184 Upper Mountain Avenue ยท Montclair, New Jersey 07042
Arrival
The front door, restored quartersawn oak set with leaded windows, opens into a foyer, parlor and stair landing that together set the tone for the house. Marble underfoot, paneled wood walls, a linear coffered ceiling, and a sweeping staircase rise beneath oversized amber toned leaded glass windows that wash the room in warm light.
Principal Rooms
More than thirty feet long, the living room is framed by a dramatic beamed ceiling and anchored by a stately wood burning fireplace with a carved mantel. Leaded glass windows with built in window seating line the walls, and the scale is generous enough for both a crowd and a quiet evening.
Entertaining
An all wood coffered ceiling, a gas fireplace, and a built in china cabinet give the dining room its formality. Leaded glass and a built in window seat soften the room, while pocket doors and direct butler’s pantry access make it as practical for a dinner party as it is handsome.
Light & Garden
Decorative wrought iron doors lead into a sun filled solarium of leaded glass transoms, patterned tile, and a new beadboard ceiling. French doors open to the front garden and fountain, and a newly constructed flat roof above forms a balcony.
Work From Home
Classic wainscoting and custom built ins define a bright first floor office whose French doors open onto the bluestone patio. A secondary back staircase, with its own secluded bonus office, keeps everyday circulation quiet and separate from the principal rooms. A newly renovated powder room completes the floor.
Second Floor
The primary suite is a retreat of its own: a gas fireplace in the bedroom, a private terrace, a charming sitting room with custom built ins, a walk in closet, and an ensuite bath.
Second & Third Floors
Six additional bedrooms are distributed across the second and third floors. Two have ensuite baths, two share a Jack and Jill bath with rough plumbing in place, and two are served by a shared hall bath. The third floor adds a playroom or children’s reading room, a private office, a cedar closet, generous storage, and a substantial unfinished attic with expanded dormers that capture both the skyline and the grounds. A second floor laundry adds convenience.
Lower Level
The expansive lower level holds a recreation room, a billiard room, a sound insulated music room, a wine cellar, a laundry room, a half bath, and extensive storage, with direct access to the oversized four car garage. Recessed lighting and plumbing updated to copper bring it in line with modern use.
The Opportunity
Behind the house, an addition of approximately 1,200 square feet has been architecturally framed, structurally completed, and permitted, and is now waiting to be finished. Daylight pours in through a generous copper clad roof lantern. A Mugnaini wood burning oven is already in place for the kitchen, as is a wood burning fireplace for the family room. The finishes are left to the next owner.
Design inspiration images are conceptual renderings intended to suggest one possible direction. They do not depict existing finishes, fixtures, or conditions. The addition is currently unfinished.
1.47 Acres
The grounds step down the hillside in a dramatic progression of broad stone stairs, sweeping lawns, and gardens set apart by custom powder coated wrought iron fencing. The landscape plan was first drawn by landscape architect Barbara Paca with architect Philip Logan, and Mulroe Landscaping has built and maintained it for two decades, adding the retaining walls, drainage, and hardscape that let it thrive on the ridge. It was a featured stop on the 2025 Van Vleck House & Gardens Tour.
Outdoor Living
A covered dining loggia, roofed in slate to match the house, sits beside an approximately 50 foot cedar pergola draped in New Dawn roses and fitted with plumbing and electricity. Below, an expansive bluestone patio extends from the house, with radiant heating coils installed and ready for future connection. Above it all, the Manhattan skyline.
In Detail
The Property Film