A Dresher farmhouse brought ‘back to life’
The 18th-century stone home was covered in vinyl siding. Virginia Corsey had a “vision,” her husband, Anthony, says.
Virginia and Anthony Corsey wanted a historical property that needed some TLC, but when they stumbled upon a farmhouse in Dresher built in 1742, they had very different reactions. Virginia was all in, but Anthony not so much.
“I thought she was crazy,” recalled Anthony, owner of IT consulting company Good Dog Communications. “It looked like a hodgepodge-put-together house with vinyl siding. She definitely had the vision.”
The farmhouse sat on about five acres, something hard to find in the suburbs. Hidden behind the vinyl siding was the original stone, with plenty more stone in the creek out back.
“I couldn’t get over how old the property was and that it had the original barn from 1742 still there,” said Virginia, who works in laboratory sales and design. “I thought we could preserve it and bring it back to life, closer to how it looked with the original stone.”
The home began as one room with a hole in the ceiling and a room above it, accessed by a ladder. Today, that space is a two-story foyer. In 1799, another room was added, which now serves as Virginia’s office. In the 1980s, an addition was built that included a dining room and family room.
When the previous owners cleaned out the original fireplace, items apparently from the 1700s fell out, including clothing, historical documents, deeds in German, and receipts for things like lard. Those artifacts are on display in the foyer.
The couple bought the property in the winter of 2020. They spent the next four years renovating it, with the help of Hatboro-based OMNIA Group Architects, Stonehenge Masonry in Blue Bell, and ABG Carpentry Group in Mount Joy. In addition to removing the siding and repairing the original stone, major projects included adding large modern windows, covering the support beams with reclaimed barn wood, and uncovering the original fireplace.
“We didn’t want to knock down any of the walls or change the small door sizes to the original rooms, even though they’re small and uncomfortable to some people,” Virginia said. “We love it.”
They created a record room with a bar and lounge, a nod to Virginia’s dad, Frank Dietrich, who owned Frankford music shop the Record Room. Most of their record collection came from her dad’s shop.
The room’s stone wall was originally the back of the house with a small window. They preserved the original window space and created a humidor for Anthony’s cigar collection. The room is where friends and family come to watch Phillies and Eagles’ games.
Upstairs, they raised the ceiling in the original small attic space to create a library, with a glass railing that looks out over the living room. The boys love playing in the secret room, the entrance to which is concealed by a bookshelf.
The property includes the two-story main house and the original barn next door that had been renovated by previous owners and is now home to Virginia’s mom, Marilyn Kowalick. After renovations, the main house is about 5,000 square feet, with four bedrooms, 4½ bathrooms, and two staircases.
The first floor includes the kitchen, living room, record bar, and lounge, a guest room and bathroom, and Virginia’s office. Bright light pours into the space through large windows that look out over the property.
“You can see all the seasons changing, the herons that live in our creek, geese, and deer,” Virginia said.
One stairway leads to the kids’ bedrooms and playroom on the second floor, and the other goes to the primary suite and library.
Virginia tackled all of the interior design. While the overall decor is eclectic, she features art deco elements, including the much-loved disco ball in the living room. The pair enjoy shopping in antique and thrift shops, collecting unique pieces to display. Some of their favorites include 150-year-old, 9-foot wooden doors, a collection of original prints from Vanity Fair’s Men of the Day series, and Otomi fabric wall hangings.
They named the home Wild Child Farm after their three boys, Emerson, 9; Harrison, 5; and Griffin, 1. The kids romp in the expansive property with Clover, their 9-year-old rescue dog, a Pyrenees/border collie mix.
The family’s favorite way to spend their evenings is on the deck watching movies on a projection screen. On colder nights, they crank up the outdoor fireplace and space heater to keep warm and cozy.
“So many people in the area know this property, and we invite lots of families over for movie night where we set up chairs in the yard and a projector,” Anthony said. “It has a magical feel with the open space and all the fireflies in the summer.”
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