The following is a letter we received from a gentleman with ties to Talmadge:

“While I was never fortunate enough to live in Talmadge, I do have have a personal and familial connection – my Grandparents were among the very first to build and reside in three different homes, two on Norma Drive and the last, I believe, on Constance.

They built the first home at 4505 Norma Drive in 1936. My mother was eleven at that time and used to tell my sister and I as children about the octagon shaped breakfast room in that dwelling.

In 1938/1939 they built the second home at 4668 Norma Drive. This home was Streamline Moderne in design and again, my Mother, who was 13/14 years old while living there, told us stories of that residence: in the original entry door was a circular 15 inch in diameter cobalt blue two way mirrored glass window. Often people would approach the door and primp in the mirror before knocking – my Mom found this amusing.

My Grandmother was not fond of living on a canyon and found the regular collection of critters coming up and moving in annoying. Both of these homes were 3 bedroom, 2 bath and approximately 1640 sq. feet.

If one was to do a thorough title search on the Norma Drive residences they would find the original owner, builder/occupants listed as George and Valma [Val] Rose, my Grandparents.

My only regret as a 71 year old is that I was never able to tour any of these homes & see the interiors, floor plans, fixtures et al in person.

With my lifelong background and love of architecture I’ve saved these few family photos of their, as well as that of my Mother’s, history in terms of where they lived. I am determined to continue my search for photos of the 3rd home built in Talmadge which I think must have been located on Constance – if memory serves me, they lived across the street from the then current Principal of Hoover High School. This would have been approximately 1940 through 1942?

Thank you for indulging me in my “trip down memory lane”. I drove by both of these homes as an adult so many times wanting to stop, introduce myself and share the pictures with the current owners.

Thank you again – I fully intend to visit your Talmadge sites regularly.”
– Michael J. Fox