2806 Fairmount Boulevard (1996)

This elegantly understated home, situated in now mature landscaping, was once photographed by former neighbor Margaret Bourke-White in the 1920s.

Built in 1919, this home features a classically styled front domed entranceway, supported by Ionic columns. Brick-work arches top living room windows echoing the dome design, while other windows of rectangular shape contribute to an eclectic look.

From the main door, an asymmetric floor plan draws the focus into the spacious living room, with its ornate Adamesque plaster work. A Starr grand piano, built for the original owner, maintains its prominent position in this light-filled and comfortable room. An unusual hallway skirts the living room, which can keep this room tranquil, by re-directing traffic flow.

A few of the many features which make this house a gracious home, are five working fireplaces, a sleeping porch, and a family room with French doors leading to a stone floored porch.

Highly laudatory restoration and renovation work has been accomplished by the owners of this home, located within the Fairmount Boulevard District, which has achieved a listing in the National Register of Historic Places. Sagging ceilings throughout have been taken down and re-plastered; much work relating to infrastructure, including electrical work, has been completed. The pantry has been restored and much original brass hardware throughout the house has been polished, revealing both traditional as well as rose brass. A new roof and new driveway stand among the improvements made to the exterior.

No small undertaking has been the construction of a stone wall, which for all its newness teases the observer into believing it to be original. A fountain original to the garden supports this illusion. However, the sense of well-being promoted by this lovely home is very real indeed.