JAS_8558.jpg

Photos By John A. Secoges, Secoges Photographics

A New Life for a Mt. Penn Casita

How admiration and respect for a small property in Mount Penn transformed it into a fabulous living space.

A Labor of Love: The Mount Penn Casita

It’s a building that caught the eye and imagination of young Becky Schuhwerk of Pennside. She’d pass it every day on the way to the former Central Catholic High School or when she was out walking or bicycling through the neighborhood with friends.

Years later — all grown up, Becky Shemanski (she married her CCHS sweetheart, Gregg) would again pass by it nearly daily from the couple’s first apartment on Mineral Spring Road in Reading and then later as she motored her children to their classes and activities at Central from the family’s Birdsboro home.

The little century-old building was never far from her thoughts and heart even as the years passed and her travels past it decreased their frequency as her children became adults.

In time, Becky ventured into a real estate career, and that morphed into the investor side of things. Among her properties was, at one time, a rental in Ocean City, MD. Eventually, Becky decided to keep the investments closer to home for easier management. She became more selective and pragmatic.

But, as with any practical person, there can be a flight of fancy.

Buying intoThe Dream

And, Becky really fancied that unique little property on the corner of Perkiomen and Endlich avenues in the Borough of Mount Penn.

Chances are good, whether you are a resident of that area or travel by it, you’ve noticed the building as well.

Becky, acquiring it in August 2023, calls it her “casita.” A casita is defined as a small house, often on the grounds of a larger house. The word literally translates to "small house" in Spanish. There’s no larger house here, but the corner property is sizable.

Passersby, since its construction in 1922, have known the building as a gas station, retail establishment and a dry cleaning drop-off site.

Finally, it was John Gross who successfully operated a small family real estate brokerage from the property for many years before Becky acquired the site from him following his retirement.

Most, at one time or another, have remarked or reflected on its unique Spanish-revival construction, boasting large custom windows, stucco walks and a tiled roof.

Despite its size, it thrived with commercial tenants over the years.

But Becky was determined to transform the first floor into a studio apartment. The building does have a long-standing, smaller studio apartment on the ground floor with an entrance fronting an alley off Endlich.

Making the Old New but Keeping It Old…

The transformation not only involved a total renovation of the first floor and upgrading all the utilities feeding the casita; it also meant obtaining a zoning variance from the borough permitting its full use as residential.

Becky quickly got down to business. While Attorney Gene Orlando worked on the variance, the Berks Commercial Renovations team tackled the physical renovation — interior and exterior.

The 350-square-foot first floor, which had been divided into a couple of tiny offices, was cleared down to the studs to create an open-concept area. Even the ceiling was pulled down, and a new one with recessed lighting was constructed.

Becky and her daughter, Stephanie, 39, who lives in Arlington, VA, and has done design work in Washington, DC, Virginia, Ocean City, MD, and in Berks, collaborated on the interior layout as well as paint colors, fixtures and lighting. (Among Stephanie’s local work is the interior of the new office of Lucine Sihelnik, president and CEO of the Greater Reading Chamber Alliance in the organization’s Court Street headquarters.)

Every effort was made to retain the architectural integrity of the casita, says Becky. That meant keeping and restoring the large, beautiful arched, multi-paned windows on all four sides that flood the space with light.

The floors were replaced with a hardwood-styled laminate that affords easy maintenance.

Half of the open-concept space is a lovely kitchen, complete with granite countertops and a fire engine red Galanz refrigerator, considerable cabinet space and a full-sized state-of-the-art range and microwave.

The granite complements the gray cabinetry. There is space at the window for a small table and chairs with a view to the lively Mount Penn streetscape.

A Modern Vintage-inspired Bath

Off the living/sleeping side of the studio apartment is a new bathroom. Penny-style black-and-white tile reflects the era of the casita while a spacious walk-in shower and matte black faucets and hardware, including the lighting fixture over the large curved mirror above the narrow, modern sink, offer 21st-century accents. The soft white of the walls offset by the dark gray beneath the chair rail perfectly meld with the tile and shower and window frames.

There is also a modest but much-needed closet for storage adjacent to the bathroom.

The open first floor is painted a light, soft white, enhancing the airiness of the space. Recessed lighting (also installed in the downstairs studio) throughout unifies the space, offsetting the need for separate floor and table lamps in the tight quarters.

Becky is enthusiastic about the work done by the team.

“Dean Moise provided his extensive construction expertise and insight towards the design of the historical structure,” she says. “Courtney Brumbach excelled at sourcing the materials for the job, coordinating schedules, meeting subs even on the weekends and offering suggestions for the design.”

“Andy, the foreman, helped develop solutions to situations encountered with a 100-year-old building, persevering through one of the hottest summers on record, and did excellent construction work across a wide variety of trades. Chris was a very talented painter. Our collaboration with the team produced the outstanding result.”

