OCEAN CITY — The fantastic single-family duplex at 1501 Wesley Ave. is one of the most intriguing homes I have visited in more than six years of writing more than 300 installments of the House of the Week.
It’s not the biggest nor the most expensive. It’s not on the ocean nor on the bay, and it doesn’t have a terrific view.
What it does have is a little bit of everything that makes a house a home, plus so many hidden gems that I well may have missed some.
As you may imagine, some of the homes I have visited are outstanding for their location, view, design, craftsmanship and materials, while others are notable for their age — either very old or very new — or access to boating, fishing and kayaking.
In this case, the home is what is terrific about this property.
“This magnificent home has been fully renovated and restored using only the finest materials and construction, and is loaded with upgrades,” real estate agent Mike Contino said.
But don’t get me wrong. The 3,500-square-foot home is just a block from the beach and world-famous boardwalk, as well as many destinations for dining, shopping and entertainment in America’s Greatest Family Resort. It’s just that the home is so incredible that the ocean is hardly worth mentioning.
Built in 1905, it stands proudly on the corner of Wesley Avenue and 15th Street. The home definitely shows its age, but in a good way.
The first thing I noticed was the amazing red brick foundation, square pillars and stair abutments, as well as the multiangled roofline with several dormers and other peaks. The front façade has a barn-style peaked roof topped by variable-colored slate shingles.
A wide set of slate steps ascends to the covered porch on the Wesley Avenue side. Overhead, a sign reading “Beach House” welcomes all who enter.
The home’s design and landscaping take full advantage of its corner location, with mulched beds lined by stacked flagstone border walls following the porch around to the left side, where a second set of stairs provides access from 15th Street.
A parking pad on this side provides three off-street spots alongside the enclosed outside shower — a must for washing sandy feet off before entering the house.
Concrete stairs descend into the half-basement, which offers a full kitchen, living room, three spacious bedrooms, a large bathroom and one of the coolest spaces I’ve found in any house on the island.
Continuing around the house, there’s a small covered side porch off the kitchen.
Back out front, the covered porch has composite decking and a narrow-plank ceiling with recessed lighting speakers for the surround-system — just two of the modern upgrades to this 116-year-old home — as well as an inconspicuous security camera in the corner.
Striped awnings do more for the aesthetics than for keeping the sun out but are a nice addition.
A solid-wood front door with 15 glass panes and side panels with 10 apiece opens onto the living room. Original narrow-plank hardwood flooring, 5.5-foot-high wood wainscoting, crown molding with dentil accents and Colonial-style door and window casing harken back to the home’s past, while a computer consul on the wall operating the home’s smart features brings it into the 21st century.
The home has lots of nooks and crannies, starting with the first room. To the left, two sofas face one another atop an area rug in front of the 9-foot-wide white brick fireplace. Above the wood mantel, the wide-screen television switches from your favorite show to a “painting” at the push of a button.
On the right side, a round wood table with four upholstered chairs fits snuggly in the corner beneath a six-globe chandelier hanging from the 9-foot-high ceiling.
A closet full of electronics is just at the bottom of the wood stairs, which ascend to a landing with a built-in bench seat beneath a window, then down into the kitchen on the other side.
A doorway off the living room leads into the formal dining room, which features a built-in corner china hutch. A long wood table with a bench and five chairs with cushions sits beneath a coffered ceiling. To the left, a desk is just inside an alcove with four windows overlooking 15th Street.
A doorway leads into the kitchen but there is one more room to explore before going there. Straight back, half-walls with square pillars flank the entrance to a cozy den with more wainscoting and a coffered ceiling. A 5-foot-high white brick fireplace with a tile hearth warms the room, both with its function and fashion. A triple window in the back along with three clerestory windows on the side with diamond-shaped panes provide natural light.
The home was used as a show house and thus every room has been blinged-out the nines, including the classy kitchen with its custom tile flooring.
