Home of the Month - 3 Whitesell Court
Edited by Lydia Boubendir
3 Whitesell Court - Summit, NJ
It is not often that you can help sell a piece of history. We are so happy for our sellers at 3 Whitesell Court that they found buyers who fell in love with this home (on their first visit!) and can appreciate all its rich, wonderful details.
When you first turn into 3 Whitesell Court, you are instantly captured by the home’s grand Victorian charm and its indelible place in Summit history. It transports you to a time when farmland gave way to country estates with vast lawns and richly landscaped gardens. Maybe a horse-drawn hansom cab would greet you as you stepped off the train from the City for a weekend of rest and relaxation in style and luxury.
Whitesell Court was just such an estate. Built in 1888, this home used to rest on Springfield Avenue. Over the years, various owners sold pieces of the property, molding it into present-day 3 Whitesell Court. With its wrap-around mahogany porch, graceful scalloped shingles, gabled and hipped roofs, picture-perfect bay windows, and ornate detail, it was a beauty in its day and still is today.
Step through mahogany doors and into the foyer, and step back in time. A fireplace with rich dark marble surround, inlaid parquet floors, and period pieces grace the entry. These rich floors, intricately detailed, can be found throughout this period gem. There’s a private office or sitting room off to the left, with a decorative ceiling and fireplace and access to the front porch. Step through pocket doors and to the right, and you enter the elegant parlor enhanced with the magnificent bay windows you see as you drive up. The rich, warm colors from the living room flow into the formal dining room - imagine the dinner parties here!
Doors open up to the side porch from the dining room so you can step out with an apéritif on a cool summer evening. The butler's pantry - which we are sure has a rich history of its own - opens into the kitchen at the back of the home: a warm and inviting space with custom cream cabinetry, rich hardwood floors, and a brick fireplace. From the kitchen, you can step out to the private oasis of the backyard – 0.8 acres of gorgeous garden, sloping lawns where one most likely played croquet, and a beautiful tennis court for the avid player or novice who wishes to learn.
Follow the carved mahogany banister (or the cozy backstairs from the kitchen) to the second floor, where the landing opens to the rich master bedroom with bay windows and a classic, timeless bath. Three additional bedrooms, a hall bath with a custom stained glass window, and a laundry complete the second floor. But that’s not all. The carved banister continues to the third floor where you will find three additional bedrooms, a huge renovated bathroom, and the home’s third laundry room.