WEST CAPE MAY — One look says so much: The home at 119 Stevens St. is enclosed by green that is surrounded by blue water.
Just sidling along Sunset Boulevard provides access to views, attractions and quartz-pebbled beaches (some might call it “diamond-studded” in reference to the famous Cape May diamonds that wash up there) within foghorn distance of the Cape May Lighthouse.
A wonky asymmetrical Victorian with a distinctive array of gables and a diamond window over the front door, it’s hard to believe this home was built in 1997. Luckily, the late ’90s were a bit of a heyday for new construction that nailed the old-fashioned vibe; so even though this looks from the street just like a typical crowded vintage design, it’s actually 2,348 square feet of comfortable space and modern amenities.
The exterior color scheme is neutral in a way that uses textures to emphasize shapes and details: it’s lovely, but it doesn’t stand out.
But once on the deep front porch entry that wraps around one side, taking in the western light of the sunset, one realizes that this beige and cream exterior is the perfect disguise for the treasures inside.
A wainscoted entry way and staircase greet one at the door, with hardwood floors and natural light. An enclosed sitting room opens to the left. This room could be an office or another bedroom, especially for those with no wish to climb the stairs.
There’s another sitting room by the kitchen, and two dining areas: one for informal family dining and the other more than doubling the comfortable space to sit and dine while entertaining.
The horseshoe-shaped kitchen is placed in the sunny back corner, with ample workspace and easy communication with the sitting room. These spaces are separated just slightly from the more formal dining room by pillared dividers that frame the view.
The countertops and backsplash are a cheerful pattern that feels clean but offers just enough contrast so that the eye is drawn to the corner sink flanked by two windows, facing the backyard and the side.
Good decision-making is evident all around, from the well-maintained hardwood floors throughout the first floor to the straight, almost masculine lines of the woodwork over the gas fireplace.
The first floor is completed by a powder room that appears like a copy of such spaces in older homes in the neighborhood, painted in sea-glass green with a diminutive corner sink.
If it weren’t for the multi-zoned HVAC operating invisibly within these rooms, one could not guess that this home was anything but an immaculate rehab of an original Victorian.
The upstairs does show its hand a bit, with three large bedrooms that are much more spacious than would have been considered normal in a modest family home in the 1890s, with walk-in closets (gasp!) and an en suite bath in the primary bedroom that would have been unthinkable.
The other two bedrooms share a bath, outfitted with self-consciously vintage tile and a double vanity, plus its own closet for linens or supplies. The bedrooms are large enough for modern-sized beds and space around them; one has a little alcove in the rounded bay window that is completely hidden from the street.
The back of this home is nice enough to serve as the front-facing side on any other street; a small porch leads down to the spacious backyard with an outdoor shower, platform patio and green lawn spilling back to a matching shed and bright vinyl fence surrounding most of the .24 acre lot.
The home is within easy walking or biking distance to schools, shops, dining, sunflower farms, wineries, farm markets and bathing beaches guarded by one of the top patrols in the country.
Horse farms and hidden lakes fill in the secret spaces among the forest, and the Cape May-Lewes Ferry marks the hours with an optical illusion that makes the ships seem high above the horizon at the midpoint of Delaware Bay.
Although it’s not front and center on the beachfront, Stevens Street has long been the exclusive hideaway for people who like a quiet sort of luxury and private, family-centered living.
Movie stars and local shop owners used to nod at each other over their children’s strollers in the evenings, and even the most glamorous pool parties would wrap it up by 9-ish to let the little ones sleep. It has always seemed a magical place, even if it was a peculiarly subdued magic.
Stevens Street always had rentals — that’s how the movie stars found the place — but the details were handled through channels that kept things incredibly quiet.
Those days have passed, for the most part: VRBO and others now handle the marketing element for a few of the newer homes, although for the older places there are families working on their 24th or 25th consecutive vacation in the same spot.
Is it surprising that a place could command that sort of loyalty in this day and age? In all seriousness, no: But it’s understandable once you’ve seen the neighborhood.
Some addresses on Stevens are listed as being in Cape May Point, but this home is solidly in the charming village-within-the-island that is West Cape May.
