Live in a Park in Germantown for $500K
Missed your previous chance to own a home in the Awbury Arboretum? Here's another one that's just as cool.
6190 Ardleigh St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19138 | TREND images via Long & Foster Real Estate
Some Chestnut Hill residents enjoy the privilege of visiting the Morris Arboretum for free anytime they want, thanks to deeds that include access to the gated tree preserve.
All Germantown residents enjoy the privilege of visiting the Awbury Arboretum for free anytime they want because the ungated tree preserve’s Quaker founders wanted it that way.
Both horticultural havens were created out of private estates, however — several of them in the case of the Awbury, which is also a National Register historic district. And all but one of the private homes whose grounds the Awbury envelops remain private residences.
This Victorian home on Ardleigh Street is one of them. You won’t have to worry about tree lovers camping out on your back patio, though, because it still has its own one-acre fenced lot.
This home was built in the 1870s as a twin, but its two halves have been combined into one very nice whole. A former owner, architect Robert Pierce, performed the renovations and additions that turned it into the stylish specimen you now see.
The home’s original woodwork has been lovingly refinished to the point where it glistens, and its bathrooms have been updated with simple yet attractive tile patterns. The galley-style kitchen sports a similar tile pattern along with plenty of storage space, wood-trimmed countertops and a commercial-quality range among its stainless steel appliances.
Built-ins distinguish both the living room, which also has a wet bar, and the bedroom at the top of the stairs to the second floor. You’ll find working fireplaces in the family room beyond the kitchen and the spacious master suite. Beyond the family room is a spacious and attractive rear deck and terrace from which you can bask in the beauty of your yard and the surrounding arboretum.
This home also has several rooms that can be adapted to play several roles: A laundry room next to the master suite that could also serve as a nursery, a sitting room or a huge walk-in closet. A room off the family room that could serve as a home office or den.
Your historic suburban idyll is located in one of the city’s most diverse and historic neighborhoods to boot. Neighborhood shopping and a good supermarket are a short distance away, and frequent SEPTA bus routes can take you to the heart of Germantown, other nearby communities, or the Broad Street Line into Center City. Washington Lane Regional Rail station on the other side of the arboretum offers a faster ride into town, and there’s plenty of driveway parking available.
This is the second time in six months that a home in the Awbury Arboretum has gone on the market. These homes rarely get put up for sale, so if living in the woods and in the city at the same time appeals to you, act fast.
THE FINE PRINT
BEDS: 3
BATHS: 3 full, 1 half
SQUARE FEET: 2,224
SALE PRICE: $500,000
6190 Ardleigh St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19138 [Eileen Gray | Long & Foster Real Estate]
