House of the Week: A midcentury modern house in Elkins Park for $742,000

As Kelton Higgins tells it, to call it a frantic time in the real estate business would be an understatement.

He recalled showing up at the Elkins Park house in 2021. “It was the height of the pandemic, and people were overbidding on everything,” he said. He was on his bicycle, and the agent “turned up their nose at me.”

But he quickly made an offer, then called his wife to tell her about it.

Higgins and his wife, Gemma Sherry, ultimately bought the 3,454-square-foot, three-bedroom, 3½-bath house. It was built in the late 1940s and designed by David Daniel Weitz, a noted art deco architect. Higgins said the midcentury modern home had been commissioned by Russian Jewish immigrants.

Sherry, a jazz singer and recording artist, and Higgins, an event DJ, had been living in West Mount Airy and had anticipated that Higgins’ father would move in with them in Elkins Park.

But plans changed and the couple wanted a more walkable area, so now, they are moving to Chestnut Hill.

The house still has many of its original details, including the hardware and a vintage leather wet bar.

A foyer with double coat closets opens into a living room with walls of windows and a fieldstone fireplace.

A flagstone patio ties outdoor and indoor spaces together.

The kitchen has white cabinets, quartz countertops, a WiFi-enabled cooktop, and a convection microwave oven.

The first floor has a powder room with art deco details and the primary bedroom, with a walk-in closet.

The other two bedrooms are on the second floor, and a flight of stairs leads to the roof deck.

There is a finished full basement with a laundry room. An additional large room in the basement could be used as a home office or gym.

There is a two-car garage with inside access to the kitchen, 200-amp electrical service, and a heated workbench.

The house is a 16-minute walk to the Elkins Park regional rail station.

The house is listed by Marion Dinofa of Compass Realty for $742,000.