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APRIL 2 - 8, 2016
OPEN HOUSES LISTED INSIDE
SERVING BEACON HILL, BACK BAY, FENWAY, SOUTH END, JAMAICA PLAIN, CHARLESTOWN, NORTH END/WATERFRONT, DOWNTOWN, SOUTH BOSTON, DORCHESTER & EAST BOSTON
New Beacon Hill penthouse is stunning BY MARILYN JACKSON STAFF WRITER
A wide walkway along Fort Point Channel near the John Moakley U.S. Courthouse is part of the 39-mile HarborWalk. COURTESY PHOTO / THE BOSTON HARBOR ASSOCIATION
Making Boston more walkable is possible BY CINDY BAILEN CORRESPONDENT
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EG Properties and Design is a Bostonbased husband-and-wife development team that finds unique sites and builds or redevelops them as distinctive condominiums or single-family homes, employing impeccable craftsmanship and using the highest quality of materials and finishes. The latest project of Peter and Elizabeth Georgantas is on Beacon Hill at 38 South Russell St., comprising five new condominiums, each with a different floor plan. The building was combined with an adjacent property at 4 Smith Court, close to the Museum of African American History. Embarc Studio of Boston is the architect. The property, previously owned by the museum, had been vacant for more than 10 years. “It was a total gut renovation,” said Peter Georgantas. Continued on page 10
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hat makes a city walkable? And what makes people want to walk? That is the topic to which urbanist and Brookline resident Jeff Speck has dedicated a good part of his professional career. The author of “Walkable City” discussed the science of walkability as it relates to Boston at an event last week attended by city and business leaders, transportation planners, real estate brokers, lenders, non-profits and interested members of the public. Speck joked that to make progress toward a more walkable Boston, we need to get rid of Storrow Drive. He recalled the sign that used to say, “If you lived here, you’d be home by now,” countering, “If you don’t live here, you’ve never walked here.” He spent the rest of his March 24th talk at the Mandarin Oriental, sponsored by LINK, the Listing Information Network, describing more practical ways to get Boston Continued on page 21
A brand new penthouse duplex at 38 South Russell St. on Beacon Hill adds a high level of luxury to the neighborhood. It has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and a private roof deck and is listed at $2,950,000. COURTESY PHOTO / ELEVIN STUDIOS
Dorchester home has amazing interior BY MARILYN JACKSON STAFF WRITER
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The Queen Anne/Romanesque Revival house at 35 Melville Ave. in Dorchester has four bedrooms and two baths and is listed at $899,000. It is one of four expansive homes on Melville Avenue designed by Arthur H. Vinal. COURTESY PHOTO / GIBSON SOTHEBY’S INTERNATIONAL REALTY
L U X U R Y R E N TA L S — PA G E S 5 4 - 5 5
lose to Wellesley Park in Dorchester just north of Codman Square is a majestic single-family home at 35 Melville Ave., designed by Arthur H. Vinal and built for himself and his family. Vinal was the city architect from 1884 to 1887, and his works include the original waterworks building at the Chestnut Hill Reservoir and the Richardsonian Romanesque firehouse at 941 Boylston St. in Back Bay. But any restraint he exhibited in his municipal designs was cast aside in his spacious Queen Anne/Romanesque Revival home, which Lee Robinson and Don Benoit of Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty are listing at $899,000. This regal house with a slate roof was built in 1882 on a slight rise at the corner of Allston Street and is among several elegant homes in the neighborhood that historian Douglass Shand-Tucci describes as “one of the most sumptuous ensembles in the city of late 19th century street-car suburb Continued on page 46
W A L K A B L E B O S T O N — PA G E 2 1
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BOSTON HOMES: THE COMPLETE GUIDE • www.linkbostonhomes.com
Week of April 2 - 8, 2016
New Beacon Hill penthouse duplex has fine finishes Continued from page 1
Richard Hollander of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is marketing these outstanding residences, all of which will be ready for occupancy in early summer. However, one of the penthouse duplexes, Unit 5, has been completed, staged and put on the market. This 2,315-square-foot home has three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths, plus a private roof deck. It is listed at $2,950,000. This is the largest of the five homes. Unit 4, another penthouse duplex, also has three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths and a private roof deck. It has 1,580 square feet of living space. Units 1 and 2 also are duplexes. Unit 1 has two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths within 1,460 square feet of space, and Unit 2 has one bedroom, one-and-a-half baths and 1,075 square feet. Unit 3 is a 1,385-square-foot floor-through with two bedrooms and twoand-a-half baths. Prices have not yet been set for these condos. Unit 5 is accessed from Smith Court, and a beautiful staircase with white oak treads and a contemporary wrought iron railing capped with white oak ascends to this home. At the top of the stairs on the fourth level is a convenient powder room, enclosed by a pocket door. The sink and the Toto toilet are wall-mounted. Outside the half bath is a linen closet. The condo is shaped like an inverted T, and the foyer proceeds to a more-than-30-footlong open dining/living room with eight win-
The gourmet kitchen includes Caesarstone quartz countertops, high-end appliances and custom-designed cabinetry. A good-sized deck is off the kitchen.
