Independence and togetherness have been the delicate generational balance.
"We love having the kids with us - and apart from us," said Elaine, a paralegal and law-office manager who is delighted that their home has two complete kitchens. Translation: She's no longer the chief family cook, although her son and daughter are frequent dinner guests.
The former owners did all the major restructuring, sparing the Tracys the challenge of actually creating the duplex.
"We ended up doing the things that don't show: the basement stuff that nobody sees, even though it can be expensive," said Mike, a mortgage-financing executive.
Instead of mom and dad occupying the first floor, they have turned the second and third floors into their private space. Elaine, 51, and Mike, 52, have defined their interior-design style: lots of art in a sophisticated, but never stuffy, traditional environment, with unexpected decorative touches.
On the first floor, their offspring chose a decidedly contemporary mood. Kitchen, dining area, and living area are one sweep of open space, which suits breezy living and entertaining. Individual bedrooms and baths are at opposite ends of the lower story.
Shared are a front porch, where everybody can watch parades go by along Haddon Avenue, and a handsome foyer featuring the home's original crystal chandelier and an elegant wine armoire. A sunroom, technically part of the first floor, offers a place for more private kick-back time.
Walk up the newly restored hardwood front stairs to Mike and Elaine's rooms, and light splashes in from double stained-glass windows at the landing.
