A 21st-Century Classic in Belmont Hills for $750K

This vintage 1900 Colonial has been brought in sync with modern times with a host of stylish updates.


131 Maple Ave., Bala Cynwyd, Pa. 19004 | TREND images via Coldwell Banker Preferred

Back in 1900, when this handsome Colonial was built, its neighborhood was known as West Manayunk — the “upscale suburb” of the old mill town on the Philadelphia bank of the Schuylkill.

More:
See all »

Sometime around 1950, the locals, worried about Manayunk’s seedy reputation, decided they didn’t want to be associated with the place anymore and changed the name of their community to Belmont Hills.

Nowadays, everyone wants to be in Manayunk, the adult playground for college students up and down the Main Line. But old West Manayunk remains the quieter alternative, and with this beautifully updated home, you can kick up your heels in Manayunk when you want to without having to endure the revelers cruising past your front door all the time.

With everything this home has to offer, however, you may be perfectly happy leaving Manayunk to its own devices. It’s got plenty of room for you to throw a nice party for your friends when you feel like it thanks to its open main floor and wraparound front porch. It also has plenty of room for you and yours with its five bedrooms upstairs.

That open main floor retains all its classic elegance, however. Leaded glass windows flank the main entrance, which opens into a sitting room with a stone fireplace. Through the wide archway to the left is an open living-dining area trimmed with a chair rail and featuring a bay window off the dining area.

The kitchen is well equipped, and its breakfast bar makes serving both casual and formal meals easy, as it forms the transition from dining room to kitchen. In back of the kitchen is a mud room with a work desk and pantry space for the kitchen along with a powder room.

You’ll find one bedroom with en-suite bath on each of the second and third floors. The second-floor bedroom’s en-suite bathroom features dual vanities and a glass-enclosed shower stall. You’ll find another glass-enclosed shower in the third-floor bedroom’s bathroom. The other three bedrooms — two on the second floor, one on the third — share a hall bath on the second floor.

Complementing that wraparound porch is a large backyard with a detached one-car garage on it. The porch makes the most of this home’s corner location.

This home is tucked away on a no-outlet street, which means you will enjoy peace and quiet, yet it’s convenient to SEPTA Regional Rail, the Schuylkill Expressway, bicycle trails on both sides of the Schuylkill, shopping and dining in Bala-Cynwyd — and, of course, Manayunk.

THE FINE PRINT

BEDS: 5

BATHS: 3 full, 1 half

SQUARE FEET: 2,228

SALE PRICE: $749,900

131 Maple Ave., Bala Cynwyd, Pa. 19004 [Frank May | Vince May Team | Coldwell Banker Preferred]