Just Listed: Norman Chateau Next Door to the Bidens’ Wilmington House

President Joe Biden may have come from solid working-class stock, but that doesn’t mean he and his wife, Dr. Jill Biden, live in working-class housing anymore. They’ve done well enough in their careers to live in a house much like — and next door to — this handsome Norman chateau at 1213 Barley Mill Rd., Wilmington, Del. 19803 | Photos: Colin Burkhardt, CdB Photography, via Brandywine Fine Properties Sotheby’s International Realty

One of the more remarkable things about President Joe Biden is just how unremarkable he is.

Don’t take this the wrong way: the guy clearly has sharp political skills and an ability to appeal to a wide cross-section of people. Both of these talents helped propel him to the 2020 Democratic Presidential nomination, and from there, the White House.

But articles galore have also noted that Biden is also just a regular Joe with working-class roots. (In this article, a Biden advisor recalls how he got tested on his job interview by Biden offering him a cup of instant coffee.)

Just a regular Joe with working-class roots who lives on a street of pretty fancy houses in Greenville, an affluent suburb northwest of Wilmington.

The Greenville Norman manor house for sale you see above is the one next door to the Bidens’.

Before he ascended to the Presidency, Biden’s Wilmington neighbors were accustomed to seeing Joe and Jill out and about. “Delaware is a small state, and there’s only one degree of separation between everyone,” says agent Michael Kelczewski of Brandywine Fine Properties Sotheby’s International Realty, who is marketing this house. “I live in the general area, and I used to see the Bidens shopping at the supermarket.”

If you are one of those people who value your privacy, you will actually gain some by moving next door to the Bidens now.  When the President and First Lady are in residence at the “Wilmington White House,” this stretch of Barley Mill Road is closed to through traffic, with police checkpoints set up at either end.

There is a downside to this, however: when the Bidens are on their way to or from home, all the neighbors are prevented from entering or leaving for one hour on either side of their move.

Look at that as an opportunity to get to know your neighbors better. Or as a chance to relax for a bit and enjoy everything this house has to offer.

And it offers a lot because its builder put a lot into it to begin with. And its subsequent owner put in even more.

Living room

Joe Marra, one of Delaware’s premier builders, built this Greenville Norman manor house for sale in 1998 as his personal residence. He designed it with both convenience and a Wow! factor in mind.

Great room

The Wow! factor hits you the moment you step into the foyer. On the right is the formal living room; to the left, the formal dining room; and dead ahead, a spacious great room with a two-story-high vaulted ceiling.

Formal dining room

All three rooms have fireplaces, by the way.

Casual dining room

The convenience part comes in how the main-floor spaces are arranged. On the dining-room side, a casual dining area and kitchen wrap around the dining room on two sides, with the casual dining room right next to the formal one.

Kitchen

That means you can serve all kinds of meals to all kinds of crowds (or your next-door neighbors) without having to do extra traveling.

Rear exterior and terraces

And as the rear terrace grill sits just outside the casual dining room, you can also host indoor-outdoor affairs.

Florida room

And just beyond the kitchen is a sunny Florida room where you could serve hors d’oeuvres before dinner.

Primary bedroom

The other convenient part comes in the form of a main-floor primary bedroom suite beyond the living and great rooms.

Primary bathroom

The bedroom has its own private covered balcony and a sumptuous primary bathroom.

Study

It also has a study all ready for working from home. And it has a second primary suite on the second floor.

Rec room and bar

The basement contains all the added extras, starting with the huge rec room and full wet bar.

Home theater

The current owners upgraded the home theater at one end.

Gym

And they put in a home gym at the other, which is open to the backyard thanks to its sloping lot.

Studio

There’s also a room you could use as a music or art studio. You’ll also find a playroom over the four-car garage and a bonus room in its attic.

And with 1.97 acres of land surrounding this house in the middle of Brandywine chateau country, you won’t have to worry about upsetting the neighbors with your activities, or vice versa.

Once you move in, though, you might want to invite those neighbors over for coffee.

THE FINE PRINT

BEDS: 5

BATHS: 5 full, 3 half

SQUARE FEET: 8,700

SALE PRICE: $2,390,000

1213 Barley Mill Rd., Wilmington, Del. 19807 [Michael Kelczewski | Brandywine Fine Properties Sotheby’s International Realty]