Marple Newtown School District · Marple Township, Delaware County, PA
Lawrence Park
Performance Tier
Below Average
Median Sold
$552,000
Avg. Appreciation
112%
Avg. $ Gain
$260,500
2025 Sales
27
High Activity
Compared to the Marple Newtown district average, Lawrence Park is
underperforming by 20%.
Based on 33 years of public sales records across 2418 neighborhoods in 4 counties.
About
Lawrence Park is a postwar residential subdivision in Marple Township, Delaware County, developed beginning in the 1950s by Philadelphia-based builder Ralph Bodek on land that was formerly farmland bounded by Lawrence Road, Sproul Road, and what is now I-476. Bodek planned the community for approximately 1,200 homes and documented buyer motivations in a 1958 book, How and Why People Buy Houses, using Lawrence Park purchasers as respondents — making this one of the few mid-century Delaware County subdivisions with a contemporaneous primary-source record. Internal community anchors include the Wilmer F. Loomis Elementary School, which sits at the center of the development, adjacent baseball fields that serve as the home of South Marple Little League (founded 1957), and the member-owned Lawrence Park Swim Club on Langford Road.
Specifications
Home Stock
Split-level designs are the predominant housing type, reflecting builder Ralph Bodek’s documented preference for that form; ranch, colonial, and other floor plans are also present throughout the community.
Location & Access
Sproul Road (PA Route 320) borders the subdivision to the south; West Chester Pike (US Route 3) runs east-west through northern Marple Township; I-476 (the Blue Route) forms the eastern boundary of the neighborhood and provides a direct interchange at PA-3 (West Chester Pike/Marple-Broomall exit).
Location Anchors
Delaware, PA
39.981, -75.357
What Makes This Distinct
Lawrence Park was developed as a planned community by a single documented builder using a standardized split-level model, which produces a relatively consistent structural profile across the housing stock — buyers evaluating condition and update level are comparing against a known baseline rather than a heterogeneous mix of eras and builders.
For Buyers & Sellers
If You’re Buying
$552k median price point. historically strong appreciation. move fast – homes go quickly. high turnover means more inventory.
If You’re Selling
Strong appreciation – sellers gained $260k on average. properties doubled in value (112% gain). homes selling quickly (quickly). median sale price $552k.
Worth Asking
Have you considered that a subdivision built primarily by one developer in a compressed time window means deferred-maintenance cycles often cluster — so if your target block was built in 1957, the roof, HVAC, and electrical panel histories of neighboring homes may tell you something useful about what the seller’s home has — or hasn’t — had done?
Common Questions
Does Lawrence Park have a homeowners association (HOA)?
No HOA has been identified for Lawrence Park through public records, township filings, or property management directories. The subdivision was developed as a conventional fee-simple community without a recorded common-interest ownership structure. Buyers should confirm the absence of any deed restrictions by reviewing title at settlement, but as of the time of this writing, no HOA dues or governance body have been documented.
What schools serve Lawrence Park, and how do they rank?
Lawrence Park falls within the Marple Newtown School District (MNSD). The primary elementary school is Wilmer F. Loomis Elementary (K–5), located on North Central Boulevard inside the subdivision itself, with a student-teacher ratio of approximately 11–14:1 depending on the reporting year. Students then progress to Paxon Hollow Middle School and Marple Newtown Senior High School. MNSD is ranked #24 among Pennsylvania school districts by Niche and ranks better than 87% of Pennsylvania districts on SchoolDigger’s statewide index.
What recreational amenities are within or immediately adjacent to Lawrence Park?
The South Marple Little League baseball fields are located directly behind Loomis Elementary School inside the community. The member-owned Lawrence Park Swim Club — a private outdoor pool at 293 Langford Road with a 6-lane 25-meter pool, diving well, water slide, and toddler pool — operates approximately 1.5 miles north of Sproul Road and accepts membership applications. SEPTA bus Routes 107 and 126 originate from the adjacent Lawrence Park Shopping Center, connecting riders to the 69th Street Transportation Center in Upper Darby. Marple Township’s Paxon Hollow Country Club (18-hole public golf course owned and operated by the township) is also within the broader community.
Items to Verify with Your Agent
A few specifics on this page are sourced from secondary aggregators or older filings. Confirm before relying:
- Hoa Name — No HOA has been located in any management directory, public records disclosure, or township filing. Absence is consistent across multiple sources but cannot be confirmed with absolute certainty without a title search. Buyers should verify at settlement.
- Approx Homes — The figure of approximately 1,200 homes comes from a 2009 real estate blog post (ActiveRain) and a PHMC research page, both citing Ralph Bodek’s original plan. The actual built count may differ from the planned count; no census-parcel-level count was available from a primary municipal source.
- Builder — Ralph Bodek is confirmed as the original developer/builder. It is possible that some homes were built by other contractors within the overall Bodek plan; the PHMC source notes Bodek’s preference for split-levels but does not rule out other builders on individual lots.
- Interior Sqft Range Text — The 1,700 sq ft median from LivingPlaces and the 985–2,975 sq ft range from Neighborhoods.com are secondary aggregators, not primary assessor data. Individual home sizes should be verified against Delaware County assessment records.
- Lot Character Text — LivingPlaces states median lot size is ‘approximately one-fifth of an acre’ (0.20 ac). The legacy hint noted 0.20–0.30 acres. No source confirms lots as large as 0.30 ac as typical; the 0.30 ac upper bound is unverified but not contradicted.
School District
Lawrence Park is served by the Marple Newtown School District. Buyers should verify current school assignments directly with the district.
View Marple Newtown School District Information
Sources Consulted
Public deed records · Delaware County Recorder · phmc.state.pa.us · activerain.com · livingplaces.com · marplehistory.com · realestatementoringusa.com · lpswimclub.org · facebook.com · issuu.com · donorschoose.org · niche.com · mnsd.org · schooldigger.com · kids.kiddle.co · owndelco.com · neighborhoods.com · en.wikipedia.org · grokipedia.com · morethanthecurve.com · mainlinetoday.com
Data refreshed: April 25, 2026 (median sold, appreciation, performance tiers, narratives) · Content reviewed: April 25, 2026 (overview, structural insight, FAQs)
The Cyr Team · 2418 neighborhoods · 4 counties · 33 years of public sales records