Grace Kelly’s childhood home gets restored

Princess Grace Kelly’s childhood home in East Falls just got restored to its original, early 1900s beauty, thanks to the late princess of Monaco’s son and relatives.

The colonial-style home, which sits at 3901 Henry Avenue in East Falls, was built almost a century ago by Kelly’s father, and the renovated place was just unveiled to the public in a ceremony last week, according to CBS Philly.

“It has really brought all of the family together and it’s been wonderful to see it emerge out of the shadows, so to speak,” Chris LeVine, Kelly’s nephew, told CBS Philly.

There are several important aspects to the 6,000-square-foot home’s restorations: The finishes have been polished and restored, and a rug from Kelly’s childhood has been brought back, according to the Today Show, which got an exclusive, video look at the inside of the home. But possibly the most notable part of the home is something that hasn’t been restored or redone: A closet door on the second floor still bears the height markings of Kelly and her siblings as they grew. Talk about stepping back in time.

The restorations have been a long time coming for the house, which has changed ownership since Kelly lived there as a child. In 2013 a story from PhillyMag came out, detailing neglect by the home’s then-owner, who bought the place in 1973. SPCA officers entered the home and found it infested with one dead cat and 14 live, but neglected, ones, according to PhillyMag.

The home went on the market for $1 million in 2016 and Kelly’s son, Prince Albert II, leapt at the chance to buy it—although he had some pretty stiff competition from non-relatives. Prince Albert finally purchased the home for $755,000 in October, 2016 and said at the time that parts of it needed work.

That began a large-scale restoration process, which finally wrapped up this spring. The newly-restored home will serve as regional offices for the Princess Grace foundation and an exchange program with the Princess Grace Irish Library in Monaco.

Note: An original article on the home’s restoration was published on Curbed Philly’s website on Tuesday. However, it did not comply with Curbed’s editorial standards, so it was removed and replaced with this new article regarding the Kelly home restoration.

• Grace Kelly’s childhood home restored, back in family hands [CBS Philly]
• An exclusive look inside Grace Kelly’s childhood home [Today Show]
• Grace Kelly’s childhood home deserves better [PhillyMag]
• Princess Grace Kelly’s childhood home in East Falls is for sale [Curbed Philly]
• Prince Albert had to compete with other buyers for Grace Kelly’s home [Curbed Philly]
• Prince Albert bought Grace Kelly’s home [Curbed Philly]