4721 Chester Avenue

Description

The historically significant Buzby House is an incredible single detached +G+Renaissance Revival+G- style Victorian residence built in 1895, located in the Cedar Park neighborhood of University City, West Philadelphia. Custom-designed for its original owner (architect info & copies of original plans are available), it has been occupied by only four families in its 127-year history and has been carefully preserved, restored and upgraded. There are 6-7 bedrooms and 3 full and 1 half bathrooms. Beautiful period details are everywhere in the spacious 6623 square foot interior: oak flooring with decorative borders in the open main stair hall with its window bench and an upholstered seat on the stair landing, handsome wide original front and rear staircases for all three floors. Old growth quartered oak dining room floor, period woodwork and pocket doors. Two fireplaces with ornate mantles, one with a large gilded over-mantel with mirror. Elaborate cast iron radiators, leaded glass. Original coved plaster ceilings on the first and second floor and a tin ceiling in the second floor front parlor which also features a large mid-20th C. wood burning fireplace. The expansive main bedroom suite includes a separate dressing room with full-sized closets, a reading room, and a handsome 2021 bathroom. A third floor balcony off the original Billiard room looks out to Chester Ave. through the four mature Honey Locust trees providing privacy from the street. The Pompeian brick exterior features original terra cotta bas reliefs and cornices. The owners have completed a faithful exterior restoration, with spectacular attention to detail thanks to their access to especially talented restoration professionals. The house is on an approximately quarter acre fenced lot in an irregular shape, with about 72+GG of frontage along Chester Ave. Mature Cypress trees provide privacy at the wide side yard, with a driveway that will park up to 3 cars side-by-side, and a single-car detached garage provides storage space only. A recently rebuilt rear deck overlooks the huge, newly-fenced rear yard. The prior owner changed the zoning to 2-family in 1978 and the property contains an efficiency apartment with a private entry, but this unit is not currently licensed or rented.The location is just four blocks from Baltimore Ave., University City's "main street," with eclectic shops and restaurants serving many different cuisines. Clark Park is 3 blocks away; Cedar Park is 5 blocks away, and a short walk takes you to USciences (now part of St. Joseph+GGs University) and/or UPenn. The #13 Chester Ave. trolley stops at the corner and will whisk you to center city in 15 minutes, with stops along the way at UPenn, Drexel, and the 30th St. transportation hub in case you want to catch a train.