On the Market: Classic Farmhouse in Andorra
A late addition to the city's stock of farmhouses, this beautifully maintained specimen near the Wissahickon Valley dates to 1925.
844 Manatawna St., Philadelphia, Pa. 19128 | Bright MLS images via BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors
Andorra, in Roxborough’s far northern reaches, more closely resembles Whitemarsh Township just across the Montgomery County line than it does Roxborough proper. It came across its suburban look and feel honestly, for much of it was developed only after the Second World War.
But by the time this handsome farmhouse was built in 1925, it’s quite likely that the farms around it were already disappearing. The Episcopal Diocese of Pennsylvania was contemplating the construction of a huge new cathedral up its way, for instance. But up this house went anyway, and today, it stands today as a charming, comfortable throwback to simpler times.
Front porch view
The view from its wraparound front porch, while hardly rural, is nonetheless bucolic. The listing agent says the land this house sits on was part of the estate of Henry Howard Houston. Yet it sits on the opposite side of the Wissahickon from his Wissahickon Heights development, the beginning of today’s Chestnut Hill.
Living room
Dining room
Here you will enjoy tranquility in a house that retains its original character. The rooms are painted in soft pastels or attractively wallpapered, the woodwork is original, and simplicity is the design order of the day.
Kitchen
Yet it has been updated where it counts. The kitchen has its original cabinetry, but it also has a new professional-grade range, and there’s room for a taller refrigerator if you want and can find one. The bathrooms boast new fixtures and marble tile showers.
Mudroom
This house for sale has what just might be the cutest mudroom we’ve ever seen. Part of it holds the laundry facilities and powder room, and the rest takes the form of a quasi-sun porch with green tile counters and batten-board walls.
Study
It sits on a lot of o.8 acres, which gives you plenty of privacy. And it has a detached three-car garage along with driveway parking for seven more.
Master bedroom
As this house is close to Bell’s Mill Road, Chestnut Hill’s eclectic, urbane shopping district is almost as easy to reach as the closer Andorra Shopping Center.
THE FINE PRINT
BEDS: 6
BATHS: 2 full, 1 half
SQUARE FEET: 3,880
SALE PRICE: $799,000
844 Manatawna Ave., Philadelphia, Pa. 19128 [Michele Cooley and Tyler Bradley | The Cooley Bradley Group | BHHS Fox & Roach Realtors]
