1191 Shady Grove Way, West Chester, PA 19382

The Shady Grove School was established around 1863 as a large 2-story building with classrooms on both levels and a dedicated office for the schoolmaster. For over 50 years, the school serviced the residents of the area until it was sold in 1916 to Kathleen T. Phillips to convert it to a residence. Kathleen was married to T. Van C. Phillips who was a voracious collector of early American antiques. It was his intention to turn the Shady Grove School into a museum of antiquities open to the public, but he never succeeded in opening his private collection. The original structure presents such a stately faade. A symmetrical design with a central entry, a full-width front porch, five windows of equal height and width and a little demilune window in the attic. Enter the front door into a spacious entry foyer with a slate floor. All of the original woodwork has never been painted, and it is in exceptional condition. The ceilings are 12' tall. To the right is the former schoolmasters office. The current owners installed a full-height wall of closets & bookshelves with a sliding library ladder. The other corner of the entry foyer houses the powder room (with a replica antique toilet), the staircase to the basement & 2nd floor. From the foyer, one enters into the gracious, full-width living room. So many details are within this one space, from the original wood floors to the exposed ceiling beams and the wall of bookcases. The wood burning fireplace has a custom mantel that was constru