Left of the doorway as you enter, a peninsula juts out, providing seating for three. The two-level counter has a leathered-granite top and wraps around three walls with a subway tile backsplash. The Christiana Cabinetry cabinets have self-close, soft-close doors and drawers. Most of the cabinets are a pale yellow but those beside and above the stainless-steel six-burner Wolf range/oven are a contrasting natural wood. Behind the oven is a decorative tile backsplash with a pot-filler faucet. A Wolf microwave is under the counter to the left, while open shelves are in the corner to the right.
An ASKO dishwasher is to the left of the two-basin black sink beneath a window on the rear wall, while on the right there is a 36-inch two-door Sub-Zero refrigerator with two freezer drawers sporting a cabinet front. Overhead, the tray ceiling is lined in copper sheeting.
A wet bar to the right of the refrigerator, also in the natural wood color, includes a granite top and sink, as well as a beverage cooler.
In the front corner, a pocket door opens onto a half-bath with at tile floor, tile halfway up the walls with a wave accent and pedestal sink.
Stairs lead up to the landing en route to the top floor, as well as down to the basement.
Downstairs, the half-basement — windows are ground-level — could very easily become a rental unit. It has a tile floor throughout, with a large space containing the living room and kitchen. The ceiling is planks.
The first bedroom is down a hall to the left, just at the bottom of the exterior door. It has wall-to-wall carpeting and bunk beds.
Across the hall behind a pocket door is the bathroom, which has a pebble floor, fully tiled walls and shower with a swinging glass door and a vanity with a ceramic top.
The living room has exposed brick pillars, a sofa and four armchairs atop an area rug and a wall-mounted television. A couple of casement windows provide light and a cool sea breeze.
Featuring white Mouser cabinets with a granite top and a subway tile backsplash, the kitchen has a corner sink, wood-topped center island with a microwave and beverage cooler and a five-burner GE range/oven.
To the left of the stairs, the second bedroom, has wall-to-wall carpeting, a double bed and a closet with a solid-wood swinging door.
The final bedroom has a day bed and long shelf filled with curios, as well as access to the secret dungeon — a friendly dungeon where the inmates are treated well and always have plenty to eat and can come and go as they please.
The is the coolest space in Ocean City. Located beneath the wrap-around front porch, it features exposed brick walls, a textured and painted concrete floor, a pebble-covered skirt and exposed beams topped by composite decking. Arrow slits with windows provide natural light and enhance the aesthetic.
A day bead with multiple cushions is in the corner, alongside a hanging bamboo chair. Around the corner to the left, a sectional sofa provides seating for the wall-mounted television. The whole space is reminiscent of a basement bar in Philadelphia.
On the top floor, there are five bedrooms, two bathrooms and a powder room, as well as a laundry closet with a Bosch washer and dryer.
One bedroom, in the front, has a queen-size bed and a triple window with plantation shutters overlooking Wesley Avenue. To the left is an alcove with a chest of drawers, a closet with a swinging door and a wall-mounted TV. A pocket door opens onto a full bath with custom tile flooring, a built-in vanity with a ceramic top and a fully tiled shower with multiple jets and a swinging glass door.
The hall bathroom has a blue tile floor, a wood vanity with a ceramic top and a fully tiled walk-in shower.
Sporting horizontal planked walls, the next bedroom has a double bed, mirrored closet door and a double window on the side. Off this room is another of the home’s neat features — a children’s room with two bunks and a ladder ascending to a loft set up as a playroom. It’s half-circle window provides a view of the beach and ocean beyond.
The next bedroom has a queen-size bed and two tall windows facing south, as well as a nautical-style hanging lamp and a door that opens onto yet another bonus room. This space is somewhat indoor/outdoor with horizontal plank walls, a long, cushioned bench and hanging cot. Overhead is a bamboo-impression fan and plank ceiling.
The home is listed for $3.9 million with Mike Contino of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, Fox & Roach Realtors. Call (609) 335-9100 or email contino@aol.com for more information or to set up an appointment to see this wonderful home.
