In an Art Attack feature for Philly.com, Nathaniel Popkin writes about the restoration-in-progress of The John Updike Childhood Home at 117 Philadelphia Ave. in Shillington, Pa.

“Bookmarked:  Future emerging for Updike house; Habitat for Humanity’s first ever community project will help turn the late author’s childhood home into a site of literary pilgrimage.”

Thus far, Habitat volunteers coordinated by Tim Daley under the direction of site manager Russell Poper have taken out built-ins that compromised the integrity of the house and are in the process of removing wallpaper and tile flooring that were added in later years. The goal is to restore the house to what it might have looked like in the early 1940s, when young Updike lived there. That includes replanting a horse chestnut tree in the front yard, replacing wrought iron with intricate wood railings on the upper porch, and rebuilding a grape arbor that provided shade for the side porch. 

Habitat volunteers will finish “deconstruction” this summer, and will help to paint and fix up the interior of the house next summer. In the meantime, the Society has contracted with a Shillington company to repair, scrape, and paint the exterior of the house, which was neglected over the years and in danger of becoming an eyesore. The exterior painting will be completed within the next month. Pictured below is the front bedroom Linda Updike used for her studio, where Updike used to stay when he was sick. The carpet has been removed, as was a closet that had been added by the Hunters.