Vintage colonial in exclusive Fox Chapel plan melds classic, modern aesthetics
A 95-year-old colonial home boasting an outdoor sport court is on the market in Fox Chapel.
Berkshire Hathaway Realtor Julie Rost, a Fox Chapel native, listed 143 North Drive for $2.4 million in October.
The home was built in 1929, five years before Fox Chapel was incorporated in 1934 after seceding from O’Hara Township.
Featuring a sprawling open floor plan with five bedrooms and 5½ bathrooms, the three-story home is located in Fox Chapel Manor, one of the borough’s oldest subdivisions, located off Fox Chapel Road near Route 28 and close to ample shopping, dining and parks.
“This is such a classic Fox Chapel house,” Rost said. “Fox Chapel Manor is a premier Fox Chapel address with North and South Drive.”
The grounds offer a little over an acre of level green space, a rare find in Fox Chapel.
Rost has shown the home to a variety of prospective buyers and noted the home’s updated open floor plan is custom-suited for entertaining.
The brick house features a slate roof, tons of natural light and four fireplaces.
“I would imagine that someone relocating would love this because they can just plop themselves into this home and unpack. Or a move-up buyer, someone already in the school district or transitioning over from the East End as their family expands,” said Rost, a Shady Side Academy alumnus.
The owner is selling because they recently moved within the Pittsburgh region to live closer to their family.
On a recent tour of the property, Rost pointed out custom details such as a stained-glass portrait of a lady in a dressing room and a separate sunroom/living room.
“People love this open space. Two owners ago, someone basically blew out the back part of the home, and you get this two-story space overlooking the back yard,” Rost said. “It really brings the outside in.”
Rost said her favorite space is the master bedroom suite, for its newly updated and renovated modern master bathroom.
“That’s a real highlight,” she said.
Most people are surprised by the amount of lower level space here.
The home offers more than 5,300 square feet of space, including a chef’s kitchen with a double oven.
Rost noted the grounds could accommodate a pool, and the outdoor stone patio is next to a sport court lined for tennis, basketball and pickleball.
“You can tell you’re in Fox Chapel because you have a perfect view of the Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church steeple,” Rost said. “I think of that being the center of the borough since I grew up here. So with this house, you’re as central in Fox Chapel as you can possibly get.”
Prospective buyers have commented on the classic-meets-modern aesthetic throughout the home.
“They’re all amazed at how large the first floor is and at the openness of the home. People who have seen homes in Fox Chapel are surprised by how level the property is,” Rost said.
To view the listing online, click here.
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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