This Queen Anne-style house at 315 W. First St. in Oil City was built in
1883 by pioneer oilman Benjamin Brundred. It was recently restored as a bed
and breakfast.
In 1859, Col. Edwin Drake drilled the world's first oil well in Titusville, 15 miles north of Oil City. Soon, this Allegheny River town had become a natural staging area for the barrels of crude oil being shipped down Oil Creek on flat-bottomed boats to Pittsburgh and other cities. By 1906, the city that billed itself as "the Hub of Oil" counted more than 150 independent oil producers, along with dozens of restaurants, taverns, confectioners and several hotels. Eventually, it would serve as headquarters for the Pennzoil, Quaker State and Wolf's Head motor oil companies.
All that petroleum made a lot of people fabulously rich, and the sprawling houses oil executives and others built on Oil City's four square miles reflected that wealth. Now, the oil barons and the businesses they supported are long gone. But the distinctive, turn-of-the-20th-century buildings that gave Oil City its Victorian flavor still remain. Even better, they're surprisingly affordable.
Consider, for example, the stately Queen Anne-style house at 315 W. First St. Built in 1883 by pioneer oilman Benjamin Brundred and recently restored as a bed and breakfast, it features 11 bedrooms, a tiled solarium, a quarter-sawn oak-paneled dining room and a 42-by-26-foot great room. It is currently listed by Daugherty Brothers Real Estate for $299,900.
Two blocks away at 503 W. First St., an equally grand Federal-style Colonial constructed in 1885 by Charles Duncan offers more than 5,000 square feet of living space. The price tag: just $269,000.
Or maybe you're looking for a starter house, in which case the 1906 Colonial Revival at 519 W. Third St. might tempt you. This comfortable, 3,940-square-foot home, with four bedrooms on the second floor and three more on the third, is being offered by McVay Real Estate for $179,000.
All three homes are within walking distance of downtown, which is in the midst of an arts revitalization movement aimed at attracting emerging and established artists.
The Brundred-Thomas Bed & Breakfast on West First is the most elaborate of the three properties. Many of its rooms boast wonderful architectural details like oak mantels, pocket doors, built-in bookcases, wainscoting and beveled and leaded-glass windows. It's also one of the largest residences in town, with more than 2,600 square feet of living space on each of its three floors. It was in sad shape when owner Jim Thomas purchased it five years ago; more than half of its 77 windows were broken or missing, it had no working bathrooms and the roof was leaking. In addition, many of its rooms had been remuddled with dropped ceilings, paneling and layers of carpet. His restoration is two-thirds finished (the top floor is still a work in progress).
While standing on the Colonial-style front porch, the first thing that catches your eye is the beamed cherry entry, which features a massive front door with a leaded-glass fanlight and sidelight. On to the 22-by-20-foot formal dining room, which has an oak-paneled ceiling and a 9-foot built-in sideboard with curved, leaded-glass doors. Meant to impress, the room also has a face-nailed parquet floor with five types of wood in its decorative border, and a mirrored overmantel that's decorated with the same carved cherub faces as the sideboard.
Other 19th-century features include an original butler's pantry with 9-foot-tall built-in cabinets and a maid's changing room with a Moorish-styled fireplace. In addition, all three of the baths on the second floor have their original marble sinks and four of the five bedrooms have decorative fireplaces. A detached garage out back has room for four cars and a one-bedroom apartment.
The three-story home at 503 W. First St. was owned in the mid-1990s by Quaker State CEO Herb Baum. An elaborate glass entry opens onto a large terrace overlooking the street and a side entrance is protected by a porte-cochere.
The rooms are spacious, especially the master bedroom that measures 30 by 18 feet. The center hall has a coffered ceiling and mirrored walls and other rooms feature crystal chandeliers and wall paneling made from picture molding. In addition to formal living and dining rooms, the first floor holds a 14-by-13-foot library with built-in bookshelves and a working gas fireplace. There's also a small sitting room off the kitchen with a window seat. The modern kitchen has an integrated Sub-Zero refrigerator, double wall ovens and a Fisher & Paykel electric cooktop. A door in the canary-yellow solarium at the rear of the house opens onto a small stone patio.
That large master bedroom is brightened by five windows and has its original (and stunning) pink marble bath that opens onto a circular balcony above the front door. It adjoins a large dressing room with a glass-fronted wardrobe, a built-in vanity and a marble fireplace. The room adjoins a large mezzanine currently used a den, located above the porte-chere.
At the back of the house are two more bedrooms joined by a white marble Jack-and-Jill bathroom. A walk-in closet off the hall features a built-in fur closet. Two additional bedrooms can be found on the third floor, along with a full bath with a whirlpool tub.
You won't find any Jacuzzi jets in the Colonial Revival on West Third Street. Though it has 12 rooms, it is smaller than the houses on West First. But it has nice, old-fashioned details, too, including a pair of matching, curved seats built into the walls of the vestibule and decorative wood "buttons" in the trim atop the oak wainscoting on the first floor.
The living and dining rooms feature glass-paneled pocket doors that open onto a spacious center hall with a decorative fireplace. The dining room has a corner fireplace topped by a built-in cabinet and a large built-in buffet with a slate top. The living room has a second set of working pockets doors that open onto a small den.
The newer kitchen has oak cabinetry, a Jenn Air cooktop and a small center island with storage underneath. A covered back porch overlooks a manicured back yard that's framed by rhododendrons and includes a fountain and an above-ground swimming pool.
The second-floor landing is graced with a large stained-glass window. Further up the stairs are two full baths and four bedrooms that open onto a large center hall with a green-tiled fireplace. Three more bedrooms and a full bath with a clawfoot tub can be found in the attic, along with a large storage room. The detached garage has room for three cars.
For more information on 315 or 503 W. First St., Oil City, call Scott Daugherty, Daugherty Brothers Real Estate, at 814-677-1214. At www.buymesite.com, search properties over $150,000.
For more information on 519 W. Third St., Oil City, contact Jeff McVay, McVay Real Estate, at 814-677-0079 or go to www.mcvayrealestate.com, ID No. 2006.