By Ryan Mulligan – Reporter, Philadelphia Business Journal
Nov 18, 2023
A castle-like Gladwyne estate that has been continuously renovated and updated over last three decades has hit the market for $8.495 million.
The structure itself took 10 years to build from 1895 to 1905 and was built for a member of the prominent Montgomery Scott family, and later purchased by James Crosby Brown in 1915. The home now sits on Crosby Brown road, named after the family of merchant bankers who founded Wall Street investment banking firm Brown Bros. The gothic revival home was originally built as a carriage house to an adjacent mansion, but itself spans 10,680 square feet with six bedrooms, eight bathrooms and a guest cottage.
“When you get there you feel like you’ve stepped into a castle in England,” said listing agent Franz Rabauer of Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty.
Owner Lori Gehret has lived in the Main Line home for close to 30 years. When she purchased it in 1994, it had been recently renovated by architect Robert A.M. Stern, who designed the Comcast Center. Gehret said it had a “modern feel” but she wanted to revive the classic aura of the 2.8-acre property. She traveled to Memphis to meet with interior designer William Eubanks and brought him on to overhaul the home in a continuous process over nearly 30 decades. Gehret said she worked on renovations for 28 of the 29 years she’s lived in the home.
Gehret, who described herself as a “bit of a perfectionist,” said over the course of the 29 years, the investment has likely totaled over $10 million. Included in the early projects was taking down walls, discovering the original stone from when the house was built and restoring that. Working with Eubanks, Gehret also added wooden doors crafted with leaded glass, in addition to limestone archways and flooring imported from Indiana. She said she has shipped in antique furniture and artwork from around the world. Gehret’s most recent project was a renovation of the primary suite’s bathroom.
“I love seeing what can be created and watching it all come together,” Gehret said. “Starting with a dirt floor and having the whole back of the house, the kitchen blown out, and then seeing it at the end — it’s just very rewarding and I like the whole process.”
Gehret said the home has become “too much for one person” after her children moved out, and she wants to spend more time at a residence in Palm Beach, Florida.
“Now it’s time for the next project,” she said.
In its original use, the first floor would house carriages and the second floor was a large ballroom that would host fox hunt parties in the early 1900s, Gehret said. Famed radio personality, TV host and singer Mike Douglas at one point lived in the adjacent main hous and used the second floor as a recording studio during his stint in Philadelphia, Gehret said. The former main house is no longer part of the property.
The second floor now has four bedrooms, each adorned with radiant wallpaper, vaulted ceilings and ensuite bathrooms. The expansive primary suite includes a living space and the newly renovated bathroom with an Italian bath.
On the first floor is a number of different living spaces under exposed wood beams decorated with antique art, much of it imported from Europe. There is a great hall with 25-foot ceilings that is fit for hosting gatherings. Sitting off the dining room is a wet bar and wine room. The Downsview kitchen flows into a living room that opens up to a large outdoor patio stretching the length of the back of the home. On one side of the property is a two-bedroom guest cottage with a half-timbered exterior and stone that fits into the main home. Three terraces on the home look out onto gardens.
Gehret said it would be ideal to pass along the home to a family with children. Rabauer said he’s had a few showings so far with younger couples, some with children, some without.
“The buyer is somebody who appreciates the history and wants to have that old world elegance,” Rabauer said.
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View the listing here.
Listed by Franz J. Rabauer | c. 610.304.8861
Kurfiss Sotheby's International Realty 