PITTSBURGH ― In the Pittsburgh area, it’s common to have a house in one family for multiple generations. What isn’t common is for a family member to write a letter to the newspaper praising what the new owners have done to the family home.

“The transformation of the property, in a before and after sense, is amazing,” wrote Jack Ciciarelli. “This is an excellent example of what can be accomplished with a typical house on a typical street in any one of our local struggling mill towns that have seen better days, in this case, New Kensington.”

Ciciarelli, who now resides in Beaver Falls, described the family’s former property as neat and clean but stark. The before pictures he sent show a well-kept, nondescript yellow-brick home complete with the ubiquitous aluminum awnings.

The home came into his family in 1927 when his grandfather, an Italian immigrant named Giovanni who worked as a laborer, bought it. Ciciarelli’s father, Joseph, grew up in the circa-1917 home, as did Ciciarelli and his brother, Thomas. They sold it when their mother, Concetta, moved into assisted living, he said.

When Layne Bennett and Kevin Prall put in an offer, “I was delighted that they wanted to buy it. My daughter was upset at the closing. She was very close to my mom and dad,” Ciciarelli said. “It was very emotional, and Kevin assured her they would take care of the place. I had no idea they would do such a fabulous job with it.”

Bennett and Prall are Florida transplants who came to Pittsburgh in 2010. Bennett, who is originally from Idaho, moved to Pittsburgh when his partner, a Colorado native, accepted an offer to work as a landscape consultant. They lived downtown for a year while looking for a home to buy.

Bennett, an architectural designer and a professional home stager, said they decided that the next house they purchased had to be affordable enough to manage on one income, and it had to be close to Prall’s job in suburban Fox Chapel. Then they visited New Kensington.

“The thing that drew us to the house was the porch,” Bennett remarked.

“We had no idea of what neighborhoods were like,” said Prall. But they fell in love with the river town, the green hills and the “extraordinary people here.”

“I wish people would realize the potential of these neighborhoods,” said Prall. “The people are so friendly. We didn’t know our neighbors before, but we know all the neighbors (here).”

“Clearly they have embraced the community and the Ciciarelli family, even visiting Concetta to hear stories about the home before her death last year at the age of 97. Ciciarelli has been collecting old family photographs for them.

They’ve become friends, he said.

Like most old homes, this one is a work in progress. Prall jokes that he and Bennett use the “triage method” when budgeting yearly projects. They do most of the remodeling work themselves. The awnings were an early casualty. Then they decided to paint the muddy yellow brick a sage green, making the house pop right off the lot.

Another big change was the landscaping. Prall, who has a self-described palm tree fetish, has planted several palms on the property along with other lush landscaping, hanging baskets and potted plants. Two large palms greet visitors by the front porch. The gardens, like the home and interior, are immaculate. Bennett joked that Prall weeds with tweezers.

A large and thriving fig tree, filled with fruit, grows by the back door, in spite of last year’s brutal winter. In the rear, the garage, a sturdy if unlovely building, was painted and updated. The formerly barren yard has been planted with cabbages, tomatoes, corn and potatoes interspersed with hydrangeas, a crepe myrtle and other ornamentals.

The palms are tough but not winter-hardy here. Prall’s wintering method involves a large box, bubble wrap and a low heat source for the palms and the fig. He says it’s worth the trouble for the plants he loves. Bennett wryly remarked that they’ll be wrapping those large boxes in Christmas paper and bows for the holidays.

The interior is just as lovely, and although the house has not undergone major remodeling, the men have certainly put their stylish stamp on the decor.

They are delighted when people stop to comment on the renovations and the garden. Complete strangers will come to sit on the porch and talk with them.

“I feel we’ve known these people a long time,” Mr. Bennett.

Although their house is still known as the Ciciarelli house, the pair embrace its history and their part in it and hope to lead by example.

“Don’t be afraid of these old communities,” said Prall. “There is good value here.”

By Susan Banks

(Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)

(MCT Information Services)