When jazz vocalist Bobby McFerrin and his wife, Debra, moved from Minneapolis to Philadelphia, their ideal homes were stark opposites. He wanted a house in the country, but she preferred city life.
The couple soon found a home that met both of their expectations: an 1860s manor house surrounded by 340 acres of protected woods, trails and meadows that belong to the neighboring Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education. The home is hidden among nature, but it’s only a 15-minute drive from Philadelphia’s Center City.
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The McFerrins bought the 1.27-acre property in 2001. Fifteen years—and one major renovation—later, they’ve put the house up for sale for $3.495 million.
The McFerrins enlisted Philadelphia-based Purdy O’Gwynn Architects to remodel the manor and craft an addition. "My main objective was to marry the new house with the addition, so it would seem seamless," Mrs. McFerrin told Mansion Global.
Mrs. McFerrin is no stranger to home renovation. She has remodeled four houses, including a Victorian mansion in San Francisco and a brownstone in Brooklyn’s Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood. "This house is the remodel I’m most proud of, because it really reflects our style of living," she said of the Philadelphia home.
With five bedrooms and five-and-a-half bathrooms, the house has roughly 8,000 square feet of living space on four levels. It features a great room, which includes a living area, a dining room and an eat-in kitchen that opens onto a brick terrace with views of the gardens and swimming pool. The terrace connects with the front porch—an original relic from the home’s past.
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There’s also a music room, a study and a sunroom. The finished basement offers a media room, a fitness center, a full bathroom, ample storage and pool access.
The new addition is home to Mr. McFerrin’s studio. The 10-time Grammy award winner, most widely known for his single "Don’t Worry, Be Happy," is also an accomplished conductor. His nearly soundproof space has its own entrance, triple-pane windows and a private balcony.
The addition also includes a guest suite with a kitchenette and full bathroom, where the McFerrins’ children often stay. "We always have a lot of guests coming to visit," Mrs. McFerrin said.
But those guests will soon be visiting the McFerrins on the West Coast. The couple is selling their home with plans to relocate to California to live near family.
Donald Pearson of Kurfiss Sotheby’s International Realty has the listing.
Browse the gallery above for a look inside the home.
Write to Gina Faridniya at gina.faridniya@dowjones.com