From Fifth Avenue, it looks like a typical old brick row house. Next door is a weathered gray wood fence, slightly overshadowed by vines, bearing warnings on its gate.

None of the signs mentions an urban oasis, but that's exactly what a visitor finds at 1904 Fifth Ave., Uptown.

	Pam Panchak, Post-Gazette A previous owner restored the front parlor of 1904 Fifth Ave., Uptown. Click image for larger version.

The carefully restored 1871 town house boasts 14-foot ceilings, three bedrooms, 3¹/₂ baths, original pine floors and oversized molding, furniture and artwork. But the real surprise is the 28-foot-long in-ground swimming pool surrounded by mature trees and shrubs in the side yard. Next to the pool is a 20-by-20-foot deck shaded by wisteria, with a two-car garage beneath.

It all seems a steal for $198,500, the price set by Tom Yargo of Coldwell Banker Real Estate's Shadyside office. As is always the case in real estate, however, location is everything.

Pam Panchak, Post-Gazette The current owner had new windows custom-made to match the 1871 facade. Click photo for larger image.

Such a house and pool would sell for three times that price, or more, in city neighborhoods like Squirrel Hill or Shadyside, or in an upscale suburb. But here, the median house price last year was just $21,000, according to RealSTATS. This nearly quarter-acre property just east of Duquesne University, faces an overgrown vacant lot and a rundown row house on Fifth, and three boarded-up town houses on Gist Street.

Mr. Yargo acknowledges this is probably not the right house for someone who wants to walk his dog at night or take a child in a stroller during the day. But things are looking up in Uptown, he says. RealSTATS shows that the maximum price paid for a house during a one-year period ending in March was $475,000. Also, a warehouse one block over on Forbes Avenue was recently converted to lofts, becoming the River City Flats. A nearby casket factory now houses four units for the living and those three boarded-up row houses on Gist may soon be renovated.

	Pam Panchak, Post-Gazette A sunny breakfast room connects the kitchen with the deck. Click image for larger version.

"You drive into your garage off Watson Street and basically, you're in your own little compound," Mr. Yargo says.

W. Brian Boak, the current owner, has lived here nearly 15 years and also owns a neighboring row house at 1906 Fifth. Gutted and converted into an open-plan, contemporary-style townhouse by a previous owner, it's for sale for $99,900.

1904 Fifth looked much like its unrestored neighbors when Jon Brown, a designer with Joseph Horne's Co., bought it in the 1970s. He repaired its old plaster walls and ceilings and added crown molding and distinctive frieze ornaments in the front parlor. He tucked a powder room under the main staircase and in a closet in the second parlor, he created a mini-bar with sink that is still used by Dr. Boak while hosting parties and benefits.

Pam Panchak, Post-Gazette A second-floor bedroom was turned into a funky master bath. Click photo for larger image.

The kitchen's modern appliances contrast with a portion of the original tin ceiling, pickled cabinets made from beadboard and a glazed terra cotta tile floor and countertop. A breakfast room at the rear of the house is painted a sunny yellow and leads to the deck, topped with a retractable awning and furnished only with a huge stainless-steel grill.

Steps lead to the side yard and the in-ground, vinyl-liner pool, which is 6 feet at its deepest point and has not been opened for the season. Mr. Brown had two derelict row houses torn down to build the pool and garden. Paths lined with flagstone and hardwood mulch wind among white birches, dogwoods, peach and other mature trees and shrubs. Dr. Boak replaced some of Mr. Brown's colorful flowers with low-maintenance plants including peonies, rhododendrons and daylilies. More wisteria, which has purple blooms in spring, covers part of the fence along Gist.

The house's interior is plush, private and very masculine. Paintings and other artwork fill the walls and large-scale furniture, much of it antique, holds its own against the high ceilings. The wood-burning fireplace with marble surround in the dining room is the only one of the four that works; three of them have antique but not original Victorian mantels. Dr. Boak replaced all of the windows and had Victorian ones custom-built for the front.

The second floor contains three bedrooms, including the dramatic black-and-white master with a bold red Oriental rug and a large walk-in closet. In a guest bedroom, a fancy iron fireplace surround looks almost modern with no mantel. The owner's biggest break from the past was transforming a fourth bedroom into a big funky bath with clear-glass shower stall, clawfoot tub and antique bench like those found in an old bus station. Indeed, this bathroom could accommodate a crowd.

The finished third floor has a big cedar closet and full bath, as does the basement, mainly for use when the pool is open.

Dr. Boak, 47, said he plans to downsize somewhere else in the city. He believes the neighborhood is in transition -- for the better.

"It's not a bad neighborhood. It's changed a million times and will probably change a million times again. Now that the new arena is going in, I think you'll see a huge change," he says.

For more information or to view 1904 or 1906 Fifth Ave., Uptown, call Tom Yargo of Coldwell Banker at 412-363-4000, ext. 789, or go to www.pittsburghmoves.com, MLS No. 637777.