An Old World estate with authentic European details and an impressive architectural pedigree is on the market in Sewickley Heights.
Sunnymede is a French-inspired luxury estate designed by the late renowned architect William Boyd Jr., boasting historic formal gardens designed by Frederick Law Olmsted, the man behind the design of New York’s Central Park.
The almost six-acre property at 265 Scaife Road, in the heart of Quaker Valley’s horse country, is co-listed by Howard Hanna luxury Realtors Scott Umstead and Jennifer Tanabe for nearly $5.4 million.
In the small-world department, Umstead once called Sunnymede home.
He lived at Sunnymede for a decade (mede is an English word for meadow) with his wife, five children and some extended family before selling the estate to the current owners.
“I watch people go into the house and they’re a little bit in awe. And then they start to have a calm. The colors and feel of the house — there’s a soothing element to it — and the grounds and gardens. It just really transforms you,” said Umstead.
The current owners are relocating out of state, and Umstead said so far, he’s fielded potential buyers from New York, Palm Beach and Pittsburgh area NFL players.
Umstead and his wife, Judith, were Sunnymede’s fourth owners and are responsible for a large-scale renovation project to bring the 12,000 square-foot estate up to modern standards, all while maintaining and preserving the meticulous attention to European details and design.
Having first-hand experience living at Sunnymede has proved useful for Umstead as he shows the property to potential buyers.
Updating the first level from the 1950s vibe included opening up the entire kitchen area because the original rooms were small, compartmentalized and utilized by Sunnymede staff.
“I’m very much interested in architecture and I’m a frustrated architect. As we went through Sunnymede, we had visions of how to make the home 20 years ahead of its time, rather than just bringing it up-to-date,” Umstead said of the project. “Many homes with remodeled kitchens and baths have a somewhat universal look — they all look the same — this property is meant to transport you to Europe and to a whole different experience.”
Selling Sunnymede
“Most of these types of potential buyers usually have several homes and Sunnymede would make a great summer home,” Umstead said.
Sunnymede has been used in multiple commercials and Hollywood actress Kathryn Heigl lived in the home for about a month while filming “One For the Money” in Beaver County, which was released in 2012.
The grounds are comprised of a main house, pool house, gardens, a greenhouse, carriage house and a three-car garage.
The property harkens back to the founding days of the annual Sewickley Hunt.
The hunt assembles near Sunnymede and riders and hounds pass along Scaife Road.
The heavily wooded library features hand-carved cherry wood details and an imported Italian marble fireplace.
Blending elegance with comfort and timeless design, interior rooms include luxury finishes, antique woodwork, French doors opening up to manicured grounds, expansive views and an open concept, including an east and west wing.
The renovated open kitchen and dining areas were all updated to resemble a French Chateau with marble and an entire “wall of refrigeration” with multiple paneled refrigerators and freezers via pull out drawers.
“This home is forward thinking,” said Umstead of the eight-bedroom, 10-bathroom, three-level home.
The original formal garden blueprint designed by Olstead hangs framed in the library, aged more than 100 years and sketched in black and white, showing each garden area in detail.
“That stays with the house,” Umstead said.
Light floods in most of the rooms, with all windows on the southern exposure exposing light all day long, adding to the harmony of seamlessly blending outdoor living with the home’s interior.
“The designers, when they put this together, wanted everything to flow to the outside,” Umstead said.
The original slate roof on the home and surrounding buildings are insured for more than $1 million.
The great room has antique ash wood barn beams and original hardware imported from England and wide-plank original walnut floors make for a warm and inviting atmosphere.
The primary bedroom includes an entryway, detailed hand-painted doorways, a spa-themed master bathroom with Italian marble and heated floors and a fireplace.
The master closet includes a chandelier, and a three-sided mirror to check your outfit of the day and a packing station for prepping for upcoming trips.
World-class gardens
At Sunnymede, everything leads to the gardens and Olmstead designed a stone-pillar porch with wisteria still growing after 102 years.
Olmstead designed “rooms” in the gardens, highlighting perennials, annuals and all-season growth.
The Umsteds installed a 50-foot saltwater pool during the 2000s and a two-story pool house complete with a full kitchen, a covered porch area, fireplace and bar.
The garden was built with a stone retaining wall built by laborers from England.
“Coming out to the garden the serenity, elegance and beauty out here is just magical,” Umstead said.
Sunnymede’s beginnings
The Sewickley Historical Society provided historical background on the home originally built as a summer residence for Pittsburgh socialite Mary Alice Brown Painter and her husband, Charles A. Painter.
Mary Alice Brown had grown up in a now-torn-down 50-room mansion on Fifth Avenue in Shadyside, surrounded by famous people and royalty, including the Prince of Wales.
Architect William Boyd’s ties in Sewickley began when he and his family moved there in 1917, where he remained until he died in 1947.
Boyd’s inspiration for Sunnymede is credited to the lush Loire Valley region in France, known for picture-perfect chateaus among beautiful meadows and fields.
Inspired by his visits to Europe, Boyd designed Sunnymede with both French and English architectural elements dubbed French Eclectic and construction began in 1921.
French Eclectic exterior features at Sunnymede include a steeply pitched slate roof with tall chimneys, hipped dormers, multi-paned windows, a segmented arch on the front door and an asymmetrical facade.
At that time, the Painters lived at Sunnymede from May to October and enjoyed playing golf, tennis and bridge at the nearby Allegheny Country Club, hunting and equestrian pursuits, according to information provided by Umstead.
The Painters employed three single, live-in servants: a butler, chambermaid and children’s nurse.
In 1933, the Painters chose to reside year-round at Sunnymede as Sewickley Heights grew in population and Allegheny Country Club added more winter activities.
The 1950 U.S. Census revealed the Painters living at Sunnymede as empty nesters.