Luxe listing: A $2.45 million Queen Anne Victorian in Chestnut Hill that ‘has lived many lives’

It’s been six years since they moved into their Chestnut Hill home, but KimMi Whitehead and Andy Guy still marvel at how the seven-bedroom Queen Anne Victorian at 8133 Seminole St. feels both spacious and intimate. Its high-ceilinged grandeur is balanced by charming details that adds coziness and warmth.

There are the deep window sills, stained glass, angled dormers, and seven fireplaces, each with elaborate woodwork, ceramic tile, brick, or carved-wood surrounds.

The original butler’s pantry, adjacent to the modern kitchen, features leaded-glass cabinet doors that allow stemware to glint in the sun.

The Harry Potter-esque closet under the stairwell is one of many “hideaway” spots in the home.

During the winter holidays, Whitehead transforms the red-doored entry hall into a “Christmas room,” with a grand tree, candles and lights, train set, and other merry adornments.

“I’ve never lived in an old home,” Whitehead said of the home, designed in 1889 by G.W. & W.D. Hewitt architects whose aesthetic informs other neighborhood buildings. “I fell in love with the features here — every room has something special about it. It feels like we’re living in another time — like the house has lived many lives.”

Then there’s the location.

Nestled on the leafy corner of Seminole Street and Hartwell Lane, the house is a short stroll to the St. Martin’s Regional Rail station, the shops on Germantown Avenue, a variety of local school options, Pastorius Park, and the recreation trails of the Wissahickon Valley Park.

“We can walk anywhere for what we need,” Guy said.

The couple moved from Northern Liberties to Chestnut Hill when Whitehead was pregnant with their daughter, now 6. Their home’s meticulously landscaped property — a big, kid-friendly paradise — explodes in spring with roses, hydrangeas, azaleas, and magnolia blossoms. A nine-zone irrigation system eases maintenance. A two-floor former carriage house is now used as a garage.

Whitehead’s relatives were so taken by the neighborhood that her mother, uncle, and aunt have since moved into Chestnut Hill.

“It’s like a compound,” she laughs.

The couple is now building a smaller home elsewhere in Chestnut Hill but will cherish the memories they made on Seminole Street, including parties for their daughter, her friends, and their families.

They’ll miss the easy walks and cozy days in the sunroom, whose three walls of windows “make you feel like you’re drinking your coffee inside a snow globe” in the winter, Guy said.

The home is listed by Tony Wells at Compass for $2,450,000.