COZY CRAFTSMAN
Highland Park gem with period style priced at $275,000
Fifteen years ago, Gian Romagnoli and his wife, Megan Herwig, were looking for a house in Lawrenceville. Then they visited 924 Portland St. in Highland Park. “We had been renting and thought we’d like to buy in Lawrenceville,” he said. “But after sitting on the front porch, we realized that this was the house we wanted.”
The large front porch is typical of the Craftsman style that was popular when the house was built in 1910. So are radiators, subway tile and some of the other elements the couple have preserved or added while living here. But their family is growing, so they have decided to sell.
The two-bedroom, one-bath house is priced at $275,000 (MLS No 1593792) with Dora Rudick of Coldwell Banker Realty (www.coldwellbankerhomes.com or 412506-2394).
“It’s really kind of emotional to get rid of it,” Romagnoli said. “We really love that house.”
One of the first changes they made was in the small front yard.
“It used to be sloped with holly shrubs but we turned it into our outdoor garden,” he said. “We grow tomatoes out there in the summer with bulbs in the lower terrace.”
The couple also worked on the backyard, which is extremely private with a three-story apartment building on one side and a tall fence on the other. One day, they had a surprising visitor there.
“Wewent in the backyard one morning and there was an alligator, 4 feet long,” Romagnoli recalled. “So we called the police.”
The possibility was raised that it had escaped from the nearby Pittsburgh Zoo, but in turned out that it was a neighbor’s pet whohad fallen out of a third-floor window.
Sadly for the alligator, he didn’t get to see the inside of this charming, colorful house. The living room is a soft green with a large brick decorative fireplace and the dining room, which has a long row of built-in cupboards, is a sunny gold.
“My wife is an artist and I’m like a half artist,” Romagnoli said, chuckling.
The couple removed a wall that had closed off the galley kitchen from the rest of the first floor. Romagnoli created a breakfast bar for two, adding dining space and a view of the new-old kitchen.
“It’s actually the smallest kitchen I’ve ever lived with, but it’s the most efficient,” hesaid. “Everything is at your ready.”
It also holds one of his favorite things in the home — the kitchen sink.
Original to the house, the cast-iron sink is by the back door, near a large window with a view of the the garden.
“Even though it’s not the most practical thing ... we love it and hope it stays with the new owners,” said Romagnoli.
The couple removed the upper kitchen cabinets, replacing them with open shelving and a subway tile backsplash appropriate to the era. The gas stove and
refrigerator are stainless steel and the ceiling is wood paneling, a nice touch that matches the vintage light over the sink.
The family bathroom is another bit of the house’s history that the couple worked hard to return to its original glory. Romagnoli tracked down photos that showed the bathroom as it was initially. It has soft blue paint, a wood vanity and white wainscoting. The bathtub is surrounded by subway tiles edged by a thin band of decorative tiles while the flooring is a large version of penny tiles.
Upstairs are two bedrooms measuring 13 by 12 feet and 13 by 11 feet.
A bonus is a two-car garage at the rear of the property. The couple converted the garage to an artist studio with a high, open ceiling and installed large new windows. Wanting to keep garden tools and such out of the studio, Romagnoli built a small storage shed from wood they found in the garage’s rafters. It looks like a playhouse with a bright orange door and a window box.
There is original hardwood flooring in the living and dining rooms and the bedrooms. Most of the windows have been replaced with the exception of the ones on either side of the fireplace and those above the built-ins in the dining room. The house has a walk-in, unfinished basement and radiator heating that Romagnoli already misses.
“Super-efficient — my new house has forced-air and I miss the radiator heating,” he said. “It kept the place nice and warm and didn’t dry everything out.”
The couple has seen the neighborhood blossom since they bought the house in August 2008.
“It was pretty scary, a little rough,” remembered Romagnoli. “It’s grown to be really nice with great neighbors and lots of kids.”
The neighborhood is home to historic Highland Park, founded in 1889. This house is within walking distance of Bryant Street, whose attractions include Joseph Tambellini Restaurant, Park Bruges and Applewood Smoke Burger Co. in Park Place Pub. There is also Bryant Street Market and a pharmacy, Stanton Negley Drug Co.
Highland Park is a “biker’s paradise” with a score of 90, according to Zillow. The owners had short commutes to Oakland and the South Side.
The property assessment is $54,900. Over the last three years, one house has sold in the 900 block of Portland Street for $260,000.