Live in Middle-earth

[The Squatter of Amon Rûdh]

This thread is worth resurrecting just so that we can compare Birdland's reaction with everyone else's. I also like burrahobbit's post above.

You know, it's quite sad in a way that what is at present a rather dull and uninteresting housing development with a silly and inappropriate Tolkien-inspired name (where's the dell? I don't see one, riven or otherwise) will in about forty years have 'Mordor' scrawled across its sign by a disillusioned resident. By then the buildings will be falling down, the overpaid ex-hippies who bought the houses will have moved to somewhere else (probably called Taniquetil Acres) and all that will be left to link the estate with its namesake will be the half-human status of some residents.

I'm almost sorry that this sort of thing doesn't seem to happen in England. Yes, town and estate planners choose names, apparently at random and often inappropriately, but over here they tend to pick 'great names of literature' or 'kings and queens' as their theme. Nobody to my knowledge has ever given their housing redevelopment a Tolkien theme. This has removed the opportunity for such gems as 'Isengard Crescent' and 'Glamhoth Close'. Shame.

[JennyHallu]

Actually, looking at their photo gallery...

This is not your average cookie cutter development. Yes, it is a housing development, and some people feel that no matter what, you move in at the cost of your soul. But these are very high-priced custom built homes. Look at the details and materials used in the showcase homes.

In forty years, those "teeny-tiny trees" will have matured into beautiful hardwoods, and these houses will be some of the few housing developments in the U.S. right now that are likely to hold their value fairly well.

It's the GIGO law...Garbage in, garbage out. These have a ridiculous name, but so do most housing developments. ("Camelot" and "Sherwood Forest" come to mind...about the same caliber of legend.) They are, however, high quality homes, and they'll probably do all right.

[Kuruharan]

This is not your average cookie cutter development.

I'm afraid I have to disillusion you.

I've been by the original neighborhood in question any number of times. By and large the houses there are just cookie cutter homes, at least in the sense that all the houses look basically alike in their suburban Americana-ness. This may just reflect the lack of imagination on the part of the residents (of which there are considerable, it has become a pretty crowded area.)

I too was personally rather disappointed when I saw this. Across the major street to the west, though, there is an addition called "Brandywine." For some reason my reaction to Brandywine was more positive. The houses in that addition are on a more modest scale. I think it probably boils down to a silly impression on my part that it is a nice touch to name an unpretentious housing development "Brandywine" which reminds me of unpretentious Buckland and hobbits. On the other hand, if you are going to name your addition "Rivendell" you'd better come up with something original and fantastic to live up to the name you have chosen. It is not that I object to the suburban Americana style (or whatever the technical name for it is) itself. I just wish the developers could have selected a different style...more, I don't know, elvish perhaps.

Except for on Lonely Mountain St. For that street, the developers should have imported a few tons of granite for the express purpose of having the residents construct their own mountain halls!! (I'd do it.)

[JennyHallu]

Originally Posted by Kuruharan

I too was personally rather disappointed when I saw this. Across the major street to the west, though, there is an addition called "Brandywine."

Brandywine doesn't necessarily have anything at all to do with Tolkien, however. It's been a common place name long before he used it. As a matter of fact, the apartment complex where I live is called Brandywine. (No this does not make me a hobbit.)

And by average cookie-cutter, I meant only the quality of the construction, not the similarity of each house to its neighbor. I guess I meant that this was an "above-average cookie cutter neighborhood."

[Holbytlass]

Originally Posted by Kuru

Except for on Lonely Mountain St. For that street, the developers should have imported a few tons of granite for the express purpose of having the residents construct their own mountain halls!! (I'd do it.)

I can imagine the hassle you'd have to go through to get the permits, making sure it was zoned AND getting the neighborhood association's(I can't stand these) permission to do so!

I bet most of the inhabitant's don't even know where the name "Rivendell" came from. Or if they happened to see the movie think "hey, they stole our neighborhood name!"

[Kuruharan]

Brandywine doesn't necessarily have anything at all to do with Tolkien, however. It's been a common place name long before he used it.

A fair point. However, in this case, when this area was still the boonies the general vicinity was named Earlywine after the local golf course/park. When Rivendell went up, the name of the neighborhood was changed, although the name of the elementary school was not.

[JennyHallu]

Ok then that's just cheezy