A prime location for the Villa of North Park neighborhood helped builder Carl J. Spagnolo weather the dual effects of high interest rates and recession in 1979.

"He had the right piece of ground in the right place," said his son, Angelo.

Over the past 30 years, two generations of the Spagnolo family have continued to develop that 300 acres in Hampton and McCandless near North Park land for luxury homes. This fall, the 300th and final house in the subdivision was finished and put on the market.

The two-story brick home at 2140 Grandeur Drive, Hampton, is listed with Coldwell Banker Real Estate Services for $999,000. Agent Debbie Platts described its design as "transitional," with a traditional exterior and unique touches throughout the interior. She will hold a 30th-anniversary open house there from 1 to 4 p.m. today.

The house, on a 0.82-acre lot, is in the Estates at the Villa neighborhood and has four bedrooms, three full baths, a powder room and a two-story entry.

"And I love that view," Ms. Platts said, looking out from one of the home's many tall windows toward a horse farm just visible through the trees on a nearby hilltop.

Rooms on the first floor have 9-foot ceilings. The entry hall features a curved staircase with a wrought-iron railing.

A second-floor balcony looks down on the 21-by-16-foot great room, which has a granite-faced gas fireplace and built-in media center with space for a large-screen television.

The kitchen, which is 23 by 21 feet, features granite countertops, stainless-steel appliances and cherry cabinets.

Each room contains imaginative architectural details, Ms. Platts said. A built-in niche for displaying artwork is above the basement stairs and the wooden range hood is decorated with carvings of grape leaves and clusters of fruit.

The walk-in pantry has a bubbled glass door that lets in light but obscures whatever is stored behind it. The adjoining butler's pantry has a wine cooler. Glass doors separate the breakfast bay from the patio.

The bath in the second-floor master suite includes a jetted tub and grotto-like overhead "rain" shower. There are two walk-in closets. A second bedroom suite also has its own bath and walk-in closet. The third and fourth bedrooms share a bath.

The house has a poured-concrete foundation, a full basement that opens directly to the side yard and an attached three-car garage. Floors are tile, hardwood or wall-to-wall carpeting.

The original Villa of North Park neighborhood and the newer Estates at the Villa neighborhood feature a variety of housing styles constructed over three decades by almost a dozen builders.

The late Carl J. Spagnolo purchased the land from the family of Joseph Evans in 1977 and 1978. It had been the estate of Allegheny County Court Judge A. Marshall Thompson.

Judge Thompson's mansion "Tyburn Woods" is still a private residence. The 17-room home was the site of the Junior League of Pittsburgh's first "Decorator Show House" in 1979.

By the end of that year, interest rates on 30-year fixed mortgages were near 13 percent. By 1981, they were approaching 19 percent.

"My dad was very worried about the economy," Angelo Spagnolo recalled. "But he knew he had this wonderful spot."

The first lots were sold for $19,000 to $29,000, with home packages starting at $115,000.

Times have changed. Since 2003, 33 homes have been sold, costing between $800,000 and $2 million, Ms. Platts said.

Carl J. Spagnolo died in 2002. Angelo Spagnolo and his brother, Frank J. Spagnolo, now run family-owned Spagnolo Builders Inc.

Over the years, the Villa of North Park and the Estates at the Villa have been popular with professional athletes, Angelo Spagnolo said. Among the early buyers was former Pirates pitcher John Candelaria, who purchased two houses from Spagnolo Builders during his time in Pittsburgh.

Just down the street from 2140 Grandeur Drive is a home once owned by former Steeler Jerome Bettis. As Mr. Spagnolo tells the story, he and his family had been living in the house themselves when Mr. Bettis came by one Saturday morning with a real estate agent.

The 250-pound running back was impressed by the home, the neighborhood and a piece of recreational equipment.

"I can still see him jumping up and down on our trampoline with my two little daughters," he said. "We got a call that night saying he wanted to buy the house.

Doug Oster writes a blog, "Growing With Doug," exclusively at PG+, a members-only web site of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Our introduction to PG+ gives you all the details.