Shadyside 'mini-mansion' on the market for $5.3 million
A “mini-mansion” offering one of the biggest residential lots in Shadyside is on the market for $5.3 million.
But what exactly is a mini-mansion?
Howard Hanna Realtor and listing agent Roslyn Neiman explained why she described the property at 5238 Ellsworth Ave. as such.
“A mini-mansion is pretty impressive and pretty imposing. It looks like a mansion but isn’t quite as big as a mansion — you’re not pulling up and driving through pillars and there’s 20 rooms,” Neiman said.
Neiman noted the property is unique in that the majority of the craftsmanship of the home is left undisturbed.
“This is an original, old Pittsburgh house,” Neiman said.
The expansive, adjacent lot is 39,000 square feet and could be subdivided.
Scott Deaktor of Shadyside said his late parents, Charles and Marcia Deaktor, bought the home in 1980s and had an affinity for old homes.
He and his siblings listed the home with mixed emotions, but Deaktor said his mother took great pride in the home.
“My father achieved something and they wanted this place. My mom got it at a steal because it was different times then. At that time, Shadyside wasn’t as popular as it is today,” Deaktor said. “They put a lot of money into the house.”
The house has eight bedrooms and eight bathrooms. The library, located across the hall from the formal living room, was a favorite family gathering spot, Deaktor said.
The home was previously occupied by several prominent families, including the late businessman George S. Oliver, according to Deaktor.
Many of the fireplaces are operational and feature marble.
Marcia Deaktor recently died, facilitating the sale of the three-story home, complete with an indoor swimming pool in the stone basement, not far from an original hidden storage room used during Prohibition, located behind a safe.
“It still locks, a simple lock. They had a door on it so if the cops came by, it was hidden,” said Deaktor of the basement feature, harkening back to the era of illegal booze in America.
Deaktor said the house was built on what was once farmland.
The Georgian-brick home was one of the first built along what would later become Ellsworth Avenue.
“It was basically a farmhouse then,” Deaktor said.
The indoor pool was installed by Deaktor’s parents.
“My father loved to swim and we had many a conversation down there,” Deaktor said.
A carriage house and detached two-car garage are located behind a governor’s drive leading to the home.
The home features original hardwood floors, doors, fixtures, a slate roof, orginal woodwork, high ceilings, leaded and stained glass and was built in 1920.
The original bells inside the bedrooms no longer work to summon a servant, but remain as a reminder of days gone by when fine homes of this pedigree employed household staff.
The home’s furnishings are being sold, kept by the family or donated.
Some items will remain, like the original chandeliers, including a Waterford chandelier hanging in the formal dining room.
A new kitchen and living addition with an outdoor flower garden and gardening porch was added by the Deaktors.
Neiman pointed out the giant corner lot and grounds as a major urban amenity.
She’s shown the home to several potential buyers and touted the originality of the entire home.
“It’s rare to have an original home, one that hasn’t been bastardized (with construction) and I happen to be a person in the business for 38 years, and I much more appreciate this type of home than some of the stuff that is flipped. When you walk into this home, you see the original staircase and wide entrance,” Neiman said. “My feeling is that somebody is going to look at the beauty of the house and want that lot for a pool, or tennis court, as grounds.”
“This is the biggest (residential) city block in Shadyside that can be sold,” Neiman said. “A person can buy the lot and subdivide it, keep it all for themselves or develop the grounds.”
Joyce Hanz is a native of Charleston, S.C. and is a features reporter covering the Pittsburgh region. She majored in media arts and graduated from the University of South Carolina. She can be reached at jhanz@triblive.com
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