Most Likely To Impress: Former Schoolhouse in Pennsylvania Makes the Grade With Buyers

The offers rolled in quickly for a one-time schoolhouse priced at $398,000 in rural Pennsylvania. And after just days on the market, the charming antique is already pending sale.

“It’s an incredible property,” says Stewart Gross, who is co-listing the property with his mother, Holly Gross—both with BHHS Fox & Roach West Chester. “Part of it is the unique window structure on the tower and the main staircase going upstairs.”

The building in Honey Brook, PA, dates back to 1887, when the Potts family built it as the Franklin Public School.

The building was originally a school for eight different grades; then it housed a church and finally became a private residence in 1970.

“It really jumps out at you, and it’s really dramatic,” Gross says. “That was my first thought [when I first saw it.] It is a dramatic and a romantic-looking house and is very charming.”

The inside is 3,352 square feet across two levels. The student-height coat hooks that line certain walls are one of several lingering hints at the building’s past.

“The blackboards are still up there, and the teacher platforms at the front right, below the blackboards, are both still there,” Gross notes.

The main entry staircase is a dark wood, and he says it shows signs of student use.

“You can feel [the home’s] history, especially in the staircase,” Gross observes. “You can see the pattern of wear from where the kids would have been going down the stairs. It is narrower towards the turn. They were going full speed and hitting this one spot. It’s really charming, where you can see the wood worn there.”

The home’s kitchen is divided between two spaces on the lower level, which also has a bathroom with a tub. The ceilings are high on both floors, and a spiral staircase leads to the tower area.

“As a single-family residence, the upstairs may need to be reworked—adding walls to have some private rooms, because it is just one big area,” Gross explains. “I can definitely see the first floor being reworked, but not too drastically, just adding a bigger kitchen and a more functional bathroom.”

The schoolhouse sits on 1.6 acres, across the street from what was once a popular farm and venue space.

Gross says the schedule for showings was full immediately after the listing went live, and offers were made right away.

“All parties are happy,” he says. “Part of what makes this property so charming is the potential with it.”

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