Jawdropper of the Week: A Reborn Classic in Rittenhouse for $3.69M

2012 Spruce St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103 | Photos: Drew Callaghan Photography via Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty

Wonder what opulence looked like in the mid-19th century?

Wonder no more, for the architect who restored this gorgeous 1860 brownstone on Spruce Street in Rittenhouse was (almost) totally faithful to the style of the era.

This home was lovingly restored a few years back, with all of the lavish original detailing brought back to a high polish and some 21st-century touches thrown in.

The main one of these modern enhancements is the atrium in the rear that rises the entire height of the home. The other is the kitchen, with its chef-quality Wolf range and Viking Professional refrigerator-freezer.

That kitchen also has a feature rarely seen in such rooms: a gas fireplace, one of nine fireplaces in all (four gas and five wood-burning).

All five of this home’s bathrooms are also up to date, and the private ones are equipped with bidets.

Both the public and private spaces are on a grand scale, with 14-foot-high ceilings and rich plaster and wood ornamentation on the public floors and 12-foot-high ceilings and the same level of detail in the private spaces on the top two floors. The fourth floor is a single large room that could function as an au pair suite.

There’s also an attractive rear garden and off-street parking for two cars.

This home’s grandeur is sure to impress your friends and guests. But we wonder whether maybe buyers aren’t intimidated by what might be impressive maintenance costs. This home was offered for sale three years ago for $4.3 million, a price that was later lowered to $4.19 million, and it’s now back on the market for even less.  It’s certainly not equipped for the “lock and leave” lifestyle lots of affluent would-be city-dwellers now crave, but surely someone out there appreciates this level of elegance enough to take good care of this home the way its current owner has.

THE FINE PRINT

BEDS: 5

BATHS: 5

SQUARE FEET: 7,155

SALE PRICE: $3,690,000

2012 Spruce St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19103 [Drew Callaghan | Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty – Bryn Mawr]