Introducing 547 Prospect Street, a charming 3-bedroom, 2.5-bath home on .85 acres in the heart of Maplewood. This surprising gem boasts a large property thoughtfully planted with native species, offering a serene escape. Expansive outdoor space presents endless opportunities for gardening, outdoor entertaining, potential expansion, or pool to complete your dream oasis. Adding to the allure is a remarkable two-story barn that evokes the idyllic charm of Vermont & is perfect as a workshop, studio, or simply a backdrop for outdoor gatherings.You won’t find land like this anywhere else in the SOMA communities!This classic colonial is flooded w/natural light & a warm, inviting atmosphere. The living room features leaded glass & wood-burning fireplace. The sunroom, tucked behind the fireplace, w/glass doors is the ideal home office. An additional living room provides the perfect spot for relaxing. Bring herbs & tomatoes in from the vegetable garden just outside the kitchen & create a masterpiece on the Carrera marble counters.The adjacent dining room & powder room complete the 1st floor. Upstairs find 3 large bedrooms, 2 full baths, hardwood floors, & charming details! Built-in book shelves, curved doorways, & surprising nooks make this home extra special! An unfinished attic provides opportunity to create additional living or sleeping space for the home..7 miles to Maplewood, 1.1 miles to South Orange Train Stations, this location can’t be beat! Don’t miss this opportunity!

547 Prospect Home Improvements

2024:

• Interior paint

2022: 

• Exterior paint

2019:

• Kitchen remodel (with steel/marble custom build island)
• Landscape/nature restoration of the property (the clearance and removal of invasive species, and the planting of hundreds native of plants and trees). Vincenzo has been in partnership with the American Chestnut Society and has purchased many of the plants from renowned native plant nursery https://wildridgeplants.com/. The company’s owner botanist Jared Rosenbaum has been a consultant/collaborator for this work.

Dear Future Homeowner,

We began where you are: facing an inviting, elegant structure built in 1868. Before entering, we walked around the house and were introduced to another building and history: an original barn built in 1820 with a loft once used to store hay. Just behind the barn, we met a wild plot of land so overgrown with foliage we couldn’t see where it ended. We knew that this place, the buildings and the soil, held a lot of stories. And we also knew right then and there that we wanted to be part of them.

This home has been loved by many and we feel lucky to be a part of its legacy. The house is solid, dependable, and perfectly designed for a family who wants enough space to be together when it matters, and apart when needed. It is the house that is “just right,” as stable as its foundations, and as pretty as the sunlight moving through it. Since we have lived here, we have restored the land by clearing it of invasive species and planting hundreds of native plants and trees. Our family has created little spaces among them, places to sit, swing, observe. We call our backyard “the woods” and it is teeming with life. Birds such as woodcocks, red-tailed hawks, cardinals, chickadees, mourning doves, blue jays, and robins all have a home here, as do many species of butterflies, especially during the migration season. The house is shaded in the summer by the mature trees and full of sun in the winter months.

We moved in without knowing the area, but soon came to learn how perfect this house’s location is. Commuters will enjoy a 15 minute (lovely) walk to the train station–and after a long day at work, feel instant relief when they step off the train for another (lovely) walk back home. Our proximity to town is perfect for young and old. Our kids were given an early independence of walking to town and back by themselves because of how close it is. Summers are for walking to town for ice cream after dinner. All of the schools are within walking distance. The Prospect Street neighbors are the best out there: friendly, hospitable, and very, very funny. We found that after 25+ years in the city, this home had the perfect balance of the nature and quiet we longed for and the lively camaraderie we didn’t want to leave behind.

We thought we would live here forever but our work now takes us elsewhere. Our parting, like all partings, is bittersweet. But we leave here knowing that we were only temporary stewards of this place, and that whoever lives here next will enjoy its good vibe, protective spirit, and warm embrace.