dows just on one side of the building. This space culminates with a raised gas ribbon fireplace set into a floor-to-ceiling striated Neolith slab. The home is wired for surround sound. Addressing the complexity of the project, Elizabeth Georgantas said they wanted to take advantage of the great ceiling height and the abundance of windows. It was a challenge dealing with a T-shaped property and combining two buildings, she said. “We didn’t want [this development] to feel like some of the more traditional, smaller, topof-the-hill Beacon Hill units. “We wanted to capture the airy feeling with all the windows and light.”
The third bedroom on the top floor has been outfitted as a home office or study.
The dining area flows into the living room with a stunning gas ribbon fireplace and also is open to the chef’s kitchen. COURTESY PHOTOS / ELEVIN STUDIOS
She was the one who selected the materials for these homes, and the soft, soothing palette indeed is light and bright, further enhanced by the 1 ½-inch-wide white oak flooring and white walls. The open gourmet kitchen is angled off the dining area. The high-end Bosch and Thermador appliances are built against two walls, which feature glossy white wall cabinets. The wall oven is built underneath the gas cooktop, and the refrigerator is paneled with the same dark grain facing as the floor cabinets. Grohe faucets are used throughout the home. The center island with seating for four comprises Caesarstone quartz with waterfall sid-
The second bedroom has a high ceiling enjoys abundant light from windows on the east and west sides of the room. It has a view of Smith Court.
ing. Three distinctive pendant lights are suspended above. Adjacent to the window is a glass door that opens onto a balcony. The staircase continues to the upper level, which holds three bedrooms, two baths and a laundry. Closest to the stairs is the smallest bedroom, which has been staged as a study/home office. Next to it is the master bedroom suite. A walk-through closet with floor-to-ceiling closets and a luxurious master bath lead to the master bedroom, which has two good-sized windows. The bath boasts double sinks in a floating vanity and an oversized shower with frameless glass doors hung like barn door sliders. A hall bath next the master bath includes a wall-mounted sink and toilet and a combination tub/shower surrounded by large ceramic tiles. This space also holds the laundry with a stacked Electrolux washer/dryer. The adjoining guest bedroom features a single window with a deep sill and a view of Smith Court to Joy Street. To access the spacious private roof deck, a wide spiral staircase ascends to a copper-clad head house. From this perch, which has water, electric and gas service, the Downtown skyscrapers and the Old West Church steeple are visible. This condo also includes a heated bonus/storage room on the ground floor that has been finished and could be used as a workshop or an exercise room or a media room.
D E T A I L S Address: 38 South Russell St., Unit 5, Beacon Hill
REVERE REVERE REVERE ST ST REVERE REVERE REVEREST ST ST ST
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Features of building: Totally gutted and renovated four-story brick building, combined with a
Website: www.coldwellbankerhomes.com
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Taxes and condo fee: To be determined
Email: Richard.Hollander@ nemoves.com
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Price: $2,950,000
Contact: Richard Hollander, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, 84 Chestnut St., Boston, MA 02108. Phone: 617-416-1546 (cell).
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Age: Circa late-1800s; 20152016
Features of unit: Stunning contemporary duplex with open floor plan; high ceilings, gas fireplace; chef’s kitchen with high-end appliances and quartz countertops; energy-efficient recessed Lutron lighting system; wired for surround sound; high-velocity central air conditioning and forced hot air system; Nest Pro thermostat system and Navien tankless high-
Close by: Restaurants, antique and specialty shops and art galleries along Charles Street and environs; restaurants and shops in the Back Bay; Massachusetts General Hospital, Government Center, the State House, Boston Common and the Public Garden, Hatch Shell and Esplanade, the Freedom Trail, the Black Heritage Trail; easy access to MBTA stations at Charles Street and Park Street and, by car, to Storrow
Drive, Routes 90 and 93.
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Size: 2,315 square feet
efficiency hot water heater; inunit laundry; private roof deck with water, gas and electric service; heated bonus room.
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BR/BA: Three bedrooms, twoand-a-half baths
rear building, to create five distinctive condos with different floor plans; new rubber membrane roof with new copper flashing; thermal pane doublehung windows.
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This property may be seen by appointment.
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