Cozy Hillcrest house oozes with charming details, updated appliances
Tiny Hillcrest is an unincorporated community slightly off the beaten track in northern New Castle County, nestled near Bellefonte and Edgemoor.
Ryan Kortz bought an older two-story house there on Woodside Avenue in 2007, charmed by its Colonial-style exterior and Craftsman-flavored interior. He liked the character of the house and the neighboring properties, each with its own individual style.
“We wanted a house in that was near the city, but didn’t feel congested,” he says. “It’s a nice, quiet neighborhood, within walking distance from Bellevue State Park and the town of Bellefonte. The house is not a typical cookie cutter house, which is why we were attracted to it.”
Built in 1938, the home is outfitted with such features as arched doorways, hardwood floors and faceted glass doorknobs. The counter tops in the galley-style kitchen are sheathed in slate tiles salvaged from the roof of a local church. There’s wainscoting in the dining room and Craftsman-style millwork on the living room ceiling.
“The living room also has a wood-burning brick fireplace with doorways on each side that open into a sun room, a great place to relax and unwind,” he says. “These are characteristics we found missing in the newly constructed homes in developments.”
In the kitchen, updates include stainless steel appliances and a double farmhouse-style sink. It’s a compact galley, with more than 14 feet of counter space, including a large butcher-block cutting board insert. White bead-board style cabinets reflect the vintage vibe.
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The second-floor bath retains its original white subway tiles and marble mosaic floor. There’s also an open sitting area on the upper level, with wardrobes for additional storage.
Outdoors, the house is classic Colonial, with black shutters and a pent roof above a red brick stoop. There’s a detached one-car garage and room for play and entertaining in the back yard.
For more than a decade, the homeowners enjoyed the quaint old house and the friendly neighborhood. Then they outgrew the property, moved on to a larger place and put the home up for sale.
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Madeline Dobbs, the listing agent, says the sellers are providing an additional enticement by offering some furnishings gratis with the property. That includes: the dining table and chairs, buffet, bar stools in kitchen nook, and wardrobes in the upstairs sitting area. The backyard swing set and pergola also will go to the new owner.
Dobbs is sweetening the deal further with a gift reflecting the home’s unique charms. She has stocked the cupboards with flour, sugar and cookie cutters in the shape of a house.
“It’s an adorable house—and definitely one of a kind,” she says. “The only cookie cutters here are the ones in the kitchen.”
UNIQUE FEATURES: The house retains much of the original hardware, corner shelves in the dining room, curved archways, and painted moldings on the living room ceiling.
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THE OWNER’S FAVORITE PLACE IN THE HOUSE: The kitchen first attracted the sellers to the home. “You walk through the dining room and there’s this long narrow galley kitchen in the back that leads out to the patio. It has a breakfast nook that was a favorite gathering spot for late-night conversation.”
WHAT THEY WILL MISS MOST ABOUT THE HOUSE: The sellers have more room in their new house. But they retain fond feelings for the intimacy of the Woodside house. “We find with more space, we miss the coziness and warmth that the house provided. Everyone had their own space but were always around the corner.”
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319 Woodside Ave., Wilmington
LISTING PRICE: $275,000
SIZE: 1,925 square feet, three bedrooms, two baths
LOT: 3,920 square feet
OUTDOOR FEATURES: Entry walkway lined with boxwoods
BUILT: 1938
NOTEWORTHY: Original architectural arches and hardware
CONTACT: Madeline Dobbs, More Brandywine Homes, Century 21, (302) 489-9766
Eileen Smith Dallabrida is a Wilmington freelance writer and editor. Contact her at esmith@smithreports.com.