House of the week: A two-century-old four-bedroom Colonial in Fox Chase for $419,900

When Margaret Van Belle was looking for a house in the city, her friend and coworker in the Philadelphia Finance Department, Patricia Kelly, decided to go with her, just for company.

“I was just tagging along,” Kelly recalled, “another set of eyes and ears. We hadn’t thought of living together.”

But both immediately fell in love with the four-bedroom Colonial in Fox Chase that would have been too big for a single person.

Thirty-six years later, they still live there. But now they have decided to spend their retirement in an over-55 community less than a mile away.

“We both liked the space and the yard,” said Van Belle.

The house was built in 1803 from a combination of stone, mud, and horsehair, Van Belle said. Over the years it was converted to a conventional wood frame house, with many of the major renovations coming in 1976, 11 years before Van Belle and Kelly moved in.

The 2,316-square-foot home on a half-acre lot has four bedrooms and 2½ baths.

The first floor is wheelchair-accessible, with accommodations including wider doorways, installed by a prior owner.

The living room features a brick wood-burning fireplace and crown molding, and the kitchen has stainless steel appliances, granite countertops, ceiling beams, and a lighted ceiling fan.

The second floor has two bedrooms, both with ample closet space and a large full bathroom with Corian sink and linen closet.

The third floor has the other two bedrooms, with a large hall storage closet and an access panel to a crawl space under the roof.

There is also a three-season sun room and an attic. The house interior is freshly painted and has custom radiator covers throughout.

The backyard has a brick grill, large storage shed, and evergreens for privacy.

The property is within walking distance of dining, shopping, Pennypack Park, and the Fox Chase regional rail stop.

It is listed by Larry Aita of RE/MAX Regency Realty for $419,900.