PHOTOS BY JEFF MUSCHAR PHOTOGRAPHY

Talking about the home at 701 S. Braddock Ave. evokes both joy and wistfulness for Merrily Swoboda and Jeff Lesak. 

After moving from rural Bedford County in 2019 in search of a walkable and friendly community, the couple found exactly what they were looking for in Regent Square. 

“It was hard for us to leave the house we’re going to talk about, we’ll be frank about that,” says Swoboda. 

Now an octogenarian, she says she and Lesak knew it might soon become difficult to navigate and maintain the large three-story home, but that doesn’t mean it was easy to leave behind. Their new home is nearby — it just has fewer steps. 

Their South Braddock home is now listed for $585,000. The journey that brought the couple there was a long one; they viewed more than 60 houses with  Realtor team Mark and Evan McAdams-Templeton of RE/MAX before falling in love with this one. 

“When we walked in, it was clear that it was a sort of historic house, Arts-and-Crafts style, and the previous owners really did a lot to preserve that style, but to make it more modern and comfortable,” says Swoboda. 

Drawn by the beautiful historical architecture and friendly people, the McEvans-Templetons themselves moved from Denver to Pittsburgh more than two decades ago — so they understood the appeal of this turn-of-the-century gem.

“You walk in the front door and it just cascades to the back with a really nice view, and just seemed like the right place for us to be,” adds Lesak. 

The previous owners lived in the house for 30 years, updating the home and also filling the lot with gorgeous landscaping; the property has 29 Japanese maples as well as multiple climbing and bush hydrangeas. Combined with its location directly across from Frick Park means every view from the home is filled with lush greenery. There’s also a functional two-car garage on the lot. 

While the 150 acres he and Swoboda once owned became too much to care for, Lesak says he enjoyed maintaining the landscaping he inherited. He has also spent time beautifying the park, where he volunteers regularly. 

The next owners of the 1,818-square-foot American Foursquare home will not have many updates, if any, to make. The McAdams-Templetons said via email that this house checks every box.

“The main floor with its open floor plan is wonderful for entertaining, and you get to feel a sense of history in the space,” they write. One of their favorite features is the original stained glass window. 

“With flowers, subtle hearts, and a pastoral scene with a windmill, it is one of the most beautiful we have seen.” 

In addition to the original window, across-the-street neighbor and stained-glass artist Glenn Greene added new contemporary stained glass panels in the dining room that represent views of Frick Park. 

Throughout the home, woodwork in warm tones remains in excellent shape. There’s also fresh paint and newer Pella windows as well as an updated HVAC system. 

While they did not make many changes, Swoboda and Lesak did update the kitchen, sticking with the warm wood tones and simple lines of the Arts-and-Crafts movement. 

“Boy, did we love that kitchen,” says Swoboda. “We cook and entertain modestly, and that kitchen is a jewel, but we wanted it to fit in with the architecture of the house.” 

With a powder room on the first floor, two full bathrooms upstairs and a Pittsburgh Potty in the basement, Swoboda says with a laugh that the house conveniently has “a potty on every floor.” 

The house also comes with a storied history. Built by George W. Guthrie as part of the Guthrie Estate Plan of homes, this house was his personal residence and the side street is called Guthrie Street. 

The mayor of Pittsburgh for just one term — from 1906 to 1909 — Guthrie nevertheless had several notable accomplishments. He implemented a water filtration system credited with controlling the spread of typhoid and annexed both Sheraden and Allegheny City into the City of Pittsburgh. 

Then there’s the Gene Kelly connection.

That anecdote has proven a bit harder to research, says Lesak. When the couple purchased the home, the couple was given a plaque that says, “Gene Kelly danced here.” While Kelly did grow up on nearby Kensington Street, just a few blocks up Braddock Avenue in Point Breeze, it’s hard to know just where he danced in his hometown.

In true Yinzer fashion, Lesak believes he confirmed the story in the most Pittsburgh of ways — through a local bartender. 

“There was a bar that had just opened on the corner, and I went just to see what was going on,” says Lesak. “I got to talking with the bartender, and she said she knew for certain Gene Kelly was in that house because her family used to visit there, too.”  

Swoboda says that makes sense to her. 

“[The house] had, and still has, beautiful hardwood floors, which were made for dancing.” 

Meg St-Esprit is a Bellevue-based freelance journalist who covers real estate, lifestyle, education, parenting and travel for a variety of local outlets including Pittsburgh Magazine, PublicSource, Kidsburgh, Pittsburgh City Paper, and City Cast Pittsburgh. Meg offers Hot Property, an inside look into unique and historic homes on the market. Each week, Hot Property goes behind the For Sale sign to share the story of a special Pittsburgh-area home.

About: Regent Square (rsca.online)
Population: 3,095
Planes, Trains & Automobiles: Regent Square is accessible from the Parkway East, giving the neighborhood a route to get anywhere in the city easily. There are plentiful bus routes in the neighborhood that connect residents to other neighborhoods, and the area is very walkable. There are restaurants, coffee shops and retail spots reached by foot or bike in the neighborhood. That same proximity to the parkway means the airport is an easy drive, too.
Schools: Pittsburgh Public Schools (pghschools.org)
Neighborhood: Regent Square, which has been called Gunn Hill, the Devon Plan and the Wilkins Plan in the past, was given its lofty moniker at the beginning of the 19th century. George Westinghouse, who had a farm in the area, wanted to encourage luxury development around his own home. A developer thought that “Regent Square” evoked that luxury image, and it worked; the community bordering Frick Park has long been home to many gorgeous historical houses. Plentiful green space and quiet residential streets bordering the bustling business district make this neighborhood a popular place to live.