On the Market: J. Robert Hillier-designed home in New Hope for $2.85M
When Nancy Kanter and her late husband, Bruce, were looking to move to a new home in 1999 after their two children were out of the house, they couldn’t find anything that matched their criteria.
On the Market profiles homes for sale in the Philadelphia region.
When Nancy Kanter and her late husband, Bruce, were looking to move to a new home in 1999 after their two children were out of the house, they couldn't find anything that matched their criteria.
Coming from Cheltenham Township, they had decided they wanted to move to New Hope. They also wanted to be near the Delaware River and above ground level.
"It's not easy to find," said Nancy Kanter, an attorney in Doylestown.
Unable to find a place that fit their needs, the couple sought help from realtors. That's when they came across an empty lot on Armitage Road in New Hope, which was originally a farm.
"It had a three-sided view of the Delaware, and it was in a private setting," Kanter said. "We fell in love with the land."
So the Kanters, who had never before designed their own home from the ground up, decided to take on their first project.
But hiring an architect would become a challenging process: they went to the AIA building in Philly, looked through magazines, and interviewed several architects, but still weren't confident in anyone they had met.
A few years later, they met renowned architect J. Robert Hillier through a mutual friend, with the hope that he could give them a recommendation.
But Hillier, who has deisgned buildings all over the world, including those on the campus of his alma matter, Princeton University, ended up being the architect they chose.
"We just all instantly clicked," Kanter said. "It was just a weird set of circumstances that turned out to be a phenomenal experience."
Hillier spent a lot of time with the Kanters to get a good sense of their lifestyle and interests.
"We worked very collaboratively on the whole thing; we were a very big part of the design process," Kanter said.
Coming from a Mediterranean style home, the Kanters were looking for something very different that was more contemporary.
"My husband wanted a steel home – he was a tool and die maker, so steel was common to his everyday existence – and I wanted the glass and stone," Kanter said.
Hillier, guided by their combined interests, completed the 6,700-square-foot minimalist home in 2004.
The home is built into the landscaping by using organic elements such as a sod roof and stone that was quarried on-site during construction.
"There's interesting exposures because of the way that the house was placed on the property," Kanter said. "You always feel like you're outside with a lot of the glass up high and the openness."
The house is separated by different wings, and has a circular living room in the middle. There are both glass walls and curved zinc walls throughout the home.
Hillier installed limestone floors in every room and English sycamore wood in the kitchen and master bedroom closets.
"It's a very minimalist environment but it's complex to build and have it come out the way it did," Kanter said.
The master suite is comprised of four rooms. It takes up an entire wing of the home and also includes an indoor lap pool.
There's two bedrooms in the home, along with two full baths and two half-baths.
Kanter said the Delaware River can be seen from almost every room – which was the main draw for beginning this project.
After a decade of living in the home, Kanter, who described creating this home as a "great experience," has decided to put the home on the market now for $2.85 million. Her husband passed away a few years ago, and she's ready to start the next chapter of her life in a new home. She's looking to stay in the area.