Once again, I am honored to present yet another amazing Victorian residence in the heart of “Olde Wyncote”.

As is my practice, please allow me a few paragraphs to extoll the creation of this amazing community in yet another one of my Magical History Tours! For some, this is old news as I’ve sold many of these houses over the past 18 years, but for others, the history is new to you!

So, take a step back to the pre-industrial revolution time frame when the majority of this area was farmland and woods. As the railroad barons began expanding their routes, the Owners of the North Penn Railroad, at the urging of local residents & business owners, established a "flag stop" in 1859 at what is now the Jenkintown-Wyncote train station. Usage of this stop became so frequent, that in 1890 (in conjunction with the building of the Reading Terminal Market), a more formal station was constructed to service this area. Later, the renovation of that station to what we see today was designed by Horace Trumbauer and completed in 1932.

Now that frequent service provided easy access to the masses in downtown Philadelphia, real estate developers (and wealthy citizens) began purchasing large tracts of land in what is now known as Wyncote.

One of the more prominent “new wealth” residents that came to this part of Cheltenham Township was Henry H. Lippincott, a wealthy wholesale grocer that owned Lippincott & Co. on N. Delaware Avenue. He also was the grandson of Joshua Lippincott that founded the major publishing firm of J.B. Lippincott & Co. in the mid 19th century. There were multiple Lippincott family members that owned other estates in this region of Wyncote.

As development began in earnest, real estate speculators descended upon the farm & estate properties near the train station and began the process of creating a Victorian suburban development.

Martin Luther Kohler purchased a ten acre parcel in 1886 from Henry Lippincott to develop new housing for the families that were striving to leave the city for the country life. A total of 16 parcels were created on those 10 acres, one of which is my listing!

In researching the history of the property, I was unable to ascertain the full name of the original owner of the house, a newspaper article from October 6, 1892 had the following entry;

“House and lot in Cheltenham, T.J. Dougherty to Harriet B. Quick, $6,000.”

Without a first name of T.J. Dougherty, I do not know whether he was simply the builder of the house, or resided there for a period of time prior to the sale to Harriet Quick.

It is unusual in that day and age, for the property to be in the female’s name when there is a husband involved, yet the 1897 railroad atlases clearly have her as the owner. She was married to Abram Feaster Quick and had one daughter, Harriet Ann Quick. From 1892 until sometime in the early 1900’s, this was their primary residence. Mr. Quick was a dry goods merchant, and that’s about all we can find out about the original family.

So, we’re calling the residence, Quick’s View!

What stands today at 313 Maple Avenue is a beautifully understated Victorian with lots of period details that remain in both the main house and the amazing detached carriage house & stable! With solid masonry as the foundation and for the entire first floor, then lap siding on the framed structure on the 2nd & 3rd floors, the house has numerous gables that allow for an abundance of windows with almost every room inside gaining light from at least two directions throughout the day.

A beautiful stone wall extends the entire length of the front yard. There is a direct sidewalk to the wrap around porch for pedestrians and a driveway that extends through the porte cochere to the carriage house in the far rear corner.

The entire front porch was rebuilt by the current owners, providing a new structure underneath along with mahogany decking in 2019.

Approach the front entry doors, and you’ll find that the original turn-type door “bell” remains a functioning welcome for guests to the home right in the door itself.

The formal entry foyer is quite large with a built-in bench (with storage underneath) located under the staircase. To the left is the front parlor with another set of French doors that lead down to the porte cochere mentioned earlier. A large cased opening doubles the living space into the living room that has a large bay window with a built-in window seat (also with storage underneath) and a fireplace, enhanced with a gas insert. There is also a surround sound system that will convey to the new owners. The original wood floors have the most amazing inlayed border in a Greek key detail.

There is a coat closet under the staircase, then one enters the large dining room. One wall retains the original built-in china cabinet with the most beautiful leaded glass in the upper doors. Another bay window overlooks the side yard facing South.

In all three of the rooms in the front of the house, the extra tall windows are enhanced with original leaded glass on the top.

The original butler’s pantry retains one original cabinet, while a powder room was incorporated into the outside wall of this space. There was a rear staircase at one point in time, that was encased from the 2nd floor to allow for the incorporation of an additional bathroom, yet the stairs remain in the butler’s pantry area and provide additional storage.

