Cabot Estate unit promises tranquil views
A splendid home on an old estate near Jamaica Pond. Frann Bilus of Otis & Ahearn is marketing it. The list price is $1,225,000.
Driving along Perkins Street near Jamaica Pond there is a sign marking the location of the Cabot Estate.
Beautiful trees and shrubs line that section of Perkins and the driveway that runs off the street curves, so that from Perkins there is little to indicate what is there.
Just past the first curve in the driveway is a guardhouse and only those who have business there can go further.
In 1866, Quincy Adams Shaw bought the hill at the north end of Jamaica Pond and built a grand Victorian manor house at the top of the hill where there were beautiful views of the pond.
Shaw and his wife, Polleen, lived in the home for the next 50 years and witnessed the work as Fredrick Law Olmsted turned some of the land around them into part of the Emerald Necklace.
In 1921, the Cabot Paint family member Samuel Cabot and his wife, Nancy Graves Cabot, bought the property.
They renovated the Victorian home, adding beautifully carved wooden molding and paneling and stained glass windows. They also replaced the exterior of the home with the stones from a castle in England.
In 1968, Pasquale Franchi bought the Cabot estate, which includes 23 acres of land. Franchi placed a Conservation Restriction on the perimeter of the property so that it will remain natural, scenic, green and undeveloped.
Inside that perimeter he built four phases of condominiums. The first phase was completed in 1976. The last phase was in 1987. He saved the Cabot’s castle, and it is now used as a clubhouse for the entire complex of 158 units.
The gatehouse is manned 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Once inside, down the drive on the right is a seven-story mid-rise brick building that contains 19 units. D302 is one of those units.
The garage and the lobby are in the first level. Two tandem parking spaces in the garage belong to the unit.
The lobby is large and tastefully decorated with sofas and tables. Large windows in one wall provide natural light and views of the landscaping. Between the lobby and the garage is an indoor garden with skylights high above and a path winding past a fountain.
The elevator has one wall of glass so that the garden can be enjoyed while moving to other floors.
Unit D302 is a duplex with the main entrance on the third floor.
Inside, a generous foyer with two coat closets seems even larger since the view straight ahead is through a wall of windows in the family room and the view to the left is through a wall of windows in the living room.
Built-in bookcases line the 32-foot wall on one side of the living room.
Just before the end of the wall is a working, wood burning fireplace surrounded by paneling.
Hardwood flooring in a parquet pattern adorns this room as well as the dining room, the kitchen and the family room. Adjustable recessed lighting dots the white ceilings throughout the home.
The end of the living room has a wall of glass that gives beautiful views of the grass and trees of the landscape and Jamaica Pond beyond. Because the building is set into a hill, the glass doors between the living room and the dining room open to a ground level private patio.
The dining room, large enough for a table for twelve or more, has a beautiful hanging light in soft colors of stained glass. Windows on two sides give more lovely views, and the fireplace in the living room can be enjoyed from the dining room.
White is the dominant color in the kitchen. A double sink and a KitchenAid dishwasher are under an expansive window on one side.
A Thermador cooktop with six cooking surfaces and two Thermador wall ovens are on the other.
Many of the cabinets have built-ins for added storage.
Beyond the oversize refrigerator/- freezer is a recess just the right size for a breakfast table and chairs.
The 16-by-17-foot family room provides ample space to enjoy large screen television viewing yet cozy enough to sit and read a book.
A balcony is through the glass doors in the glass wall. Down the hall are a powder room, a storage room, and the master bedroom suite.
The large master bedroom has plush carpeting. Doors on each side at the far end of the room lead to an expansive dressing room that has one wall lined with closets.
Some of the closets have built-in storage. A fold-down ironing board is hidden in a thin cabinet on another wall and shelving for shoes and sweaters and a floor-to-ceiling mirror on yet another.
The master bath can be reached from the dressing room or the bedroom. It has a whirlpool soaking tub and a separate shower. Two vanities have two separate basins.
Stairs opposite the master bedroom lead to the second level downstairs. That level has three additional bedrooms, two full baths, a laundry room, and three large storage rooms.
Some of the rooms have wide plantation shutters on the windows. A door on the lower level opens across from the elevator in the common hallway.
A path from the patio leads to the complex’s castle clubhouse where a beautiful library is stocked with books, a kitchen allows entertainment for up to 50 people, an exercise room has a variety of equipment, and a billiards room and a meeting room are available.
The complex also has two tennis courts, a swimming pool, and hiking trails through the grounds. Book clubs and movie clubs are available for the owners, and the association has wine and cheese parties throughout the year.
DETAILS
Address: 241 Perkins St., D302, Jamaica Plain
BR/BA: Four bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths
Age: 1982
Price: $1.225 million
Size: 3,366+/- square feet
Taxes: $8,112 (with residential exemption)
Condo fee: $1,905 per month includes on-site management, 24-hour security, tennis courts, swimming pool, elevator, elegant club facility, road maintenance, landscaping, exercise room, walking/jogging trails, snow removal, extra storage room, water, sewer, master insurance, exterior maintenance, refuse removal.
Features of the building: Part of a gated community with lush landscaping, hiking trails, tennis courts, swimming pool, and a castle for a clubhouse containing an exercise room, a billiards room, and an elegant library with books. Building has a spacious well-appointed lobby, first floor mailboxes, powder room off lobby, first floor atrium with indoor garden and fountain, first floor parking garage, first floor individual extra storage rooms. Elevator with glass wall. Building is pet friendly.
Features of the unit: Spacious rooms, large windows with beautiful views, both a balcony and a patio, built-in bookcases. hardwood floors, fireplace, both a dining room and an eat-in kitchen. A master suite with a huge dressing room. Much storage space, large laundry room, beautiful views of the grounds and of Jamaica Pond. A short path to the castle clubhouse, A duplex with entrances on both the second and third floors of the building. Two tandem garage parking spaces. Three zones of central heating and cooling with a programmable thermostat.
Close by: Fishing and boating on, and hiking path around Jamaica Pond. Shopping and restaurants in Jamaica Plain, Brookline, and Boston, golf courses, medical facilities, public transportation.
Contact: Frann Bilus, Otis & Ahearn Inc. Real Estate, 200 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02116. Phones: 617-267-3500 (office), 617-796-8756 (voice mail) or 617-759-4828 (cell). Web site: www.OtisAhearn.com
This property may be seen by appointment.