The exterior also received an extensive makeover, but every effort was made to retain the original look.

An old air conditioner was pulled to reinstate the small window above the front door.

Tackling the Cherished Exterior

The entire exterior, including the tile roof, was power washed. Fortunately, the green tile roof was entirely salvageable.

Round ball lights were installed at the corners, and some downlights were added for the soffits.

While the copper gutters couldn’t be salvaged, modern ones were added with color that matches the roof tile.

The brick accents around the windows and running along the bottom of the building stayed as did the corbels, two on each of the casita’s four sides under the roofline. The entire exterior received a new coat of white paint, with the scroll leafed corbels painted canyon clay. The front and side doors are a subtle hibiscus hue.

“We wanted to continue in that Spanish vein,” says Becky.

The old parking pad was ripped up and a new lot with marked spaces created. Son Michael, 34, of Exeter Township, an IT professional, pitched in and helped with the demolition.

Landscaping was also redone, and a mason repaired the rear stone wall.

“Some neighbors to the rear said this is the best the property has looked in 30 years,” Becky says proudly. “I have the mindset it should look good for another 100 years!”

Happy Tenants

Since Becky owns a combination commercial/ residential building nearby on Perkiomen Avenue, the extra off-street parking is welcomed by those tenants as well as the casita’s first occupant, Tessa Harbaugh.

Doing the final staging of the finished studio that helped pique Tessa’s interest was Melinda O’Neill from Empire Home Center along with Stephanie.

Tessa, a graduate of the Johnson & Wales University in Providence, RI, found the listing for the apartment on Zillow. While she received a culinary degree and worked for a time in the restaurant industry, she is now a fraud analyst for a large mobile phone corporation. The kitchen was the attraction to the property, she says. It’s the perfect place for making her specialty risotto.

There’s also space for a computer desk where she can work remotely.

For the Exeter High School graduate, with her parents nearby, one missing amenity is not a problem.

“It’s the closest I’ve lived to my parents in years,” Tessa says with a smile, “and I told them: ‘I’m gonna use your washer.’”

Off the side door is a small outdoor space. It overlooks both the Perkiomen Avenue side as well as the lane off leafy Endlich Avenue. It provides enough space for a couple of chairs, a table and some plants.

Spanish Revival Architecture Explained

The casita is just one of a number of Spanish Revival structures locally, the bulk of which are in Mount Penn and Lower Alsace Township.

According to the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission: “The Spanish Colonial Revival style, also known as the Spanish Eclectic style, is a remnant of the traditional Spanish architectural themes seen in Spain's early American colonial settlements. The traditional elements like clay tile roofs, round arch openings and carved wooden doors follow the form of the early Spanish missions and are very distinctive. Other ornate decorative features draw from later periods of Spanish architecture and show the influence of Moorish, Byzantine, Gothic or Renaissance design. This revival style became popular in the early 20th century after the Panama-California Exposition was held in San Diego in 1915. Exotic-themed architectural revivals (Egyptian, Moorish, Dutch Colonial, Swiss Chalet) were popular throughout the country in the period from 1920 to 1940. Many good examples of the Spanish Colonial Revival style remain in Pennsylvania.”

The casita contains many of what PHMC calls the identifiable features, including the low-pitched clay tile roof, round arches at entryways, porches and windows, stucco exterior walls and the multi-paned windows.

Perhaps the most recognizable of the Spanish Revival structures are the dozen homes in the development known as Earle Gables, just a couple of blocks east of the casita.

Constructed in 1928 just before the stock market crash that heralded the Depression, the developer namesake was Earl G. Garman. Architect for the development was Earl Hickman — hence the name Earle, embellished with an extra ‘e.’

A commemorative 1963 Reading Eagle article describes the houses marked by “balconies with wrought iron railings, tile roofs, spiral columns, tile floors and fireplaces, arches and other Spanish architectural influences.”

A few sprawling late 1920s apartment complexes along Carsonia Avenue with a few similar houses nearby also boast the Spanish Revival architecture, as do two memorable small abodes in Wyomissing Borough off the main boulevard as well as a few semidetached homes in the South Temple section of Muhlenberg Township.

A Statement of Love and Pride

Becky says the renovation — and architectural preservation — of the casita was a labor of love for the neighborhood in which she was raised. Indeed, her childhood home on Brighton Avenue stayed in the family until her parents downsized and sold it a decade ago.

She sees the project as a way to improve the neighborhood and provide affordable housing. Will she take on another restoration?

“I’d do another,” she says, “but I’d probably do it with an intent to sell rather than rent.”

Her advice to others: “Use your creativity; keep your vision, but understand a project will usually take longer and cost more money than you’d originally thought.”

Still, she is very enthusiastic.

“I love Pennside, and I’m hoping the investment we put into the casita will spur others to do similar projects.”