House of the Week: A three-bedroom, 18th-century trinity in Queen Village for $500,000

Harry Kay didn’t have the usual profile of a history buff.

He grew up in New Jersey and for many years made his living as an airline flight attendant.

“But he just loved Philadelphia,” recalled his sister Donna Hegge. “It was fascinating to him. So when he could afford to buy his own house, that’s where he looked.”

Kay bought the three-bedroom, 1½-bath trinity on a quiet, cobblestone street in Queen Village in 1992, and he lived there until moving to hospice before his death in March. A lover of the arts, Kay filled his home with antiques and memorabilia of all kinds from his world travels, including many Washington paintings and Civil War books.

Toward the end of Kay’s life, Hegge moved in to help care for him, but she is now selling the house.

A retired public school secretary, she lives with her husband in South Jersey and said that she ”fell in love” with Philly just like her brother.

The house, built in 1782, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. Hegge said it underwent a major expansion around 1920.

The rear of the house is stucco, and the front is wood siding.

There is an open living room/dining room area that has rustic wood floors and a working wood-burning fireplace with a carved wooden mantle.

The powder room has a shiplap ceiling, and the L-shaped kitchen has a gas range, dishwasher, microwave, and skylight.

There are two bedrooms on the second floor, one with a fireplace, and another bedroom on the third floor with a loft area and a private deck.

The house is in the Meredith School catchment area.

It is close to Mario Lanza Park, a dog park, the Delaware River Trail, Penn’s Landing, and Spruce Street Harbor Park, and has quick access to I-95 and 76/676.

“If I was younger,” Hegge said, “I’d live there.”

The house is listed by Jim Armstrong of JG Real Estate for $500,000.