1856 wooden South End home features amazing garden rooms

Wooden clapboard houses, some built in the 1600s, are loved throughout New England. Although many wooden houses are in Boston, only two are in the South End. One of those was built by John and Rebecca Sargent in 1856. 

Set on a lovely, quiet street near the middle of all of the best of the South End, it is charming, unique and feels worlds away from the cares of the city. 

It is on Taylor Street, which runs from Milford to Dwight Street. It shares the south side of the street with an inviting park that encompasses the last five house lots there. A cast iron fence encloses the trees and gardens.

Fulani Butler and Barbara Cowley of Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty have listed this wooden clapboard single- family home at 8 Taylor St. and adjacent lot at $2.198 million.

It has a living room, a dining room, an eat-in chef’s kitchen, two-plus bedrooms, a half bath and two full baths, a study or family room, a den, a solarium, three outdoor garden rooms and two deeded off -street parking spaces.

The narrow side of the home is nearest the street. Four steps lead from a brick sidewalk to the recessed entry on the left side.

On the right side a cast iron fence encloses the flower-filled front garden.

A walkway leads along the side of the house on the left. On the right, the front garden stretches beyond the house.

Behind the garden, a privacy fence starts at the house and goes to the delightful park next door, where it turns to continue and to surround the entire lot.

The light-filled living room has a bay window that looks out to the gardens and a wood-burning stove set into a brick column.

A wide privacy gate opens to allow cars onto the brick-paved two-car parking space.

In the home, a brick column delineates the living room from the dining room, allowing light to pour in through windows on all four sides. Mellow wide pine floors and narrow crown molding add an air of graciousness. 

A traditional five-arm chandelier above the dining table appears to be of pewter and adds to the charming ambience. One bay window is in the living room section and another in the dining room.

Each of the bays has an eight-over-eight window in the center and four-over-four windows on each side that frame the gardens and the park next door.

Two additional windows in the front wall of the living room give views of the handsome brick town homes across Taylor Street.

The dining room is sunny and is open to both the living room and eat-in kitchen.

Double doors at the back of the dining room open to the eat-in kitchen, which have attractive cork tiles covering the floor. They are comfortable to stand on and easier on glassware that may be dropped. The custom marble-topped cabinets, some paneled with glass, are white with pewter-like hardware. 

Stainless steel appliances include a dishwasher, a compactor, a microwave, a vent hood and a gas range.

The Sub-Zero refrigerator/freezer is paneled to match the cabinets. A three-window bay that gives views of the gardens creates a perfect spot for a breakfast table. Various pantries provide abundant storage. A half bath is off the kitchen.

Upstairs in the master bedroom, a wall of closets have built-ins that make a chest of drawers an option rather than a necessity.

The five large windows give views of the beautiful brick row houses across the street and of the park next door. 

The kitchen is outfitted with abundant cabinetry, marble counters and stainless steel appliances. The flooring is cork.

A second bedroom has garden views from three large windows. The hallway between them has a window and a storage closet.

The bath is huge. It has a wall of storage, a Jacuzzi soaking tub with a marble surround, a walk-in, glass-enclosed marble shower and still more than enough room for a sitting area. It also has a skylight and radiant heat in the white tile floor.

The garden level of the home has flooring of beautiful terra cotta Mexican tiles. There is a family room or study, plus a den with elegant built-in bookcases, cabinets and drawers fitted for files.

Also on this level are a full bath, a laundry room, a cedar closet and a brick-floored solarium, an enchanting three-season room off the study.

An outdoor room outside the solarium is paved with cobblestones that once lined a Boston street. A tree ensures that the garden beds there are shaded.

This outdoor patio paved with bluestone is one of the enjoyable amenities of this home.

The next garden room is paved with bluestone. The sunny garden beds are raised, held in place by a foot-high brick wall. 

The azaleas have gone by, but the Perris Japonica is in full bloom. The Euonymus promises beautiful fall color and a holly, winter berries. A Japanese maple adds interest.

The third garden room, five steps up from the bluestone room, is paved in brick. A pale yellow-flowered rhododendron is in bloom now, and a hydrangea should provide blooms throughout the summer. The gardens are made lush by ferns and hostas.

The lot with the house and the shade garden is 8 Taylor St. The parking area, the sunny garden and the brick-floored garden are on the lot at 10 Taylor St. The list price includes both properties.

The home has central air conditioning and five zones of hot water baseboard heat.

The garden level boasts beautiful terra cotta Mexican floor tiles and elegant built-in bookcases and cabinets that serve both the home office and family room.

It was completely renovated in 1974, and the present owners, who have lived there for 30 years, have lovingly made updates and improvements throughout those years.

DETAILS

Address: 8-10 Taylor St., the South End

BR/BA: Two-plus bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths 

Size: 2,003 +/- square feet

Age: 1856; 1974; recent updates 

Price: $2.198 million

Taxes: $12,127

Features of the home: Enchanting single family-home on charming street with formal living and dining rooms, large eat-in chef’s kitchen; master bedroom with wall of custom closets; huge bath with Jacuzzi soaking tub, glass-enclosed walk-in marble shower; wide hard pine flooring on upper floors, terra cotta Mexican tile flooring on garden level; many built-ins for extra storage; cedar closet; solarium/greenhouse with brick floor; three outdoor rooms with varied flooring made private with solid fencing; a variety of landscaping for year-round color; two off-street parking spaces.

Close by: The Boston Center for the Arts and many fine art galleries, shops and restaurants; easy access to MBTA Silver Line, Routes 93 and 90. 

Contact: Fulani Butler or Barbara Cowley, Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty, 556 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02118. Phones: 617-426-6900 (office), 617-270-6078 (Butler cell) or 617-413-7777 (Cowley cell).

Websites: www.8taylor.com, www.gibsonsothebysrealty.com or http://youtu.be/k_N9GesD1Ys

An open house will be held Sunday, June 5, from noon to 1:30 p.m.