Happy 50th Birthday Cambridge Park - Cambridge Park Opens 5/1/1970

On this day in Evesham history... 50 years ago today...



Cambridge Park officially opened 50 years ago today, on Friday May 1, 1970.

The story of Cambridge Park begins a little earlier. On September 11, 1969, Levitt and Sons announced plans to build Cambridge Park, a community of 1200 homes off of Route 70 in Marlton. Levitt would be building on land that was previously subdivided for the South Crossing and Mayfair at Marlton developments. Both those neighborhoods ran into money issues and sold their land to Levitt.



The price of $30,000 for the new Levitt homes was considered newsworthy because the South Crossing homes that were built there previously averaged a mere $23,000.  Levitt stated it would take 4 years to build the 1200 homes, with 200 expected to be built in 1970. The grand opening was unique in how the 4 model homes were displayed: "Instead of being on a street, the sample houses are built around a little pond, complete with waterfall. In order to visit the samples, it is necessary to enter and leave through an exhibit center."

Model homes surrounding a pond

The first homeowners moved into Cambridge Park in July 1970. Sales were brisk through 1970 and 71, with 3 new models introduced in February 1971: The Berkshire, the Ashwood and the Covington.



However, finances took a turn for the worst in 1972, and Levitt was also faced with a lawsuit by the 'Kent Ave 5'. The 5 families from Kent Ave sued Levitt for false advertising: they had paid extra to have their homes on a stream, yet all agreed the stream was nothing but a drainage ditch..

Kent Avenue Drainage Ditch

In September 1972, Cambridge Park sold 214 building sites to Los Angeles firm Kaufman and Broad for $1.5 million. Levitt and Kaufman and Broad also entered into a series of option agreements covering the remaining 700 sites.  By November 1972, there were only 5 Levitt houses left unsold and before the end of the year, Levitt was finished in Marlton.

The Monterey

Kaufman and Broad expected their sample homes to be ready for a grand opening in January of 1973. On December 31, 1972, they announced a name for their new neighborhood: Fox Croft. But the story of Fox Croft, which centers on Greenbrook Road, is another story for another time.

Levitt ended up only building 300 homes

Happy 50th Birthday to Cambridge Park!
I previously wrote about the Marlton-Medford Airport, which was located where Cambridge Park is today. I touched on a bit of the history in that blog post:

https://aviewfromevesham.blogspot.com/2018/10/tbt-marlton-medford-airport-cambridge.html

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