There are many reasons why homeowners choose to move, including family, neighborhoods and schools. For Dr. Daniel Lattanzi, an OB-GYN, and his wife, Linda, it was the particular intersection of all three that triggered the purchase of their Upper St. Clair home. 

“We lived in Peters, my husband was practicing at St. Clair Hospital. We moved closer to the hospital because he got nervous about getting stuck in traffic at one very busy intersection when his patients were in labor,” Linda says.  

They landed on a French Provincial-style home at 1800 Woodlands Circle. Built as a spec home in 1995, the estate has a lot of little extras, including a beautifully private, 1¼-acre lot surrounded by mature trees, carefully tended gardens, multiple outdoor living spaces and a swimming pool that makes it perfect for entertaining. 

For 18 years, the four-bedroom, 4½-bathroom home was the gathering place for family reunions and parties. 

Now, Daniel is retired and the couple are empty nesters. They’ve listed their 3,500-square-foot home for $1 million (MLS# 1557762, Donna Tidwell, Berkshire Hathaway, The Preferred Realty, thepreferredrealty.com). It is open by appointment. 

The landscape plantings take center stage everywhere you turn. The doctor spent years planting and tending the gardens, according to his wife.

“There are irises, and we have so many flowers,” Linda says. “The back hill has been completely planted with an all-season garden. It is how he relaxed when not at work.” 

The front entrance door is surrounded by a leaded glass archway that adds a lovely feel to the space. The semi-open-concept interior has a curved staircase in the lofty main entrance. To the left, the dining room is visible through traditional columns that frame a dramatic light fixture under a ceiling medallion. A large picture window at the far end of the room is filled with greenery from the outside. 

In the formal living room, a gas fireplace features a marble surround and a classic white mantel. The white-on-white decorating scheme offers a lot of serenity, as does the views of the landscaping that help punctuate the solace of this space.   

The home office has a bay window at the far end and is filled with traditional styling, including rich wood judges paneling on the walls and a coffered ceiling.

The 20-by-17-square-foot family room has plenty of space for gatherings, and the party can easily flow outside, thanks to a window of walls and French Doors that open to a large patio. The space is covered with a fixed awning and there’s room for a large table and additional seating. Another seating area is outfitted underneath the primary balcony. 

The pool area features an outdoor kitchen with a stacked-stone wall, refrigerator and grill.  There are multiple seating spaces around the pool as well as a herringbone stone walkway that takes you to a private seating area under a canopy of trees. The entire yard is enclosed by a black, iron-wrought fence that fades into the landscape.

Inside, the 18-by-15-square-foot kitchen features a large center island with a cooktop and a bar-height counter on one side for seating. On the other side is a lower-height counter for cooking. Cherry cabinets and granite countertops sit alongside a pair of double wall ovens. Overhead the seating area is a large, iron chandelier and along the wall is a separate bar wall with wine storage and a second sink. 

The generously sized, 20-by-18-square-foot primary suite is on the first floor and has a gas fireplace, plus a wall of windows with a door that opens to a private patio. The couple updated the adjacent bathroom suite by opening up the dressing room walls to accommodate a custom closet. 

“We installed new marble floors in the bathroom, a new shower, countertops, sinks, mirrors and lighting,” Linda says. 

Upstairs, three more bedrooms feature ample closet space and fresh carpeting. 

The couple put considerable time and investment into the basement, where there is a fully laid out entertainment space. 

“It was only half-finished when we moved in,” Linda recalls. “We installed wainscoting on the walls, finished a billiards room, a separate exercise room, a storage closet and the main entertaining room.” 

The lower level has stone-stacked walls, beverage refrigerators, room for table seating and a large viewing area where the family would hold movie nights. Doors open to the lower patio and pool area. 

Linda says they would host as many as 80 people in their home for parties. 

“My family is very sad that we are selling,” she says. “It’s been the gathering place for all of our events for years.” 

Hot Property, an inside look into unique and historic homes on the market. Each week, Hot Property goes behind the For Sale sign to share the story of a special Pittsburgh-area home. And four times a year, Hot Property gives an in-depth look at the region’s real estate market in Pittsburgh Magazine HOME, tracking housing prices and sales and detailing where the hot properties can be found. Rosa can be reached at onecordovaroad@gmail.com.

About: Upper St. Clair (twpusc.org)
Population: 19, 685 
Planes, Trains & Automobiles: A 20-minute commute to the airport.
Schools:  Upper St. Clair School District. (uscsd.k12.pa.us)
Neighborhoods: Around 9% of the township’s land is dedicated to 14 public parks and sporting fields totaling more than 733 acres. Residents flock to the area, thanks to the award-winning Upper St. Clair School District and the suburban community lifestyle.