of South Philadelphia, don’t be hindered by things like square footage, take home decorations with all the confidence and panache. While the carpets are dirty, the mirrors are smoked, and the floor-to-ceiling windows turn into low bars.

For Liedke, 40, a kindergarten art teacher at the Conservatory Music School who also works as an instructor at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the symbols of the neighborhood’s beautiful past are a legacy to be cherished. Art to celebrate. Especially in South Philadelphia, where there are a lot of old buildings that have been torn down and changed, and there are renovated homes listed for $500,000 or more, according to nearby Realtors.

“You’re seeing these great things in South Philly — and you’re afraid you’re not going to see them,” he said. “A picture for another time.”

So Liedke, who grew up outside of Buffalo, NY, moved to South Philly in 2004, received a master’s degree from Temple, and decided to document them on an Instagram account called he is South Philly Time Capsules.

At first, most of Liedke’s friends and family were happy with his findings.

Like the Wolf Street stone with the leopard-print wallpaper and leather-trimmed downstairs bar that could double as a Scorsese movie set. An unassuming apartment on South Broad Street, complete with chandeliers, stained glass windows, and ornate fireplaces. Located on Pierce Street, it is a row house and a house that was renovated in the 1970s.

At the open houses he visited, Liedke described the fading touches that real estate buyers often tried to brush off: a butter-yellow bathroom. A child’s bedroom is decorated with a wall of the planet Saturn. The bathroom doors are carved with mermaids.

Each of his posts has a caption that highlights the most underrated features.

Tulip swag candles, he wrote, “are a wonderful time in this empty world.” A peachy-pink Bella Vista home where you can live “in your Wes Anderson dreams in peace.” The beautiful rooms of the Ninth Street building were draped in rich gold damask wallpaper that “almost glowed.”

The account quickly grew to nearly 8,000 followers, creating a community in the comments, sharing their memories of the homes they grew up in in the South. Philly and beyond – and deliver lists that caught their eye. Liedke asked for a lifetime of Liedke visits to their childhood homes – the newlyweds would show the special cities they came from.

“It’s a mixture of familiarity and nostalgia,” Liedke said. “Even if you didn’t grow up here, somebody’s grandmother’s house looks pretty good.”

It created relationships, the kind that make the neighborhood less likely to change, as it comes back to life, old residents and new residents get to know each other.

Like in September, when Terri Saulin, 57, an artist and owner of Gallery No. just put it up for sale.

A proud beachgoer, his father, Louis Saulin, decorated a room with harpoons and oars, until it looked like “his nautical dream,” Terri Saulin said.

After seeing the photos of his own house, Saulin scrolled through all the others.

“It made me very sad,” he said. “I looked at all the other photos and I thought, ‘Oh my God, these people are living beautifully and kooky in these houses.’ I was filled with flavor and love for the city and South Philly.

And the vibe remains. No one laughs at anyone’s choices, even choices made 50 years ago.

“There’s always a million good stories, and I think people are paying attention to that,” said Liedke, who in December will host a South Philly Time Capsule pop-up station at the Museum. Art of the Art Museum Priced at the Family Fun Event. He will have an art program, where guests can design their own dream house, as well as interactive displays of some of his favorite Time Capsules.

According to Liedke’s accounts, most of her followers are between the ages of 24 and 35, people she believes are house hunting in the area or looking for home decorating inspiration through writing. in the past.

And it’s no surprise that Liedke’s celebration of South Philly’s vintage style will appeal to many newcomers, who are turning to the neighborhood as they celebrate its kitsch. Nostalgia is a big part of what drew many of them in the first place – old touches that no gut feeling can replace. There’s more to see than the South Philly tea towels and key chains sold on Passyunk Avenue (the vendors are still up there, mind you).

Even if it fades, it will retain its original shape – it will be enhanced.

Since the account grew, both new and old Southerners have asked Liedke to visit their homes.

One night recently, he went to check out the two basements. In his first visit, Anthony Bottos, 33, who runs a fitness business in Old City, and his wife, Meredith Bottos, 32, a chemical engineer, wanted to show the city that came with the Juniper Street house they both bought. years ago.

The Bottoses – Anthony grew up in Eighth and Christian, and Meredith is from Austin, Texas – and has fallen in love with the village and its vintage roots. Its arches, iron railings, and six-disc CD player and telephone system run throughout the home. In addition, the jacuzzi tub and sauna room in the home were installed by the previous owners during the upstairs renovation.

“Did you know you were going to get caught?” Liedke asked as he breathed in the sauna.

“Yes!” the two replied.

Downstairs, the bar is a loft bedroom from the 1970s. Smoky mirrors complement the brick and cedar shake wood floor that holds vintage glassware. There is a fireplace and period furniture, and the couple has decorated the space with old family photos.

“I like what you guys put into it,” Liedke said.

Meredith Bottos, a fan of South Philly Time Capsules, sent photos of the bar to Liedke.

“It makes me sad when people turn these houses and destroy all their features,” said Meredith Bottos. “We’re just trying to rely on all the features and love given by the house with us, be like us. “

In the next scene, Chelsea Campbell, 32, led Liedke and the Bottoses down to the basement apartment where she and her friends were renting. Entering a door at the back of the cellar, a cozy, dark wooden room appears, as if from another era. And who knows, maybe, Campbell said. A professional barman, he mixed drinks and described how he cleaned the bar, shortly after moving in, but didn’t know much about the backstory.

But Anthony Bottos remembered going to high school events in the basement, when a friend’s family stayed at the house for a while. Soon, he was on the phone with a friend, Alyssa Canalichio, who recalled family reunions and Halloween parties in the basement.

Soon, Liedke raised his glass to toast new friends, old ones — and old ones.