Crefeld Street, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Dec 30th 2009 at 1:01PM

Today's home is another grand Pennsylvania manor. This home in Chestnut Hill, Pennsylvania was built in the 1930s in the Norman style. It sits on nearly five acres. The home has been restored and updated but includes many older details some that date from before the home was built like the wood paneling in the great room which was taken from a 1650 hunting lodge of King James II. The home's features include a formal dining room, game room, 'speakeasy' bar, bowling alley, country kitchen and eight bedrooms. The master suite has a fireplace and a sitting room with another fireplace. There are also his and hers offices and a conference room. The property includes a four car garage, a three-bedroom cottage and a pool. It is listed for $4.75 million.

Gallery: Crefeld Street

Tags: chestnut hill, ChestnutHill, estate of the day, EstateOfTheDay, pennsylvania

Filed under: Estates

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Spectacular Bid Dec 30th 2009 6:20PM

A lovely home and wonderful provenance. There was a previous distinguished home on this site built in 1889 which was razed in 1926 to make way for this Tilden, Register and Pepper designed home (1929-30) for socially noted Eleanor Widener Dixon. The 'office of' Horace Trumbauer actually did later alterations on the home as well.

(As an aside Trumbauer was also the central architect of her Elkins Park, PA estate 'Roneale' a 60-room Tudor style mansion with 28 chimneys on property adjacent to Lynnewood Hall. Roneale, also was the name of her yacht which she donated to the US Navy for use in WW2. Roneale is Eleanor spelled backwards.)

After her passing in 1969, her son F. Eugene “Fitz” Dixon Jr. (d. 2006) donated this to Temple University and it became part of the University’s Albert M. Greenfield Conference Center. It was later named the Eleanor Widener Dixon House, in memory of his mother.

You'd be hard pressed to find a manor with a more impressive facade and select gathering rooms for that price. Imposing without being so dark as to alienate most cosmopolitan families. This property has been peddled for a while now having been marketed for a time with the very noted local agency Fox & Roach having the listing initially.

C.K. Dexter-Haven Dec 30th 2009 11:53PM

Thanks Spec. As usual, all the good stuff.
CK

John Green Dec 31st 2009 1:19PM

Beautiful estate and grounds. The Architect truly did a wonderful job on this project. Too bad the current owners didn't know how to furnish it or understand how to live in it. Bad inappropriate furnishings.

Spectacular Bid Dec 31st 2009 2:07PM

Thanks C.K. - it is a lovely home with a rich history.

I concur with 'John Green' and his remarks that the almost staged-like furnishings today simply are not up to par. Further while the realty firm boasts of it being fully restored and in magnificent condition I'd beg to differ rather loudly when anyone looks at that basement with the bowling alley. The ceiling down there is an abomination with exposed elements.

I suspect that Temple University due to regulations had to compromise the estate to some degree with assorted elements for safety purposes as a conference center. Also some of the darker woods (both floors and walling) in the hall and entry that required more upkeep were replaced with a more efficient solution able to withstand greater traffic.

For less then $5M however it is in my view a steal and those quibbles can be resolved.