Just Listed: Turn-of-the-20th-Century Carriage House in Germantown
Once attached to the mansion behind it and once home to a noted sculptor, this truly unique residence has loads of personality.
Looking for a house that’s as unique as you are? You definitely must check out this repurposed carriage house at 311-13 W. Duval St., Philadelphia, PA 19144, then. Especially if you have something of the artist in you. / Photography by Eddie Tully via Compass; photos of Beatrice Fenton and the sundial courtesy Nigel Richards, Compass
As you’ve now seen me repeat often, maybe ad nauseam, Germantown is the city’s most eclectic neighborhood, a home for all sorts of free spirits.
One of them used to live in this Germantown carriage house for sale near the Tulpehocken Station Historic District. More free spirits followed in her footsteps. And the ones who own it now are ready to move on.
Beatrice Fenton (left) and the Evelyn Taylor Price Memorial Sundial (right)
That first free spirit was nationally renowned sculptor Beatrice Fenton (1887-1983). One of her best-known local works, the Evelyn Taylor Price Memorial Sundial (1947), stands in Rittenhouse Square. She moved here from Center City around 1963 and made this house her last studio.
Living room; sculpting table at right
Her sculpting table remains in place in the large, L-shaped living room.
Living room
Much of this house’s past as a stable remains — and some of it has been repurposed. The stable doors, for instance, have been permanently shut and a new entrance to the house inserted into them.
Living room
A large atelier window in the living room — I’ll wager Fenton had this installed when she moved in — floods the two-story-high space with light, and a wood-burning stove helps keep it warm.
Study/home office
A study sits off the living room. Like many such spaces, it also serves as a library.
Dining room and kitchen
The dining room and kitchen form a single space to the right of the entrance. One of the stable doors, still mounted on its rail, has been repurposed as a divider that sets a hallway to the dining area off from the kitchen.
Kitchen
Kitchen and dining room
Like much of the rest of this house, the kitchen blends recycled and new materials, as its cabinetry should make clear. And this mix of the found, the custom-made and the repurposed gives this house its distinctive personality.
The main floor also contains a storage room, a powder room and one of the house’s three bedrooms.
Primary bedroom
The other two, including the primary bedroom, are on the upper floor.
Prinary bedroom
A reminder of that room’s past as a hayloft can be found just outside the barn doors at one end, where the original hoist used to load hay bales remains in place. The room’s intersecting gables make its ceiling as close to an actual “cathedral ceiling” as one can get.
When this Germantown carriage house for sale was separated from the mansion it served, which still stands on Johnston Street, it got a decent-sized yard on two sides. One side has a seating area.
Side yard and backyard
And if you would like to give your visiting guests something to talk about, ask the owners about acquiring the Airstream trailer in the backyard. They buy and restore these trailers, then resell them. This one awaits restoration; you can either have them restore it for you or buy it as is and do it yourself.
This house is within walking distance of two popular local businesses, A&N House of Produce and Ultimo Coffee. You can catch SEPTA Regional Rail trains to Chestnut Hill or Center City at either Tulpehocken or Upsal Regional Rail stations, both within walking distance. Five SEPTA bus routes also pass nearby; all of them will take you to the neighborhood shopping hub along Chelten Avenue. And two of them and the rail line will also take you to Mount Airy’s lively business district.
All of this makes this one-of-a-kind house a real find for any free spirit with an artistic bent. But even if that doesn’t describe you, this house will certainly make you stand out from your friends and neighbors.
THE FINE PRINT
BEDS: 3
BATHS: 1 full, 1 half
SQUARE FEET: 2,385
SALE PRICE: $850,000
OTHER STUFF: The listing agent made a personal video tour of the property to give you a feel for the place.
311-13 W. Duval St., Philadelphia, PA 19144 [Nigel Richards | Compass]
