Many neighborhoods have a landmark -- one house that everyone in town knows. In Richland, that distinction could go to the red-brick mansion at 4171 Bakerstown Road.

	Lake Fong, Post-Gazette The dining room has a mural depicting how the house would have looked in the 1920s. Click photo for larger image.

One of the oldest and grandest homes in the area, the house was built in 1922 for Fred Burki, founder and president of Pittsburgh Cut Flower Co. Mr. Burki, a wholesale grower known particularly for his roses, spared no expense when he built the five-bedroom house to replace a clapboard Victorian that burned down some years before.

In addition to a formal governor's drive and two-story original carriage house, the 4,200-square-foot house boasts stained-glass windows, five fireplaces and seven mostly level acres punctuated by colorful flower gardens.

"It seems everyone in the community knows this house or worked here at one point or another, either to paint or weed the gardens or in the kitchen as a cook," says Joanne Sarver, who purchased the house in 1992 and just listed it with Northwood Realty Services for $1.19 million.

Born in Switzerland in 1853, Mr. Burki was renowned not just nationally for his roses, but also overseas. He built dozens of greenhouses on the surrounding property, nine acres in all, and turned them over to son Albert in 1935. They remained in operation until 1990.

The two-story house, which has a massive open porch with vase-shaped balusters, was renovated over seven years by Ms. Sarver and her ex-husband, Bob.

"Our intent was not to remodel but restore, based on the original blueprints," says Ms. Sarver.

Lake Fong, Post-Gazette The red brick mansion, built in 1922 on Bakerstown Road, has been renovated and is on the market for $1.19 million. Click photo for larger image.

The house had been divided in half when the couple bought it, with false doors, boarded-up windows and a shared kitchen. So much work was required that the Sarvers and their three children couldn't move in for six months. Then they ended up living in one bedroom for several months while they picked away at the work.

"It was a real labor of love," says Ms. Sarver, who contracted out much of the work to local craftsmen.

The house is Italianate, with a low-slung side-gabled red tile roof and wide eaves supported by decorative brackets. It also shows some Craftsman influences, including built-ins and multipane over single-pane sash windows. There are also a 37-by-12-foot sunroom with terra cotta floors, a gas fireplace and four sets of windows overlooking the yard. It was designed by architect John A. Long of Pittsburgh.

One of the Sarvers' first projects was the front vestibule, which had been removed by the previous owner. They also rebuilt the front porch, using as much of the original brick as possible, and replaced the concrete floors with slate to make it more decorative.

The formal dining room, which features original oak floors and a pair of tiger oak built-in cabinets crowned by stained-glass windows, is one of the more colorful rooms in the house. Bell Acres artist Andrew Vernon painted all four walls and the ceiling with an elaborate mural that depicts how the property would have looked in the 1920s; the view includes the gracious 96-foot-long rose pergola that once ran across the yard. The Sarvers partially rebuilt it off the kitchen over a new deck with redwood flooring.

	Lake Fong, Post-Gazette The home's original owner, Fred Burki, used the 40-by-80-foot greenhouse to grow orchids. Click photo for larger image.

Designed for entertaining, the house has quarter-sawn oak woodwork, including window sashes that the Sarvers removed and had refinished. They also had workers uncover and rebuild the dining room fireplace and install a mahogany fireplace surround from the master bedroom. The pass-through gas fireplace offers a peek into the new gourmet kitchen.

The formal living room is far more understated. The only thing that really catches the eye, other than the original woodwork, is a massive sandstone fireplace with a tiger oak mantel. Pocket doors open onto a hallway with access to a small library, a powder room and the sunroom.

"It's like Mr. Burki -- stately, but not overdone," says Ms. Sarver.

To create the kitchen, the couple removed doors and a wall and installed new, larger windows. The end result is a room that will delight not only a demanding cook but also party guests. It has multilevel granite counter tops, original fir flooring and white-painted beadboard cabinets that match an original cabinet in the adjoining breakfast room. For entertaining, there's also a small bar area.

The staircase to the second floor was closed off with a door and a dropped ceiling when the family moved in, blocking the view of a set of stained-glass windows on the landing. Now that the ceiling is gone, the windows are in sunlight. Butler artist Carol Kirkpatrick restored the original leatherette wallpaper on the bottom half of the wall, using a piece of wallpaper Ms. Sarver discovered in the basement as her guide. Previous owners had painted over it so many times that you could no longer see its pattern of acorns and oak leaves.

Lake Fong, Post-Gazette The new pool is equipped with underwater fiber-optic lighting. Click photo for larger image.

The second floor has five bedrooms, including one that originally served as Mrs. Burki's sleeping porch and now is part of a two-room suite. The master bedroom faces the road and has a gas fireplace with a cherry mantel and ceramic tile surround that the Sarvers gleaned from another bedroom. The private bath has a tumbled limestone shower and floors, beadboard walls, period fixtures, a clawfoot slipper tub and an antique dresser-turned-vanity with a marble top and vessel sink. A stained-glass window with a rose design hints at the home's history.

The main bath is equally vintage, with white subway tile walls, a large soaking tub and a built-in cabinet for towels and toiletries. A third bedroom has huge closets and a decorative fireplace. Another bedroom offers a view of the new in-ground swimming pool, equipped with underwater fiber-optic lighting and a diving board. The attic has been turned into a large walk-in closet.

One side of the pergola-topped deck leads to the pool area; the other steps down into a manicured garden area. That, in turn, leads to the carriage house, which still has several horse stalls and the original dirt floor. A full second-floor loft -- with exposed beams and hoppers and chutes for grain -- is currently used for storage but could be converted to a studio. There's also a two-car garage on the main level.

The only obvious relic of the property's past is a 40-by-80-foot greenhouse next to the carriage house. According to Ms. Sarver, this was Mr. Burki's private greenhouse, where he grew the orchids he loved nearly as much as his roses. Now almost completely overgrown with ivy, it's still filled with thousands of clay pots.

"At night, it just glows," says Ms. Sarver, who uses it to start seeds and grow plants. It's even prettier in the winter, when it's snowing outside but still toasty warm inside the glass.

"It's so peaceful."

The property comes with three rental properties (a two-bedroom farmhouse and two one-bedroom cottages) that bring in more than $2,000 a month.

Given its size, the house obviously would appeal to someone with a large family. But it's also ideal for someone who's in the market for something with a little elegance and wants to make a statement, says Ms. Sarver.

"There isn't a property like this in Allegheny County," she says. "We like to say we live in a bubble, like Pleasantville."

For more information on 4171 Bakerstown Road, Richland, call Nancy Evans of Northwood Realty at 412-980-5228 or go to www.northwood.com, MLS No. 637659.