A Main Line Mansion in Ventnor for $3.85M

5801 Atlantic Ave., Ventnor, N.J. 08406 | Bright MLS images via RE/MAX Access

Of the three communities that share Absecon Island with Atlantic City, Ventnor is considered the most workaday. But it also has its silk-stocking district, known as St. Leonard’s Tract.

This streamlined Georgian home sits in the middle of the tract and stands out from all the homes around it. One reason why: It looks like it belongs on the Main Line, not the Jersey Shore.

But there’s a reason it’s here and not there. That reason begins with a notable Philadelphian: John Wanamaker.

“This home sits on the site of the old Wanamaker estate,” says Maxim Shtraus, an agent with RE/MAX Elite who is involved in marketing the home. “The Wanamakers owned half of the old St. Leonard’s Tract in the 1920s. The department-store mogul would entertain prominent local pols here.”

But the ultimate reason this house stands here has to do with coffee. Specifically, Atlantic City’s homegrown coffee roaster, Ireland Coffee Company.

Founder Samuel Ireland built this home in 1950 to serve as his year-round residence. Thus its design cues draw more from tony Philly suburbs than they do the Jersey Shore vernacular. Locals have referred to it as “the Ireland Coffee House” ever since it was completed.

The house has remained in Ireland family hands from then until now, when its current owner, a grandson of Samuel, decided to put it up for sale.

Foyer

The home has been very well maintained and thoughtfully updated over the 68 years since Ireland built it. You will notice in some of its spaces design concessions made to accommodate its location, like the tile floor in its foyer.

Living room

Great room bar

Great room

But what you will notice most is the level of Colonial detailing in every room of this home. Yet as its great room should demonstrate, it’s a modern variant on traditional Colonial design.

Kitchen

And speaking of modern variants on traditional design, this home’s kitchen has one of the latest advances in cooking technology – an induction cooktop.

Main floor bathroom

Master suite

The bathrooms are likewise outfitted with modern fixtures and fittings while still fitting in with a classic aesthetic.

Pool

In the back, there’s a pool with a fireplace at its end, another one of those instances where a year-round home incorporates a nod to its summer-home surroundings.

If you’re looking to make the Shore your permanent home, this home makes an excellent place to settle in. And if you need to remind yourself exactly where you are, the beach is just a block away.

THE FINE PRINT

BEDS: 5

BATHS: 4 full, 2 half

SQUARE FEET: 5,506

SALE PRICE: $3,850,000

5801 Atlantic Ave., Ventnor, N.J. 08406 [Michael Fabrizio | RE/MAX Access; Maxim Shtraus | RE/MAX Elite]