Ashmont Hill home turned into condos
High on Ashmont Hill in Dorchester is a beautiful Queen Anne Shingle-style home built in the late 1880s for David Frank Hartford, an owner of Hartford Bros., a manufacturer of boot and shoe machinery in Boston.
In 1888 architect Edwin J. Lewis Jr. added the sweeping porches to this handsome home, according to Douglass Shand-Tucci, author of “Ashmont: An Historical Guide to Peabody Square, Carruth’s Hill and Ashmont Hill.”
Today, this Dorchester property at 52 Alban St., which includes a spacious carriage house, has been converted to three exquisite condominiums.
In recent years, however, it had served as a nursing home and later as a communal residence for the Twelve Tribes, a religious group, and had been slated to become a shelter and transition house for at-risk women. Those plans never materialized, and two years ago a developer bought the expansive house on the 10,500-square-foot landscaped lot for its new transformation.
The main house has been divided into two triplexes, while the carriage house is a stand-alone building with two levels of living space. All have finished basements that could be used as a recreation room. Bill Dellea of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is marketing these residences, priced between $599,000 and $639,000.
Of the three dwellings, Unit 2 possesses original architectural details, and it is this condo, offered at $639,000, which has the sweeping wraparound porch. Double glass doors open into a grand living room, which has been completely opened up to create two conversation areas.
To the right is a four-window bay that looks out to the street, and there is a leaded glass window on the side wall.
Opposite is a gas fireplace with a marble surround and a lovely quarter-sawn oak mantelpiece with carved columns topped with pineapples, a symbol of welcome.
The living room in Unit 2 has a large four-window bay and a smaller window with leaded glass.
The overmantel features a recessed window, rather than a mirror.
To the right are a coat closet and an open staircase with a carved balustrade. The handsome newel post has been painted white, but the rail is natural wood. The living room flows toward a formal dining area and open kitchen. The dining room is filled with natural light from glass doors that open onto the porch and a three-window bay.
The kitchen is contemporary. The gray cabinets are sleek, furnished with polished nickel hardware; six of the cabinets have frosted glass fronts and interior lighting. Top-of-the-line appliances include a five-burner Italia Bertazzoni gas range, a Fisher & Paykel refrigerator and a Bosch dishwasher. A pendant light hangs above the deep sink, and a window above the sink offers a view of the brick courtyard and carriage house.
A half bath with a pedestal sink and a beadboard wainscot is next to the kitchen, and beside it is a laundry room with hookups for a stacked washer/dryer.
Hardwood floors tie the main rooms together, which have 9 ½-foot-high ceilings, and in the dining room, the floor is accented with mahogany inlay that is original to the home. Recessed lighting is abundant.
At the top of the second floor are a hall and a full bath, tiled with round glass pieces that are also used as trim between the 12- by 24-inch tiles and two bedrooms. The front room has a fireplace with a marble surround and a wood mantel and mirrored overmantel. The other bedroom is long and has a sitting area that looks over the courtyard.
The top floor has been outfitted as a master bedroom suite that is completely open.
A bed is at the front of this space, overlooking the street, and a Starck Duravit soaking tub beneath two skylights is at the other end of the room.
The master bath in Unit 2 is sumptuous and includes a Philippe Starck-designed Duravit soaking tub, set beneath two skylights, and a marble-topped vanity.
A marble vanity with two rectangular undermount sinks is against one wall, which holds two large, adjustable mirrors. An oversized shower and a water closet are on the other side of the room.Unit 1, listed at $599,000, was created on the other side of this manor house and boasts contemporary features.
It has a separate entrance, a glass door with a long sidelight, beneath a covered porch, and opens into a large living room, which has a raised gas fireplace with a black marble face.
A staircase is parallel to the front of the living room, and a full marble-tiled bath with a tub/shower is next to the stairs.
The kitchen workspace here is L-shaped, rather than the U-shape in Unit 2, but features the same Carrara marble counters, cabinetry and stainless steel appliances. The kitchen itself is big and flows into a large dining area, where there are two glass doors – one that opens to a large private deck and the other to a rear porch and stairs to the courtyard. Off the kitchen is a large laundry room with washer/dryer hookups and storage space.
On the second level are three bedrooms. A full bath with a shower is next to the stairs, and the two front bedrooms have two exposures. The third bedroom is the master suite with two large closets and an en suite bath with a shower. On the third level is another room with a vaulted ceiling and three exposures, which could be a fourth bedroom or a home office. A glass door opens out to a fire escape.
The carriage house, listed at $629,000, has been completely restored and offers a unique floor plan. A recessed double glass door is on the left side of the building, which has saw-tooth shingle accents, and steps into the kitchen, which has a textured tile floor. Here the counters are a pretty white quartz composite with a backsplash of glass circle tiles. Appliances include an Electrolux refrigerator with an icemaker, a Fisher & Paykel dishwasher and Bertazzoni gas range and stainless steel hood.
A grand room measuring more than 25- by 25-feet serves as the living/dining room, dominated by a gas fireplace and the original wide carriage doors. Eight-over-eight windows flood the room with natural light, and double glass doors open onto a large private deck. Also on this level is a full bath with a shower tiled with pebblestone and subway tiles and a Toto pedestal sink.
The second floor has three bedrooms and a full bath with a combination shower/tub. The vaulted ceilings soar to 10 ½ feet on this level, and in addition to multi-paned windows, skylights draw more sunshine into the bedrooms and bath. And, like the other two condos, the basement has been finished for a media room. In addition, this unit has a cedar closet.
Each of these condos reflects quality workmanship and awaits new owners who would appreciate modern-day amenities in a grand 19th century home. The neighborhood association describes Ashmont Hill as “the way city living should be.”
DETAILS
Address: 52 Alban St., Ashmont Hill, Dorchester
Unit 1: Three bedrooms, three baths, 1,924 square feet, $599,000
Unit 2: Three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, 1,902 square feet, $639,000
Unit 3: Three bedrooms, two baths, 1,691 square feet, $629,000
Lot: 10,500 square feet
Taxes and condo fees: To be determined
Features of units: Completely revamped main house and carriage house with gas fireplaces, gourmet kitchens and luxurious baths; laundry hookups and finished basements in each unit; central air conditioning.
Close by: Peabody Square, Ashmont MBTA Red Line station, two branch libraries, Dorchester Park, designed by Frederick Law Olmsted; easy access to Route 93.
Contact: William Dellea, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, 633 Tremont St., Boston, MA 02118. Phones: 617-424-6244 (office) or 617-641-8233 (cell). Web site: www.NEMoves.com
