Charlestown home has contemporary features

Charlestown’s Training Field was set aside in the 1640s as a place for the colonial militia to train. It is located in Winthrop Square, bordered by Adams, Winthrop and Common streets, which was named for John Winthrop, the first governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony.

Charlestown residents gathered here to send off their soldiers for the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812 and the Civil War. In 1872, a beautiful Soldiers and Sailors Monument was dedicated there; it was restored in 2008. 

Today the Training Field is also called Charlestown’s living room, where fairs, movie nights and doll carriage parades are held and the chief marshal’s reviewing stand is set up for the Bunker Hill Day parade. Terry Phelps who grew up on Adams Street has published a charming book about growing up on the square. 

The homes and buildings around Winthrop Square were destroyed in 1775, either during the Battle of Bunker Hill or when the British set fire to the town as they left at the end of the battle.

Just down the street from the Training Field, Daniel Leeman bought two vacant house lots from Barnabas Barker and Aaron Putnam in 1798 and 1799, according to the Boston Landmarks Commission, and built two double Federal homes at Nos. 12 and 14.

The wood-burning fireplace in the living room has a black marble hearth and black and tan-grained marble mantelpiece that is original to the home.

The homes were sold together several times during the years. One family owned them for 76 years and sold them together in 1924.

It is not clear when they went to separate owners, and there is no indication in the home today that there was ever a door that allowed passage between the homes.

Nancy Roth of Hammond Residential Real Estate is marketing 14 Putnam St. The home was lovingly renovated in 1996 when exterior trim and siding were removed and replaced with siding more correct for the period.

At the same time a back deck was added, the foundation was repaired, and new electricity, plumbing, kitchen, Thermopane windows, and three-and-a-half bathrooms were added. More recently, the bathrooms and kitchen were updated. The nine-room, 2,485-square-foot home is listed for $1.15 million.

The exterior of the home has two windows and a side entry on the first floor, three windows on the second floor, and a double dormer topped by a pediment on the third floor. 

The first and second floor windows are six-over-six.

The dining room has a 10-over-10 window next to the door to the kitchen, honey pine flooring and crown molding.

Two steps up from the sidewalk, the recessed entry has both sidelights and a transom window around the front door. An unusual feature is a passageway, like a street-level tunnel, that runs from the front sidewalk to the back yard between and through 12 and 14 Putnam. 

It is a very useful idea for attached homes since it allows access to the back yards of both homes without having to walk around the block.

Inside the home is a beautiful blend of historic features and modern conveniences. The stunning mellow wide heart pine floors are restored to their original luster.

The entry hall has a coat closet, a staircase to the second floor a door under the stairs that opens to the stairs to the full basement, a door near the front to the living room and a door near the back to the dining room.

The wood-burning fireplace in the living room has a black marble hearth and a black marble tan-grained original mantelpiece.

Two large windows overlook Putnam Street. A wide doorway lies between the living room and the dining room.

The chef’s kitchen features high-end stainless steel appliances and granite counters.

The dining room has a pantry-type closet and a half bath with a pedestal sink off the side near the kitchen. The large back window features 10-over-10 panes.

The kitchen is wonderful. It is open to the family room, so the nine large windows in the two rooms fill that space and the dining room beyond with glorious natural light.

Mottled granite countertops set off the white custom cabinets. The stainless steel appliances include a GE Profile microwave, a KitchenAid side-by-side refrigerator/freezer, a Jenn-Air gas range with top burners and a Bosch dishwasher, each carefully chosen for its role.

A granite-covered peninsula separates the kitchen from the family room that overlooks the fence-enclosed back yard.

In the back yard a patio of large blue stone squares is lined with granite cobblestones. 

The garden beds that surround the patio hold hydrangea, holly and rhododendron among other things.

Standouts in the display are a peeling birch with seven trunks and two dogwood trees.

The master bedroom is on the second floor and features an en suite marble and granite master bath.

The privacy fence has a gate that opens to the passageway to the front sidewalk.

The second floor holds a front bedroom with a gas fireplace, a front nursery that is being used as an office, a full marble bath, a laundry closet with GE appliances, another bedroom with a back-facing window and a huge master bedroom.

The master bedroom includes an en suite marble and granite master bath, a double closet with built-ins, a second closet and a spacious back deck with views of the Leonard Zakim Bunker Hill Bridge and the Back Bay.

The third floor has two bedrooms with walk-in closets and a full bath.

The home has one zone of central air conditioning and three zones of baseboard hot water heat. There is a separate deed to a parking space in the nearby lot.

DETAILS

Address: 14 Putnam St., Charlestown 

BR/BA: Five bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths 

Size: 2,485 +/- square feet

Age: Circa 1814; 1996; recent updates

Price: $1.15 million

Taxes: $8,284 (FY 2011 with residential exemption)

Features of the home: Rare early 19th century double Federal-style housing with an unusual tunnel; beautifully renovated and restored; original marble mantelpieces at the two fireplaces, one wood-burning and one gas; gorgeous granite and stainless steel chef’s kitchen; master bedroom with en suite bath; private deck off master bedroom; full basement; back garden and patio with mature plantings; deeded parking space.

Close by: Training Field/Winthrop Square; Bunker Hill Monument and museum; Charlestown Navy Yard; popular restaurants and shops of Charlestown, the North End, TD Garden; easy access to Downtown by waterfront taxi, MBTA buses and trains. 

Contact: Nancy Roth, Hammond Residential Real Estate, 105 Main St., Charlestown, MA 02129. Phones: 617-337-9000 (office) or 617-337-9010 (cell).

Websites: www.14putnam.com or www.hammondre.com

This property may be seen by appointment.