The kitchen was just renovated in 2024 with new quartz counters, plumbing, fixtures, sink, cooktop and flooring. One original cabinet from the 1890’s remains in the corner next to the walk-in pantry and is a beautiful contrast (in natural wood) to the white painted cabinets throughout the rest of the kitchen. The island can seat 3 people. There is a walk-in pantry that has the most beautiful Cremone bolt hardware in solid brass.

There is direct access to the rear porch and yard from the kitchen.

On the second floor, there are four distinct rooms along with two full hall bathrooms.

The primary bedroom overlooks the front and side yards and is the largest of the rooms on this floor. A smaller room that is connected directly to the primary bedroom is a perfect home office that has French doors that can access the roof over the front porch.

Directly behind the primary bedroom was another large bedroom that the current owners outfitted with the most amazing built-in closet organization system, making the entire bedroom a large dressing room & closet.

The rear bedroom is over the dining room below and has windows facing south and east.

A tidy hall bathroom occupies the space over what was the former rear staircase and has a stall shower.

The rear hall bathroom was completely renovated in 2015-2016 with a beautifully detailed tub & shower combination (with a rain shower) and an extra-large, dual vanity.

Both of the bathrooms have beautiful, leaded glass windows that provide for privacy.

On the 3rd floor, there are four more distinct rooms. The rear bedroom is the largest of the rooms on this floor and has a window overlooking the carriage house out back and has a chalkboard painted wall for the creatives in the house.

The side bedroom is currently set-up as another “work from home” space along with additional desks that could easily accommodate the need for home schooling (or removed for another bedroom).

The final bedroom on the 3rd floor overlooks the side and front yards. Currently used as a photography studio by the current owner.

There is one more spacious room on the 3rd floor that does not have a closet, and is simply used for storage.

the property was enhanced with full central air conditioning in 2021.

The full height basement is unfinished, yet does have a full height door to the driveway area for ease of moving large items in and out of this space.

Now, let’s talk about the very private, level rear yard. A large portion of the back yard is fenced for your two or four legged family members (that includes any chickens that you may want to keep, like my clients do now!).

As one approaches the carriage house, there is a small fish pond tucked at the right front corner. Along the right side of the carriage house, a large patio & pergola is a quiet & serene location for dining al fresco or enjoying a warm fire in the fire pit on chillier evenings. The pergola has lighting strung amongst its rafters, and a beautiful wisteria that blankets the area with blooms in May.

No let’s talk about the carriage house that remains exactly like it was when first constructed. Through its entire 130+ years of existence, I am surprised that none of its owners have converted this space to additional, heated living space. While many of the elements of the horse & carriage days have been removed, it retains the original beadboard walls, the horse stall windows, the tack room and even the remnants (non-functioning) of the bathroom for whichever person lived upstairs.

The carriage bay on the left side can accommodate two vehicles (or more if they’re MINI Coopers). The remaining space is a blank canvas that someone needs to envision as an amazing arts studio, home gym, man-cave or she-shed. There is full electricity to the carriage house, and the current owners ran new plumbing lines (water only, not sewer) that are ready to be connected to the main house by the next owners.

There is nearly 1,700 Sq. Ft. of unconditioned, raw & open space within the carriage house (not including the space where the cars could be stored) that could be reimagined to anything, or just a heck of a lot of storage!

For those that know Wyncote, it is an amazing walking community, with sidewalks on most of the streets and five township owned parks in the community.

The Jenkintown/Wyncote SEPTA station provides the best service to Temple University, downtown Philadelphia, 30th Street Station, the universities & hospitals of Drexel and University of Pennsylvania and even the airport. Three different train lines converge at this station, providing service every 10-15 minutes during the rush hours.

Just 5 minutes away, one will find many locally-owned businesses in downtown Glenside or Jenkintown for dining, shopping and other service needs.

Just 10 minutes away, one can find a Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods market in Jenkintown, and other grocery outlets are easily reached.

There is just something wonderful & magical when one owns a beautifully updated, historic home with modern conveniences in a classic walkable community!

Come discover Quick’s View and you too, will fall in love with the charm and character of the property and the neighborhood.