For those who like architectural detail and lots of space, 5057 Brownsville Road in Whitehall may be the perfect home.

With its stone exterior and sprawling yard, the 12-room house is reminiscent of the Hartwood Acres mansion, but its manicured flower gardens, wavy clapboard and gabled slate roof give the home the coziness of a country cottage. The property (MLS No. 817458) is listed for $389,900 with Millie Karolski of Howard Hanna Real Estate Services (412-882-9100, ext. 247 or www.howardhanna.com). Visitors can tour the property during an open house today from 1 to 4 p.m.

With five bedrooms and three full bathrooms, the home can comfortably accommodate a large family with room left for guests and entertaining. According to owner Jim Kehl, previous owners rolled back the carpet in the 19-by-13-foot living room for dancing while a band played in the formal dining room.

The living room has a fireplace that burns gas and wood. The home also has a 23-by-20-foot family room upstairs and downstairs, an 11-by-11-foot den and first-floor bedroom that the Kehls use as an additional sitting room. The home has plenty of closet and storage space, including more than a dozen closets and a six-room unfinished basement with a French drain and laundry area.

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Whitehall
At a glance

• Website: www.whitehallboro.org
• Size: 3.2 square miles
• Population: 13,397 (2009 census estimate)
• School district: Baldwin-Whitehall (www.bwschools.net)
• District enrollment: 4,222
• Average SAT scores: 497 Verbal; 517 Math; 488 Writing
• Taxes for a house assessed at $100,000: $3,298; Borough: $550 (5.5 mills); School: $2,350 (23.5 mills); County*: $398(4.69 mills)
• Claim to fame: Whitehall, which was named after Whitehall Palace in London, was created in 1948 after separating from Baldwin Township.

* Includes the Act 50 Homestead Exclusion, which reduces market value by $15,000 for county taxes

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Built during the Great Depression with bluestone from a nearby quarry, the home's meticulous construction gives it an air of solidity. The 18-panel, solid oak front door seems like a promise of protection, and midnight trips to the kitchen won't disturb those sleeping upstairs; the staircase, with its elegantly curved bottom step, doesn't creak.

Details make the home stand out -- eight-panel doors, crown molding, pegged-oak floors, arched doorways and built-in shelving. On the main floor, the front porch was converted to a library-style den, which has an 8-foot-long window seat and lighted cabinetry for books or collectibles. The den opens to the side yard.

Overlooking the side yard is the 14-by-8-foot original kitchen and an adjacent breakfast nook with a counter.

The backyard can be viewed from the upstairs family room through a large round-top window. The cherry-wood frame matches 9-foot built-in cabinets. The room is part of a multipurpose wing with a cathedral ceiling and full bathroom above a heated two-car garage.

The home is set on a double lot about 100 feet back from Brownsville Road, creating a secluded atmosphere despite the busy street. The buyer could subdivide the property, which measures more than three-quarters of an acre, and another home could be built there. Visitors are greeted at the foot of the driveway by what Mr. Kehl calls the "Florida bed" -- a cluster of plants and trees in the shape of the Sunshine State.

Pin oak, red maple, Leland cypress, horse chestnut, sweet gum and evergreen trees surround the house along with seasonal flowers and English ivy. Children will enjoy the small wishing well, a shady yard and the parade of deer and rabbits that frequent the backyard, which overlooks a quiet cul-de-sac. Air conditioning upstairs combines with the shade from the trees and low-emissivity vinyl windows to keep the home cool during warmer months.

Downtown is less than 20 minutes away, and South Hills Village Mall is less than 20 minutes to the east. The 2,013-acre South Park is about 10 minutes to the southeast.

Since 2007, 23 properties have sold on Brownsville Road for between $45,000 and $315,000 (www.realstats.com).

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.