Be my guest: Charming Leechburg bed-and-breakfast (and former church next door) can be yours - TribLIVE
The only B&B in Leechburg is for sale.
John Truett, a former Disney World executive, owns both the Old Parsonage Bed and Breakfast and the Enchanted Abbey (formerly Holy Innocents Episcopal Church) at 156 Siberian Ave.
The two buildings are listed at $185,000 and are on the same lot.
Truett, a Florida native, has operated the three-bedroom B&B offering Victorian hospitality to his guests for 14 years.
Old Parsonage originally served as the rectory for Holy Innocents.
His decision to sell involves a personal timeline.
“I am planning to move out West to a hotter and drier climate,” Truett said of his decision to sell and relocate. “I said I would live here for 10 years, and it’s been 14, so I’m overdue.”
Holy Innocents opened in 1889, and the rectory, currently the B&B, was constructed in 1914. It is designated as a historic landmark by the Leechburg Area Historical Society.
Truett, 56, said the listing price includes almost all of the furnishings in the themed three-bedroom home. He placed their value at about $30,000.
An oversized, hand-carved wooden bed in The Jacobian Room is a highlight for guests.
“I bought that for $3,000 at an antique store in Orlando,” Truett said.
Truett said he has fielded about six serious inquiries, but his most interested potential buyer, set on buying and keeping it a B&B, had financing issues and the deal fell through.
He said covid-19 quarantine restrictions have wreaked havoc on 2020 reservations.
“I’m just now getting bookings again,” Truett said. “I think everyone has cabin fever.”
Truett noted he books reservations for guests attending weddings and funerals in the Alle-Kiski Valley, and noted visitors comment on the quirky and eclectic decor.
“I have original church pews, a 1912 player piano, a 1940s Philco radio, a claw-foot tub, knickknacks from the Middle East and China, from England,” Truett said.
Truett plans to stay open until the property sells. “I am open, staying open,” he said.
The property is zoned residential, business and office. It was even used for on-location filming for an independent short feature horror film, “Occurrence at Mills Creek.”
“The attic, Jacobean Room and drawing rooms were selected for scenes, and the original stained glass windows were chosen for a dream sequence,” Truett said.
Truett is selling the property “as a turnkey B&B, but its use would depend upon the new owner,” he said.
Truett’s favorite room is the Ancient Egyptian Room. “It has a masculine theme, and I love the layout and the contents,” Truett said.
The third room is called The Olympus Suite, featuring an antique spindle bed.
The unoccupied church has potential; and one interested buyer was a seeking a brewery location, Truett said.
Listing agent Amy Myers said the property is “homey” and pointed out a new owner will have bragging rights on the roof.
Allegheny Ludlum replaced the former slate roof on the church with stainless steel shingles in 1966.
“At the time, it was an experimental shingled roof that was the only kind in the world,” Truett said.
Leechburg Mayor Wayne Dobos hopes the property remains a B&B.
“I think it brings some nice people into town and they get to see our town, and they come back for something else,” Dobos said. “I toured it with my wife once and it’s a nice place.”
Joyce Hanz is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Joyce at 724-226-7725 , jhanz@triblive.com or via Twitter .
Categories: Local | Top Stories | Valley News Dispatch
Comments
Post a Comment