A Federal Case

This delightful house is an 1812 overture at the opening of a magni cent cove.

BY COLIN W. SARGENT

Seventy-two Pepperrell

Road on Kittery Point wears its Chinese Chippendale belvedere (a.k.a. roof walk, widow’s walk, or captain’s walk) like a tiara.

Some say roof walks were built to look out for ships at sea. Others are sure they were built to put out res. Buckets of sand or water were at the ready up there so they could be poured down a smoking chimney.

In the 21st century, a captain’s walk is a great place to survey the top of the market.

First Impressions

Listed for $2.495M, this three-bedroom, fourbath home, white with snappy black shutters, hang over the surf on .11 acres directly facing ve islands and a lighthouse.

“ at’s Wood Island,” says listing agent Linda Briggs of Anne Erwin/Sotheby’s International Realty.

“Across the Piscataqua River is the New Castle Coast Guard Station,” near Strawbery Banke. “You can see New Hampshire from here!”

NEED TO BORROW A CUP OF SUGAR?

Since the early days of the merchant shipping industry, Kittery Point has been one of the most luxe enclaves in Maine. Within walking distance is the Lady Pepperrell House and Fort McClary State Historic Site (a few hundred feet away). ree houses up the road is the 17th-century waterfront estate that Daryl Hall

(of Hall & Oates) sumptuously restored (see “Preservation Hall,” July/August 2007).

“ e neighbors have very deep pockets. Jonathan and Jim from Stonewall Kitchen were just in here before you, taking a look at this property,” Briggs says. “I sold Daryl Hall his house. Back then he had a TV show about restoring landmarks [Daryl’s Restoration Overhaul on the Magnolia Channel]. He’s not so much into xing houses anymore. He’s moved on.”

View To A Thrill

At 72 Pepperrell, your backyard (beyond a bright white fence protecting an exquisite triangle of golfcourse green grass) is a grand sweep of water with the city of Portsmouth on the other side. From here, you can see the Isles of Shoals Steamship Company ferries coming into port from Star Island (“ ere’s one of them, the omas Laighton”). Also in view is everything from freighters to nuclear submarines slipping in to have a little work done at Portsmouth Naval Shipyard

Cozily Spacious

All the interiors are high-register cottage core, with charming touches. ere are two replaces, one traditional, one gas. Of course there’s a library (Atlantic Monthly editor and novelist William Dean Howells

Talking Walls

(1837–1920) lived a few blocks away, though, baby, he didn’t have this view!). Musical sunshine pours through the glassy rst oor; the former water-facing porch has been completely opened into the living spaces. You glide through the dining room with its wide-planked oors and into the kitchen.

e cottage decor continues with cobalt-blue counters accented by a deep hammered-copper sink and bright white cabinetry.

e foyer is accessed from a street-front portico with bull’s-eye glass panes (insert the clip-clop of horses passing by here).

Float up the Federal center staircase on a crescendo. e primary bedroom opens onto a pharaonic deck through a custom set of huge window doors in four sections so dreamy it makes you feel as though you’re on the prow of a cruise ship. Hello, Lovelies! e rest of the rooms on this oor are oor-to-ceiling Federal. Baths in this house are all en suite.

How could a place be more Cabot Cove than Cabot Cove?

Briggs points to a trendy, romantic ocean dining spot with a pier 200 feet upriver.

“ at’s Pepperrell Cove ere’s a bar (with crushed shells on the path, lobster rolls,” and espresso) where you can catch up with your neighbors.

at’s how. You don’t even have to cook.

Who could part with this paradise?

“ e seller is downsizing. She’s 88.”

“Where does she spend the rest of the year?”

“She lives here year-round.”

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And she’s obviously no wall ower. Far from being dated, most of the interior is crisply contemporary and ready for family fun right now. is is one sweet dwelling. e third- oor bedroom is the kind your grandchild would rush up into to disappear. From there, a pull-down staircase takes you to the very top. Up here, it’s like ying.

If your clan is the elegant sort who wants to seem like you’ve been up here forever, 72 Pepperrell Road’s kiss should de nitely be on your list. Already planning to join the yacht club here? Don’t get ahead of yourself. n Taxes for 2023 are $15,196.

Experience New England life in the historic Puddle Dock neighborhood.

Tour historic houses on original sites, meet engaging costumed roleplayers, watch traditional crafts demonstrations, and explore historical gardens and landscapes. Open daily from May 1-October 31.

Featured 2023 Exhibit:

Portsmouth Possessions: Objects that Shaped the City

In celebration of the City of Portsmouth NH's 400th anniversary, Strawbery Banke presents a new exhibit. Items featured include objects in the book "Portsmouth NH in 101 Objects," furniture, textiles, portraits, samplers, and objects relating to the local industries. Open daily from June 1-October 31.

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