400 Leopard Road. It’s on the corner of Sugartown Road and Leopard Road. There are a lot of houses around here that I love and this has always been one of my favorites. I think it was part of an estate I just can’t remember which one but it’s all in that general vicinity where Tarleton is and everything else.

If this house probably didn’t have close to 2 foot stone walls, it probably wouldn’t still be standing.

This old Redfin listing shows you what it looked like when it was for sale a few years ago:

https://redf.in/no5GZ9

I know work was being done on it but I just have to ask. Was this an accident? I’m not a fire expert, but it sure makes you wonder given how horrible the flames were shown on TV, right?

I was by this house quite recently on my way to Penn Medicine in Radnor for a medical appointment and I saw a coming soon sign that showed up on one of the reports. I looked up the realtor and they’re out of Delaware, which is a little far afield for the Main Line. With all the really good realtors to choose from on the main line, I am surprised that guy would be listing a property like this.  except now, I’m guessing this guy is out a listing 

I can tell you that if this house didn’t have almost 2 foot thick stone walls, it wouldn’t be standing today. But I hope this is actually investigated and not just swept under the carpet, because Easttown tends to sweep things under the carpet that they find uncomfortable.

This was such an incredibly interesting, and I think beautiful house. Maybe not in the traditional sense, but I love this house I have always loved driving by it, and I hope it rises from the ashes.

Sign me wondering if where there is smoke there is fire and not just a house fire? I think this is suspicious as hell.

If anyone has photos from today, feel free to message my blog’s Facebook page. I am also interested in publishing the history of this, so if any of you history, buffs, have old photos of this property, and can tell me what estate it was part of or its history I would also be appreciative.

3:00 PM 5/4/24 Update from Elizabeth Gaul who grew up in the house:

My family lived in Breeze Hill from 1963-1984. We are saddened by the news of this devastating fire and hope it will be feasible to salvage it. It was a truly wonderful place to grow up.

A correction, if I may, regarding its history. Our late mother, who taught history at AIS Lower School for 30+ years, would want the record straight:

No enslaved persons ever hid in the house. It was built several years post-Civil War so that would be impossible.

The staircase in question is a back stairway, which was a fairly typical feature for a larger home of this period. Not at all hidden, although part of it was blocked off to create a linen cupboard. We used it regularly. The third floor attic also had another entrance to it off the main staircase.

*Photo is of Breeze Hill from Sugartown Road, circa 1900. Note the windmill, which served to pump water from the spring house to the main house. When we lived there, that water still supplied the house, but via electric pump.

4:00 PM Update: thanks to realtor Tracy Pulos we have the history of the house – also note, this would be somebody far more appropriate than the guy on the sign to have sold his house:

Here is a history of this property which was given to me by a past owner. The address was 1226 Sugartown Rd. for many years, vs. 400 Leopard Rd. (address was changed to the side street vs. main street within the past 10 years.)

This lovely, historic Easttown Township residence was constructed by Joseph W. Sharp for his younger sister, Rachel, in 1864-1865, right at the end of the Civil War. Born in 1828 in Philadelphia, Sharp was the eldest son of Joseph Sharp and Hannah Lindsay. A successful Quaker wool merchant, the elder Mr. Sharp purchased approximately 250acres in Easttown prior to his untimely deathin 1848. In the absence of will disposing of his assets, the Easttown property was split equally among his four children, Joseph W., Rachel and two younger sons. As theeldest, Joseph W. also inherited his father’s business. Over the next few years, Joseph purchased the other three portions of his father’s original holdings from his three siblings, paying them, according to historical records, fair market value for their property. As both Joseph and Rachel were unmarried at this time, Rachel residedwith Joseph and was the mistress of his household. By 1857,Joseph had attained considerable success andconstructed an imposing Victorian country estate “Hawthorne,” which has been restored andis located at 521 Leopard Road in Berwyn, just down the street from Breeze Hill. Joseph went on to become a leaderin Berwyn, contributing tothe establishment of numerous civic organizations and was one of the founders of the Berwyn National Bank. He was thefirst gentleman to commute from Berwyn into Philadelphia each dayutilizing the newly-constructed “Main Line” train, and was a partner in what is now Hajoca Corporation, an earlyleader in the nascent indoor plumbing industry. In 1865, Joseph married Sidney Serrill Bunting. Oral family history indicates that Sidney and Rachel did not get along well, so Joseph commenced the construction of Breeze Hill (so named for its location and the presence of a refreshing breeze during this non-air conditioned era) for Rachel some time before his wedding. As the home wason theSharp family property, it didnot receive a separate deed at the timeof construction, but is shown on Pennsylvania Railroad maps dating to 1873. Already on the property was a two-story stone spring house, the top floor of which was occupied by tenant farmers on the estate. It is believed that this structure was built in 1837 and the spring provided a supply of clean water for the main house. The four car garage/carriage house was originallyconstructed as a barn, alsobefore 1865; careful examination of the walls inside show signs of stalls and a ladder to the full, second floor which was surely originally used as a hayloft. Local historical records indicate that Leopard Road was a well-travelled path on the Underground Railroad. Previous owners of Breeze Hill found evidence of a hidden stairway in a second-floor bedroom that led to a third floor space inaccessible by any other means, which lends credence to that fact that the property was a stop for slaves fleeing the South. Rachel Sharp and other family members lived at Breeze Hill until 1888. When Joseph Sharp’s eldest daughter, Mary Bunting Sharp, married William Morris of Villanova in 1888, the young couple moved into Breeze Hill, where they lived until 1942. Joseph Sharp and his wife subdivided Breeze Hill from their larger property and deeded it to their daughter for “$1 and her natural love and affection” in 1901, when it became legal for a married woman to own property in her own name in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. (Either Mary’s parents were trying to keep the property in the Sharp family or didnot particularly like their son-in-law– who knows?) Since the departure of the Sharp family, numerous owners have made changes and improvements to Breeze Hill to bring it to its current condition as a thoroughly charming modern family home. It retains the large deep windowsills created by the 18” solid stone walls, 5 fireplaces, beautiful moldings and vintage touches that bespeak its historic origins, but boasts a cook’s kitchen, five bathrooms, an enormous light-filled family room and great flow for entertaining