These three three paintings are by Hopewell area artist Harry McCandless (1926-2021), who later moved to Lancaster, PA.
This painting, “Houses of Hopewell New Jersey” from 1996, was released as a limited edition print. It depicts twelve historic houses in the town of Hopewell, with their plantings and trees (but without leaves, so you can see the full houses).
While most of the houses stand alone on the street, there are some subtle additional details: one has a car in front, and another includes parents and kids by the sidewalk – plus two decorative recycling cans.
== View the McCandless artwork in the Image Gallery ==
The 12 Houses of Hopewell
The associated index for the print lists the twelve houses, with their address, approximate year built, the original owner, and the then-current (1996) owners of each property.
The earliest house, from 1877 (#6), is the Randolph Stout house, now the Hopewell Museum.
Even better, all these historic houses are still standing today, with their design substantially unchanged. You can see photos of seven of these in the 1909 Hopewell New Jersey booklet. The historic character and feel of the Hopewell Valley that we enjoy is illustrated by the fact that at least 33 of the 36 buildings shown in the 1909 booklet are still around.
== View images of the buildings in the 1909 Hopewell NJ booklet ==
== View and search images of the buildings of Hopewell, by address ==
Hopewell County Store
Another Harry McCandless painting of a local scene is “Hopewell County Store” from 1972.
This wonderfully colorful image depicts Paul and Rita Ehrlich’s grocery store at 17 Seminary Avenue in Hopewell, which they operated there from 1964 to 1978.
We also have a 1975 photo by Ken Kaplowitz of Paul and Rita Ehrlich in the store, and an earlier 1946 family photo showing the storefront when it was Schanck’s Market.
Klevze Farmhouse
This McCandless painting shows the Klevze farmhouse on the St. Michael’s farm. The two red brick buildings were used as smokehouses.
The painting hung for years in the lobby of Stage Depot restaurant. This is courtesy of the Klevze family, who date the painting to around the late 1960s.
Harry McCandless
Harry Edwin McCandless (1926 – 2021) was an American visual artist from the Hopewell area. After serving in the Army, he joined the RCA David Sarnoff Research Center in Princeton, and earned a degree in chemical engineering from Rutgers University. In 1979, the family moved to Lancaster, Pennsylvania where he joined the RCA Technology Transfer Laboratory until retiring in 1986.
McCandless was a talented artist in oil and watercolor. He was a member of the Princeton Art Association and the Garden State Watercolor Society, and won several awards in Princeton, Trenton and New Hope, PA art shows. His art training included courses at the school of Industrial Arts in Trenton and the Pennsylvania School of Art and Design.
== View the Hopewell Artwork album in the Image Gallery ==
Thanks to the McCandless family for sharing the Harry McCandless artwork.
We would welcome more information on Harry McCandless and his artwork, especially of scenes in the Hopewell area.
