Beacon Street duplex is grand
At this time of year, the Charles River side of Beacon Street between Berkeley and Clarendon Streets is part of the city’s winter wonderland known as the Back Bay with all the festive flavor of pine boughs arranged at handsome front doors and vintage street lamps lighting the early evening.
On this historic street of mansions and maisonettes, an elegant duplex is for sale at 168 Beacon St. Daniel Mullin and Jim Keough of Daniel A. Mullin & Associates have listed Unit 2 at $3.85 million.
There are three renovated homes inside this townhouse, built in 1861 for John L. Gardner. Unit 2 spreads over two floors, each served by a keyed elevator with direct access doors opening on both levels of the 2,674-square-foot condominium.
This certainly makes life easy. If you don’t want to climb the internal staircase to the two bedrooms and two baths on the second floor, you merely summon the lift and ascend.
The entry level at Unit 2 is a floor-through, with the handsome curved staircase, mahogany banisters and carved balusters rising up from the spacious foyer.
The living room is large enough for two commodious sitting areas, one around the fireplace and one near the end of the room where floor-to-ceiling windows flood the space with light. The Charles River is visible.
The details are stunning. The ceilings are 14 feet high while the crown moldings are gracefully imposing.
The living room, painted the color of crème brûlée does have modern appurtenances, such as the recessed lighting that illuminates the room. The wood floors are oak.
Custom built-in cabinets for books or whatever you want to hold flank the original fireplace, framed by pink granite with a wooden mantelpiece.
A carpeted stairway with a mahogany banister and graceful carved balustrades leads the way to the bedrooms upstairs.
Off this airy living room is a nook of a cozy study for reading, TV watching, working on the computer, or doing laundry in the secreted stackable Maytag washer and dryer. (While other brands may be snootier, reportedly Maytag still makes the sine qua non of clothes washing appliances.)
The small office is perfect as a hideaway, all the more so because there’s a full marble bath – the hidden gem attached to this room.
Across the spacious foyer where there are deep closets for storage and directly opposite the formal living room is the family room.
T
his large room, painted navy blue with rich white crown moldings, also has a fireplace and floor-to-ceiling windows.
The space could also be used as a media room or a formal dining room since access to the kitchen is a step away.
The kitchen is white with a muted yellow and white striped wall covering that lends a French provincial feel.
The kitchen is bright and white, with imposing crown molding, granite counters and stone floors.
At the far end of the room, a large window frames a compact dining table. The cabinets are wooden, with black wire pulls.
The appliances are all white – a Bosch dishwasher, double Thermador ovens and gas cooktop as well as a SubZero refrigerator with custom paneling. The floor is polished stone; the expansive counter is granite. This is a kitchen with all amenities and perfect for cooking a deux or for a crowd.
Up the carpeted stairs are two bedrooms, with en suite full baths. The guest room at the top of the stairs is very big but very cozy at the same time. There’s a double closet in this room, in case the guests stay awhile. Robin’s egg blue silk covers the walls.
The master bedroom next door is truly a retreat where one could comfortably hang out for awhile.
The room itself is quite large, with a fireplace and space for a sitting area in front of the hearth.
Recessed lighting does provide plenty of illumination while the floor-to-ceiling windows enhance the glow.
The master bedroom is large enough for a small sitting room, with bow windows looking out onto the street.
The four closets in this room will store enough clothing and shoes for royalty, with custom built-ins for various types of attire. For example, the shoe closet has floor-to-ceiling shelves and many hooks to hang bags and purses. Other custom closets accommodate sweaters, skirts, pants, whatever your pleasure.
The master bath is well suited to be the refreshing respite of such a glamorous master bedroom. There’s a marble spa bath, with Jacuzzi tub, glass shower, and toilet hidden away in a separate space behind a closed door for privacy.
Above and beyond the lovely architecture and the design of the two-bedroom, three-bath space, the distinction this home has to be its location, location, location. This is grand Back Bay – a sturdy, scenic, solid, romantic, storied, convenient urban neighborhood.
And, for city living, there are all the amenities. For example, the building is pet friendly, and you won’t have to look for great places to walk the dog because the best path is right along the Charles River. And there is plenty of parking with three spaces – two garage and one outdoor – that convey with the transfer of the unit.
DETAILS
Address: 168 Beacon St., Unit 2, Back Bay
Price: $3.85 million
Size: 2,674 square feet
Age: 1890; 1997
Taxes: $24,900 (FY 2009 with residential exemption)
Condo fee: $1,161 per month
Features of home: Spacious condominium in three-unit building; deep closets in foyer; fireplace and floor-to-ceiling bow windows in living room; cozy study with a full bath and laundry; family room with fireplace that could be a formal dining room or media room; gourmet kitchen painted white with yellow and white striped backsplash, granite counters, white cabinets, Miele, SubZero and Thermador appliances; upper level with two bedrooms and two baths; master bedroom suite with fireplace, four custom closets and spa-like bath with Jacuzzi, separate tub and water closet; heat is forced air; central air conditioning; pet-friendly.
Close by: Charles River Esplanade, Commonwealth Avenue Mall, Public Garden, Boson Common; Back Bay shops, restaurants, cultural attractions easy access to MBTA Green Line at Copley Square or Arlington Street and Orange Line, commuter rail and Amtrak at Back Bay MBTA station; easy access to Mass. Pike, Storrow Drive, Route 93.
Contact: Daniel Mullin or Jim Keough at Daniel A. Mullin & Associates, 73 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02116. 617-267-3300.
Web site: www.mullinrealestate.com
