A Sense of Community Drew This Family to Observatory Hill

PHOTOS BY ED ADAMS

On a quiet dead-end street in Observatory Hill is the kind of home that doesn’t just check boxes — it tells a story.

For the past eight years, Chelsy and Jonathan Gevas have filled 23 Bonvue Street with a growing family, neighborhood friendships and the kind of simple, everyday moments that create core memories.

“We used to joke that my husband was looking for the house that made practical sense, and I was looking for the one that ‘felt’ like home,” Chelsy says. “And 23 Bonvue hit the mark for both of us.”

That balance is still evident nearly a decade after the couple, their three kids in tow, first stepped onto the home’s wide, welcoming front porch in 2017.

Built in 1930, the four-bedroom, three-bathroom home has been thoughtfully updated, including a full renovation in 2017 that added a new kitchen, bathroom and roof, and refreshed the finishes of the nearly 2000-square-foot-home, all while retaining its warmth and character.

“I grew up very near Pittsburgh and had always hoped to come back and make the North Side my home,” says Chelsy. “We were looking for something that could hold our growing family and had a spark of charm.”

After the family found what they were looking for at 23 Bonvue, they even added a fourth child to their brood.

On their long list of reasons for why they love the home is its layout and cozy atmosphere. The bright, easy-flow living spaces lead to standout features such as the third-floor primary suite, where exposed beams and original pine floors create what Chelsy calls an “inviting and whimsical” retreat.

Over the years, that space has evolved alongside the family, serving as a bedroom, guest suite and even a storybook-like playroom.

“In the colder months, that third floor was such a cozy escape,” Chelsy says. “But in the summer, the back deck overlooking the yard was my oasis.”

The outdoor space is strung with twinkling lights; the couple often paired dinner on the grill with the kids playing outside as the sun went down.

As they prepare to move just a short distance away to another home on the North Side, the couple has listed 23 Bonvue for $349,000 with Nancy Snider of Coldwell Banker; she doesn’t think the property will be on the market for long.

“With its thoughtful updates, functional layout and ideal location, this property is ready to welcome its next owner,” she says.

Snider adds that having both a spacious yard and detached garage is a rarity on the North Side. The deck’s extended living space in warmer months also enhances the property’s livability and flow.

“It’s beautifully updated, offering both modern comfort and classic neighborhood charm,” says Snider.

Also a perk is the home’s clean, dry basement, which could be used as a workshop, home gym or as a functional storage space.

For Gevas family, it isn’t the home’s square footage, fixtures or paint swatches that sets it apart — it’s the community.

“The neighborhood is filled with genuine neighbors,” Jonathan says. “Whether it was helping to jump a car, bringing fresh flowers for our girls to plant, or simply stopping by to say hello, everyone is incredibly kind.”

That sense of community extends beyond Bonvue Street. Located less than a mile away, Riverview Park consists of green space, a public pool and a steady calendar of free events that range from summer concerts to movie nights; there are also loads of trails to explore. Among the walkable neighborhood’s staples are Observatory Hill Deli and Ida’s Sandwich Shop.

“Bonvue Street is a community within a community,” Chelsy says. “It’s the kind of place where kids still knock on doors to ask their friends to play.”

Those connections have created some of the family’s most precious memories, such as projecting movies onto the garage for backyard screenings and placing their Christmas tree in the home’s front window, where it glowed like a scene from a Norman Rockwell painting.

“It held so many seasons of our lives so well,” Chelsy says of the home. “Both the ordinary, everyday rhythms and the really special milestones.”

Now, with updates complete and the living spaces ready for whatever comes next, the family can’t wait for their favorite neighbors to welcome someone new to the block.

“It’s the neighborliness that drew me back to Pittsburgh,” says Chelsy, “And the thing I am most grateful to have found.”