Boston's Back Bay condo is totally renovated

A spacious two-bedroom, two-bath condominium in an exquisite building that was once the Charlesgate Hotel is on the market.

Rebecca Davis Tulman of Hammond Residential Real Estate has listed Unit 3, an unusual garden apartment, at $650,000. Its history is interesting.

J. Pickering Putnam applied for a building permit May 28, 1891, to construct an apartment hotel owned by himself and others at the corner of Beacon Street and Charlesgate East to be called the Charlesgate Hotel. He also designed the building.

Putnam was a noted Boston architect who, after graduating from Harvard, had studied architecture in Paris and in Berlin. He designed his own home at 277 Dartmouth St. in 1878.

In 1889 when G.M. Barnes applied to build his Barnes Mansion at the other end of the same block on Charlesgate East, he described it as being near the new park.

A red accent wall in the dining area adds drama to the open floor plan.

The new park that he mentioned was Charlesgate.

It is the center of Fredrick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace and the jewel that connected the Commonwealth Avenue Mall, the Charles River Esplanade and the Back Bay Fens.

A bonus of living at the Charlesgate Hotel was the views of stone bridges over the Muddy River and the beautiful trees that decorated the park.

Susan and Mark Southworth in “The AlA Guide to Boston” say that the Charlesgate Hotel was still fashionable in the 1920s when other apartment hotels had lost their desirability. 

By the 1950s the hotel had become a dormitory for Boston University and by the 1990s, for Emerson College. 

In 1996 a plan was submitted to change the Charlesgate Hotel at 4 Charlesgate East and Barnes’ Mansion at 10 Charlesgate East to apartments. Work began in the spring of 1997.

Unit 3 at the Charlesgate was first sold as a condominium Dec. 16, 1998.

The exterior of the building is wonderful. The main entrance is at 4 Charlesgate East. The first floor of the building is rusticated stone.

Oriel bays on the Charlesgate side are covered with copper decorated with art nouveau-type vines and flowers.  

The kitchen features natural wood cabinetry, white appliances and granite counters.

The Southworths describe the entrance as “finely carved Romanesque arch reminiscent of Lewis Sullivan.”

Inside, the floors are mosaic tile. The walls of the hallway and lobby are lined with patterned tiles with scenes such as rowing on the Charles.

Unit 3 is on the lower level of the building. The unit was renovated in 2005, with new red oak hardwood flooring, new bedroom carpeting, new recessed lighting and a new pass-through and breakfast bar between the kitchen and the den. 

Inside, the windows high on the west-facing walls let in an amazing amount of light since there are no buildings, but only a park with wide paths across from them.

The views from the windows are of the trees in Charlesgate Park. To add interest, the Bowker Overpass, built in 1951, can be seen above the park.

A generous entry foyer is inside the front door. Off it to the left are a coat closet and a full bath with white tile and a tub/shower combination.

Straight ahead across the foyer from the front door are the dining room to the left and the living room to the right.

To the right is a hallway that leads past a large bedroom.

A family room has been created next to the kitchen, where there is a pass-through.

Next to the bedroom is a large storage closet followed by the living room. The bedroom has two windows facing the park and a large closet with built-ins.

The living room has a bank of four high windows. The master bedroom through a door at the far corner of the living room has a bank of four windows as well and also a decorative fireplace surrounded by a paneled and mirrored mantelpiece.

Both the regular closet and the walk-in closet have built-ins. At the end of a hallway are a washer and dryer closet with Maytag appliances on the left and an en suite full bath on the right.

The den can be reached from the dining room or the master bedroom. It is used as an office and a television room. The pass-through to the kitchen has a granite breakfast bar.

The kitchen features natural wood cabinets and granite countertops. The range, refrigerator/freezer, dishwasher, and microwave range hood are Maytag or Frigidaire. 

The master bedroom with a bank of four windows has a decorative fireplace.

Beside the kitchen is a wonderful double closet pantry with various sizes of shelves and cubicles. 

There are three zones of central heat and air conditioning. The heat is included in the condo fee. In addition, there is a regular storage room with individual units; a bicycle storage room is down the hall.

The common areas of the complex include a huge terrace or courtyard off the first floor and a large roof deck with many of the most desirable views of Boston. The Hancock and Prudential towers can be seen, but so can the Christian Science Church dome and the golden State House dome.

And the views of the Charles River are expansive. Looking toward Harvard, rowers can be seen practicing their craft, and turning toward MIT, the white sails of sailboats are a reminder of the remarkableness of the city.

The present owners sometimes take the elevator to the roof deck to enjoy their meals al fresco.

Built in 1891, 4 Charlesgate East was originally an elegant apartment hotel called the Charlesgate Hotel.

They also enjoy the landscaped terrace that is near their two rented parking spaces.  

DETAILS

Address: 4 Charlesgate East, Unit 3, Back Bay

BR/BA: Two bedrooms, two baths

Size: 1,562 +/- square feet

Age: 1891; 1998; 2005 

Price: $650,000

Taxes: $7,655 (FY 2011 with residential exemption)

Condo fee: $484 per month (includes heat and hot water)

Features of the building: Gorgeous eight-story elevator building that was once a premier apartment hotel; 56 units; roof deck with magnificent views, large terrace with pots of flowers and shrubs, professionally managed, pet-friendly.

Features of the unit: Excellent open plan layout, large rooms, high ceilings; chef’s kitchen with huge pantry; beautiful red oak hardwood flooring; en suite master bath; laundry closet, in-unit storage room as well as separate storage; three zones of heat and air conditioning. 

Close by: Back Bay restaurants and shops, Fenway Park, Back Bay Fens, Charles River Esplanade; colleges, medical facilities; easy access to Storrow Drive, Memorial Drive, Routes 90 and 93. 

Contact: Rebecca Davis Tulman, Hammond Residential Real Estate, 75 Charles St., Boston, MA 02114. Phones: 617-904-2000 (office) or 617-510-5050 (cell).

Website: www.hammondre.com

An open house will be held at this property Sunday, Oct. 30, from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.