On the Market: Updated Dutch Colonial in Springfield
Traditional on the outside, modern on the inside, this handsome house has loads of space, amenities and personality.
919 North Ave., Springfield, Pa. 19064 | Bright MLS images via Compass
Approach this dignified Dutch Colonial house for sale from the street, and you probably have a mental picture of its inside forming in your head:
Double doors open onto a grand entrance hall whose stairs lead to the second floor. Off on the left is the living room with its fireplace. To the right, a wainscoted dining room. Behind that, a kitchen with cherry wood cabinets in the classic style. Behind the grand stairs, maybe a back door leading to the rear driveway, or maybe a passageway connecting the kitchen and living room. Upstairs, bedrooms around a central hall, and downstairs, a large recreation room, probably with a wet bar, and maybe a home theater.
So far, so good.
Now toss just about all those mental pictures into your cranial wastebasket, for while you will see most of those elements in this house, they won’t be where you expect them, and they won’t look like you think they will, for the most part.
Yes, there’s plenty of traditional detail in this house that dates to the end of the Great Depression. Lovely stained- and leaded-glass windows abound. Traditional chandeliers hang from medallions. And the grand staircase has both traditionally turned banisters and a grand chandelier hanging over it.
Living room/foyer: Living room
But the grand staircase, entrance hall and living room are one. The living room, to the left of the entrance, has a Juliet balcony overlooking the grounds and the outdoor path to the basement moat.
Living room/foyer: Foyer
And the staircase is off to the right of the front entrance — and it leads you downstairs to the basement rec room. (There is a staircase leading to the second floor in this place. I just haven’t figured out where they stuck it based on the pictures.)
Dining room
Where you should find the center hall, a dining room takes its place. Like all the other interior spaces in this house for sale, it has a distinctly modern air even with traditional lighting and window treatments.
Great room
To its left is a comfortable great room. It has a gas fireplace with a reclaimed metal grill.
Kitchen
To its right lies a strikingly modern eat-in kitchen with seating around its large island and upmarket appliances.
Home office
On the other side of the stained-glass window behind the grand stairs is a sunroom turned home office. All of its expansive windows still keep it bright.
Master bedroom
Upstairs, you will find five bedrooms, most of them painted in nautical colors. The master suite includes a sitting area, a huge dressing room, dual closets and a ceramic tile bath.
Second-floor hall bathroom
All of the three full and three half bathrooms have bold ceramic tile walls, but the showstopper is the upstairs hall bath, which upstages even the master bathroom. It has a sparkling deep blue tile wall, a glassed-in shower, a soaking tub and a neotraditional chandelier.
Basement rec room
Down below, a three-foot stone moat that rings the rear of the house brings plenty of light into the basement rec room and den. The rec room has a reclaimed 1920s bar from a city saloon for a focal point…
Basement den
…and the den has a multi-hued stone tile floor and fireplace.
Backyard
The backyard offers you an outdoor oasis consisting of a pool with cabana, a gazebo and space for a playground for the kids. And it’s all set amidst tall trees that provide plenty of shade.
The combined effect of the stylish interior and secluded 1.5-acre lot is to make you feel a world away from both the city and the suburban hustle and bustle. Yet you’re really right on top of all that: Baltimore Pike, its many shops and eateries, and SEPTA’s Route 109 bus lie at the north end of your long block, and at the south end, where Providence Road crosses it, you’ll find Secane Regional Rail Station.
THE FINE PRINT
BEDS: 5
BATHS: 3 full, 3 half
SQUARE FEET: 6,642
SALE PRICE: $865,000
OTHER STUFF: A detached garage in the back can hold three cars; on its upper floor is a five-room apartment with fireplace and provisions for installing a kitchenette and bathroom. This house’s sale price has been reduced twice, most recently by $33,797 on July 31st.
919 North Ave., Springfield, Pa. 19064 [Stephen Ferguson and Alicia Wolsky | The Sells Philly Team | Compass]
