Maryam Mohammadkhani and Raffaele Pennella’s Tudor Revival Home in the Delaware Neighborhood

Apartment dwellers  Raffaele Pennella and Maryam Mohammadkhani were expecting their first child and searching for a quaint house in central Springfield in 2003. They ended up with an 8,500-square-foot home in the Delaware neighborhood instead.

For Pennella, it was the home’s exterior, its 1.3 acres with mature trees and neighborhood that first caught his attention. 
The couple was hesitant to purchase such a large first home, but encouragement from their friend and colleague, Dr. Timothy Deffer, ultimately influenced their decision to buy it.

“He told me, ‘Oh, you’ve got to buy it. Just imagine, every day, you’re going to drive up and think, ‘Wow, I live here,’” recalls Pennella.

After purchasing the house, Pennella got to talk to previous owners and former neighbors, which led him to discover interesting historical tidbits.

Elise Anthony, who lived nearby during the home’s construction, told him the entire masonry was done by one stonemason who pitched a tent in the front yard for an entire year.

Barry Cox, son of Lester Cox, who donated and raised money for Cox Hospital, lived in the home throughout the 1980s. Barry made changes to the home’s landscaping by adding fencing, a back patio with a swimming pool and a tennis court. 
Mohammadkhani and Pennella say they’ve heard stories of lavish parties that were thrown by Barry in this house. In fact, many people they meet still evoke the Cox name when they refer to the house.

The couple has put extensive effort into caring for the home. “I'm a preservationist,” says Mohammadkhani. “I love old homes, and I believe in restoring them. We try very hard to respect the old while introducing modern luxuries and amenities.”