Richard DeDomenico always had his suspicions about the century-old brick house he purchased in 1998 on Mexico Street in Brighton Heights.

Who would build a three-story home that is just one room deep but has an elaborate front staircase? And why did some of its rooms seem to "intermingle" with those of the two-story frame house next door at 1803 Cottage Place?

"You could kind of tell it was never meant to be two structures," he says.

Turns out his instincts were right. When Mr. DeDomenico researched the deed a few years ago, he learned that his tiny abode had originally been the front half of the house on Cottage Place. In 1949, former owners apparently decided to give the rear part of the house to their son and daughter-in-law, and split it in two.

When the Cottage Place property went on the market in 2004, Mr. DeDomenico bought it and made the two sections one house again. Now he has put it on the market for $139,500 through Coldwell Banker Real Estate.

The front of the house is a rather odd example of Colonial Revival style, with arched hoods over two windows and a huge arched window over the front door. The inside is even more unusual: It's filled with Cher memorabilia, an obsession that earned Mr. DeDomenico a spot on the 2005 Brighton Heights House Tour and a story in the Post-Gazette.

Before he could inject his personal style -- and that of the one-named singer and actress -- Mr. DeDomenico had major renovation work to do. When he bought the front section in 1998, it had dropped ceilings, old paneling, rotted floors and broken plaster. He spent years restoring its original fireplace mantels and woodwork, most of which had already been removed from the Cottage Place side.

The 13-by-11-foot formal dining room just off the aqua-colored front entry has both a beamed ceiling and a built-in china closet with glass doors. There's also a decorative fireplace with a mirrored mantel and original bright-green ceramic tile surround, and a leaded-glass transom above a large picture window. Wainscoting that covers three-quarters of the far wall is topped with a plate rail.

The yellow-sponged formal living room, which contains several autographed photos of Cher, is just as charming. Warmed by a large wood stove, it features refinished oak floors and an antique mantel Mr. DeDomenico found on the third floor. A giant slab of sandstone sits atop the radiator, creating a cozy place to sit in the winter.

"It's always warm," Mr. DeDomenico says with a laugh.

The updated kitchen is on the small side but fully equipped with oak cabinets and faux granite countertops. Purple accents in the red linoleum tile floor -- copied from the bathroom at the Regent Square Theatre -- add a playful touch. It opens onto a carpeted family room with mint-green walls and an adjoining walk-in pantry and powder room.

Nearby is what Mr. DeDomenico calls his "glass room," where he keeps his collection of pink Depression glass. (The walls and ceilings are painted orange.)

The second floor holds five bedrooms, two of which combine to make a sprawling master suite. Inspired by an episode of "Trading Places," Mr. DeDomenico painted the walls red, then added coats of rosewood stain and polyurethane to make the surface resemble aged, cracking leather.

Even more visually arresting is the sitting room just off the staircase. Brightened by a large, arched window, it has purple woodwork with red accents and a matching purple ceiling. A high shelf is filled with action figures and dolls from the movies "Sleepy Hollow," "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas" and "Charlie's Angels."

With 19 rooms, the house is now a little too big for Mr. DeDomenico. Its $139,500 asking price might seem a bit high for a house in the city's 27th Ward, where the median price was $60,000 and the maximum $199,500 in the one-year period ending in June, according to RealSTATS.

But consider that the house has more than 3,000 square feet of living space, along with a rooftop deck, two new baths and all new electric and plumbing. Mr. DeDomenico noted that one- or two-bedroom units at Osterling Flats, a loft-style condominium development a block away on California Avenue, were selling for the low $120,000s and $130,000s in 2003 and '04. They had less than half the living space and only the facades had their original architectural details.

Mr. DeDomenico's house has two bedrooms on the third floor, along with a large storage space under the eaves. In an ingenious act of carpentry, the staircase swings open on a hinge so you can easily move furniture up and down. A rooftop deck accessed by a window offers a place to sunbathe.

The house also has a semi-finished basement that includes both a storage room and a large workshop with a door to the back yard. The two are connected by a narrow "tunnel" that Mr. DeDomenico shoveled out, one bucket of dirt at a time.

"There's not one inch of this house that hasn't been redone," he says with great pride.

That includes the colorful painted exterior, which was hidden behind sheets of aluminum siding when he moved in. Call him crazy, but Mr. DeDomenico wanted the purple, red and green color scheme to perfectly match the striped canvas awning over the front porch. (Home Depot did an excellent job of matching the colors, he says.)

Less than five miles from Downtown, the property offers all the benefits of city living, including a quick commute to work, walking distance to shops and easy access to public transportation. And it's virtually maintenance-free, with no real yard to care for and all updated mechanics plus a new roof.

Yet, because it's located on a quiet, dead-end street, it's almost like living in the suburbs, says Realtor David Gardner.

"It's the best of both worlds. You get Old World charm with today's modern amenities."