WHAT A PORCH!
An Italian immigrant’s stone masterpiece is priced under $200,000
When the Mill Street Highway was built in 1968, it ran right through Angelo Zuccaro’s house. Rather, where it used to be. “He was so upset that they were going to move his house. It turned out to be the best thing that ever happened,” said Maria Zuccaro Rexroad, his daughter.
The modest house built in 1948 was moved to 2781 Mill St. in Hopewell, Beaver County. From its spectacular side porch, the view of the valley below so reminded Mr. Zuccaro of his childhood home in Supino, Italy, that he began a lifelong quest to re-create scenes of the old country.
He died several years ago and his wife, Emma, lived in the home until she died in June 2019 at age 98.
The family has listed the threebedroom, 1½-bath house for $199,900 (MLS No. 1415394) with Nancy Rossi of RE/MAX Select Realty (724-933-6300 or www.remax.com). It is under agreement.
The cottage-style house features hand-laid stone on the inside and outside. The large covered side porch has stone arches, iron gates and a custom stone dining table that sits atop a Pennsylvania blue slate floor. The stained wood cathedral ceiling features open beams and trusses that add to the rustic look.
Mr. Zuccaro was a steelworker who also built houses for Nero Brothers Construction. He was a self-taught stone mason, his daughter said.
“After he retired, my mother wanted the porch. He was so mad because he didn’t want to do it. He went to Florida for a month with my brother. Then my mom called and said, ‘Just come home.’”
When he returned, he started work on the 26-by-19-foot addition. All of the stones were hand-collected and transported in a little red truck that he drove around town, Ms. Rexroad said.
“He and my mom would go looking for stones. He would hand-chip every one of those stones,” she said, adding that he never took a masonry lesson.
The living room has an original decorative stone fireplace and hardwood floors. The large dining room has a brass and crystal chandelier and was the site of more than
70 years of family gatherings.
The kitchen features more stone. If you look closely, you will see hearts, a star and the word “love” in the stonework. The cabinets are oak and a window over the kitchen sink offers a view of the valley and the wooded 0.68-acre lot.
Stone was also added to the walls of the full bathroom on the second floor. The three bedrooms have original hardwood floors and plaster walls.
There is a second kitchen in the basement, a common feature in the homes of Italian immigrants. Mr. Zuccaro built it and the large stone bar and fireplace. The basement accesses the twocar integral garage.
The property is part of the Hopewell Area School District and its annual taxes are approximately $3,000 per year. Pittsburgh International Airport is a 10-minute drive away.
The family reclaimed the house’s slate roof from another home on Brodhead Road. They gathered and transported the slate to the house, where most was used on the roof and the rest on the floor of the porch.
Ms. Rexroad said she never completely understood what her father was trying to create until she visited his birthplace in Italy.
“There is a mountain, Monte Gemma. It reminded me of the mountain you can see from this house,” she said. “He must have always missed that town that he grew up in to re-create the views so perfectly. He would look at that mountain for hours.”