Location: Philadelphia, Pa.
Price: $6,995,000
The Skinny: The beer-brewing business thrived in late-19th-century Philadelphia, and no family had more of a hand in that success than the Bergdolls, who developed the process of cold-brewing. The German emigres built this detached brownstone in the then-ritzy neighborhood of Fairmount, and one scion, Grover Cleveland Bergdoll, dodged the draft for World War I by hiding out amid this opulence.
Over the years, the 14,000-square-foot mansion was split up into apartments, but with the recent gentrification of the neighborhood, the sellers are hoping to cash in on a conversion back to single-family living, with some modern improvements.
The house features extensive gardens, parking for eight cars, exceptional original details, and eight bedrooms; plus, it’s just a short walk to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Still, has it been tainted too much by cowardice to command a $7M price?
Sources: Sotheby’s International Realty and Philadelphia Reflections.
View the original item at Curbed.com: "A Beer Baron Draft Dodger’s Sprawling Brownstone Hideout" by Rob Bear.
More from Curbed.com’s House of the Day:
- Perfectly Preserved Midcentury Not Perfect for Modern Residents
- Clearance Sale at Champ d’Or: 50 Percent Off This $70M Estate
- A Georgia Mansion Possibly Built Atop the Fountain of Youth
