Luxe listing: A $2.2 million home that was once a part of the Joseph Horn Mansion

Christina Roberto and Joe Simmons knew from the moment they saw 2408 Pine St. that they’d stumbled onto something special and that they might have to act on it — even though they’d not planned to become homeowners just yet.

It was 2015, and Roberto, who was living in Boston, had applied for a medical teaching position at Penn, where Simmons, whom she was dating, was on the faculty at the Wharton School. If the job came through, the couple would purchase a home together. They liked Fitler Square, but weren’t feeling any urgency to buy.

But the Pine Street listing stopped them cold. It was one of three condos subdivided from the original Joseph Horn Mansion, built and named for the cofounder of the Horn & Hardart food emporium.

And it was a 3,500-square-foot stunner.

Twice as wide as nearby rowhouses, its multiple windows allowed light to flood the home’s interior. Roberto, who craves sunlight, was enchanted.

The airy second floor — an open dining and living area, with attached office space and chef’s kitchen — felt expansive yet cozy, thanks to hardwood floors, a wood-burning fireplace, window seats, and multiple built-in shelves and cabinets.

And the three bedrooms on the third floor were just as inviting: generous spaces with gracious architectural touches and treetop views.

“From the front windows, you could see Fitler Square, and from the kitchen windows, we looked down into this private, magical bluestone courtyard,” accessed off the home’s first-floor entrance area, which included an arched-doorway bonus room, said Roberto.

Back at Simmons’ apartment, after crunching numbers, they put in an offer on the house, despite not knowing how Roberto’s job situation would unfold.

Eight years later, the couple — since married — have thriving careers at Penn; two kids (Jack, 6, and Charlotte, 2); a raft of beloved friends; and deep roots in a city that Roberto calls “the best place I’ve ever lived in.”

The couple’s lives are anchored by memories from their circa 1930 home.

Like the “tons” of dinner parties, where guests routinely trill, “You have the best house!”, and the easy walks to Penn’s campus.

Christmas mornings with the kids, Jack racing down the open stairwell to see what Santa left for him and his little sister.

Sleepy weekend mornings at Fitler Square, catching up with fellow parents while their kids burn off energy climbing the animal sculptures and statues.

Now, though, Roberto and Simmons are ready to create new memories.

In June, they both began a year-long sabbatical from Penn and moved to Berkeley, Calif., where they’re renting a house. They’re now planning the next phase of their family’s evolution: setting up house in suburban Philadelphia, post-sabbatical, commuting to Penn, and raising their children with a little more peace and quiet.

“When we get older, we’ll want to come back to Philly,” Roberto said. But her husband is not so sure. He thinks the Pine Street house has set her expectations awfully high.

“He told me, ‘I’m afraid we’ll never find another house in the city you’ll want to live in!’ ”

But if these last eight years have taught the couple anything, it’s to trust their sense of timing — and let the details take care of the rest.

The home is listed by Patrick Campbell at Compass for $2.2 million.