Willa Cather wrote about this historic home in Edgeworth.
The celebrated novelist used the elegant home — known as “Braeface,” Gaelic for “the brow of the hill” — as a setting for her 1925 story “Uncle Valentine.” She was a frequent guest there of the Slack family when she lived in Pittsburgh in the early 1900s. As detailed in Sewickley Magazine by Louise Norris, whose family owned the house in the 1980s, the Slacks so named the house because it sits on top of a rise of land that borders Beaver Road in Edgeworth.
Only four families have owned the home at 415 Woodland Road since it was built in 1850.
The house sits on 2.31 acres — most of which is flat — and is on the market for $1.55 million through Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices The Preferred Realty.
“It’s a novelty, a historic place,” said Beverly McQuone of Berkshire Hathaway. “This is a product of an era gone by and an opportunity for someone looking forward.”
It’s described as “ready for restoration” by the real estate agency.
“This house has incredibly good karma,” said owner Paula Rodgers, who has lived there with her family for almost 30 years. “It’s a happy house. Every family that lived here loved this house. There is no bad juju here.”
The home is at the end of a long gated driveway. Six vintage glass pieces adorn the front door. It opens to a roomy foyer of hardwood floors — most are original — and a staircase made of a variety of specialty wood. To the right is a library with a bow window, beamed ceilings and lots of natural light. A dining room can be viewed from the left with a fireplace that at one time was most likely used for cooking, Rodgers said. An adjacent sitting room lends itself to entertaining, possibly hosting dinner parties with plenty of space, McQuone said.
Toward the back of the house on the first floor is a ballroom. Over a fireplace, a plaster casting of the “cantoria” (or singers gallery) that was created by sculptor Luca della Robbia in the Florence Cathedral in Italy is displayed.
There are beamed ceilings throughout the home as well as leaded glass windows. The kitchen, recently transformed from a butler’s pantry, has a bay window from where occupants have a view of the bonsai garden.
In the den, there is a landscape architecture drawing of the original estate.
There are six bedrooms and four and a half bathrooms. The master bedroom has an adjacent dressing room. A bedroom called the “fairy room” is decorated with colorful fairies and a canopy bed. A private bedroom that was once a servant’s quarters has a bathroom and sitting area.
The pergola has been the backdrop for two weddings.
The spacious grounds include a pond and an area that once had a tennis court. There is a carriage house, and at one time on the other side of the property was a greenhouse.
“I want someone to buy this who will love it,” said Rodgers. “It’s been a lot of fun living here.”
