On the market: West Mount Airy’s Stone Gables for $810,000

Tom Sugrue bought his West Mount Airy home in 1999 after his first child was born. “We wanted a bigger place,” he said.

At nearly 7,000 square feet, the home features six bedrooms, three full baths, and a powder room. But space was not the only draw.

“We loved West Mount Airy for its diversity, the beautiful gardens, and the wonderful architecture,” Sugrue said.

The property had a romantic name — Stone Gables, given by local architect C. Wharton Churchman when he built the home in 1915 — but the reality wasn’t so beautiful in 1999.

“When we moved in, we still had a lot of work to do,” Sugrue said. “We pulled up some hideous carpets.”

They refinished the floors and eventually replaced the kitchen. Over time, he also added a patio and a shade garden on the 0.45-acre property.

Entertaining has been at the heart of family life in the home, Sugrue said, with dinner parties hosted in the formal dining room in the winter and in the courtyard or patio during warmer months.

“It’s hard to imagine a house better for that,” he said. “We also entertain in the gorgeous screened porch during the summer.”

Sugrue said that even though they have decided to list the home for sale, they were able to enjoy one last holiday season of entertaining.

“We went out with a bang,” he said.

For Thanksgiving, they hosted 20 friends and family members at Stone Gables. After that, they had their annual champagne party.

“[We] had friends and family from as close as Mount Airy and as far as Brazil for our best Christmas ever,” he said.

Now that both his children are off to college, Sugrue said, it’s time for a new chapter.

“We’re selling to move to New York City for work and a new, wonderful stage in our family life,” he said. “But I am really, really going to miss our house, our neighbors, and our neighborhood. If I had all the money in the world, I’d keep my Mount Airy house.”

The home is listed with Marilou Buffum at Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Fox & Roach for $810,000.