Luxe listing: A three-bedroom condo in Rittenhouse Square’s first residential high-rise for $2.99 million

The 15-member staff at 1830 Rittenhouse Square know their building isn’t haunted. But some have threatened to suggest otherwise to would-be buyers of the stunning condo that Wendy and Paul Rosen are selling in the 46-unit property.

“They say they want to scare off buyers — because they don’t want us to leave,” Wendy said of the men and women who now feel like family to the couple. The Rosens have lived at 1830 for more than 40 years, as long as some of the staff have been around.

There is, indeed, something otherworldly about the Rosen home, which occupies two thirds of the 15th floor. The building is a 1913 Beaux Arts beauty that was Rittenhouse Square’s first residential high-rise — and boasts the city’s lone residential elevator still operated by an actual human being.

The Rosens’ unit is a three-bedroom, 4½-bath city sanctuary, whose massive, north-facing windows offer views of Rittenhouse Square — and a front seat to storms, sunsets, the colored lights of the Peco building, and occasional visits from the hawks that nest atop City Hall.

“When visitors arrive, they run to the windows and look down — they’re just hypnotized,” says Paul.

Entering the home through its elegant formal hall is like time-traveling to a perfectly appointed flat in 1920′s Paris or pre-War Manhattan.

Wendy oversaw its renovation, which updated the kitchen and bathrooms, but kept all original details front and center. The feathered-crown plaster moldings, herringbone-patterned wood floors, and French doors were all maintained, as were arched alcoves, multiple fireplaces, 10-foot ceilings, and a window with a Juliet balcony.

It’s easy to imagine the gatherings the Rosens have enjoyed here, putting to use their kitchen’s double sinks, stoves, and ovens: family celebrations, meals with friends, and fundraising events related to the couple’s work and charitable efforts. (Wendy is the former president of the Friends of Rittenhouse Square and one of its current board members).

The Rosens are now downsizing. “These days we mostly use just the kitchen, den, and bedroom,” said Paul.

But they’re not leaving their beloved neighborhood. After a two-year search, Wendy, a real estate agent with Berkshire Hathaway, found a contemporary two-bedroom home in a condo building right across the square with beautiful views.

Including one of 1830, whose windows are visible from their new home — and whose staff will always have their hearts.

The home is listed by Brian Stetler at BHHS Fox & Roach-Center City Walnut for $2,990,000.