On the Market: Colonial House in Berwyn Resort Community
Who needs the Poconos when you can own this luxurious Colonial manse that comes with a private lake?
Looking for a woodsy lakeside retreat but don’t want to have to drive two hours to get to it?
You’re in luck.
Buy this Berwyn lakeside Colonial house for sale and you can vacation here all year round.
That’s because this handsome 13-year-old manor sits in the middle of the only year-round resort community on the Main Line, Leopard Lakes.
This unique subdivision dates to 1953, when a construction firm got its hands on the former Humbert Powell estate in Easttown Township. The builder divided the estate into 37 house lots, built ranchers and two-story tract houses on them, and put an eight-acre lake and a four-acre recreation area in the middle of them.
Around that lake you will find courts for tennis and pickleball, a playground, picnic spots and even a beach. Main Line Today had this to say about Leopard Lakes in 2013: “It’s an idyllic place with a beautiful natural lake surrounded by sandy shores, where families congregate for swimming, fishing, ice skating, kayaking, with tennis courts and a playground nearby. Even better, it’s in the heart of the Main Line.”
In other words, it has everything you love about the Poconos save for skiing and the Delaware Water Gap. And you don’t have to deal with traffic on the Turnpike to enjoy it. In fact, you don’t have to deal with any traffic at all, because Leopard Lakes is completely private, with no through traffic.
Some of the original houses still stand, updated and expanded over the years. Others, however, have given way to newer, bigger, more luxurious houses like this one.
Its wraparound front porch and asymmetrical massing aside, this custom-built house is a classic center-hall Colonial. The spaces for formal entertaining — living room to the right of the foyer, dining room to the left — are just inside the door.
Behind these are the informal spaces. Behind the living room is a wood-paneled study, one of two rooms set up for working from home here, and behind the dining room is the butler’s pantry and the everyday living suite.
That space makes family life and casual entertaining very pleasant, combining as it does a spacious family room, a top-flight kitchen and a sunny, vaulted-ceilinged breakfast nook.
Upstairs you will find five bedrooms and a den. The den has desks and cabinets that make it a suitable for your kids to do their homework. Two of the bedrooms have en-suite baths while two others share a bath between them.
Then there’s the primary bedroom, a luxurious, well-appointed space featuring a bedroom with tray ceiling, two walk-in closets, a dressing room and a bathroom with dual vanities, a soaking tub and a stall shower.
Downstairs you will find spaces for fun with family and friends. These include a game room, a media lounge and a bar. There’s also a gym and unfinished storage space. (You’ll also find storage space on the unfinished third floor, which you could also turn into additional living space.
And out back there’s a professionally landscaped backyard whose slate patio has a wood-burning fireplace.
And because this house is located in Leopard Lakes, you get to enjoy all of the community amenities mentioned above plus a year-round calendar of events.
About the traffic, though, we need to note that there’s one exception to the no-through-traffic rule. Every year on Memorial Day weekend, the annual Devon Horse Show carriage parade passes through the community, and as you can see in the photo above, the carriages roll right past your front door.
Leopard Lakes is something of a well-kept secret on the Main Line: Houses here are in such demand that they usually sell privately without ever getting listed on the MLS. This Berwyn lakeside Colonial house for sale is a rare exception to that rule. Again, you’re in luck.
THE FINE PRINT
BEDS: 5
BATHS: 5 full, 2 half
SQUARE FEET: 6,850
SALE PRICE: $2,400,000
OTHER STUFF: A $2,240 annual homeowners association fee covers maintenance of the common areas and facilities.
479 Lantern Lane, Berwyn, Pa. 19312 [Beth Mulholland | Mulholland-Peracchia Team | BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors]