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On the Market: Restored William Lightfoot Price home in Merion Station for $2.575M

When Sharon Taffet and her husband, David, purchased a historic home in Merion Station in 2004, she saw potential even though she said the place was in “dire shape.”

This restored 1896 Merion Station home is on the market for $2.575 million.
This restored 1896 Merion Station home is on the market for $2.575 million.Read moreDave Oceanas

On the Market profiles homes for sale in the Philadelphia region.

When Sharon Taffet and her husband, David, purchased a historic home in Merion Station in 2004, she saw potential even though she said the place was in "dire shape."

"I could see it had such beautiful bones, it deserved to be brought to life," Sharon Taffet said.

Taffet said she and her husband, an executive with Platypus LLC, were drawn to the stone home immediately by its castle-like structure and 7,600 square feet of space.

Historic homes were their passion: they had sold their Wynnewood home to move to this property, which was built by famed architect William Lightfoot Price.

Price, who had worked at the offices of Frank Furness, built the home in 1896 for Samuel Croft, the head of a large candy company that later became known for Wilbur chocolate.

Taffet said she and her family are only the fifth owners to live in the 7,600-square-foot stone home in more than a century, and they were determined to preserve its character.

"We gutted most of the house, but at the same time we tried to keep all of the original characteristics to maintain the historic integrity," Taffet said.

Their kitchen renovation was recognized on HGTV, when the home and design channel filmed there in 2006.

They enclosed an outdoor porch, created a sunroom, and installed new wood flooring on the first floor. New mechanical systems, including a high velocity six zone heating and central air system, were also installed.

The Taffets made sure to preserve original details, such as the stained-glass windows, woodwork, crown moldings, and fireplaces.

"The original woodwork is tremendous," Taffet said. "You can see it the second you step into the foyer."

After raising their children in the seven-bedroom, seven-bath home, the Taffets have put the home on the market, as their youngest child is starting college. They're asking $2.575 million.

"I decorated the whole place myself," Taffet said. "I loved every second of it. To me it was a true labor of love. "

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