Charlestown penthouse overlooks Monument Square

In 1794 the local Masons erected a Tuscan pillar to honor their distinguished member, Joseph Warren, who was killed in the Battle of Bunker Hill.

That led to the formation of the Bunker Hill Monument Association whose mission was to have a larger monument designed for the site so that the Battle of Bunker Hill would be remembered.

The light-filled living room features a raised gas fireplace surrounded by granite.

That group bought the crest of the hill where the monument would be placed and divided the land around the site into house lots. 

Homes built on those lots were required to be at least three stories high but not more than four and set back at least 10 feet from Monument Square Street.

From the time the first home was built in 1848, Monument Square was the place for prominent people of Charlestown to live.

George B. Neal, a graduate of Harvard and Harvard Law School, built his home at One Monument Square about 1850.

Neal was senior warden of St John’s Episcopal Church, director of two banks and an insurance company and an organizer of the Charlestown Gas Company.

European-style cabinetry is good looking and offers plenty of storage.

His very substantial home, located at the corner of Monument Square and Winthrop Street, served in recent years as the rectory of St Mary’s Church in Charlestown.

Developer Brian Gilchrest whose work includes the Four Seasons and Millennium Place and architect Jack French who designed 44 Prince St. are both Charlestown residents. They, along with the Metric Corporation and the Garden Continuum, converted One Monument Square into four magnificent condominiums. 

Work was completed in 2004, and three of the units, including unit D, were sold to Charlestown residents even before the work was complete.

Nancy Soisson of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Charlestown has just listed Unit D at One Monument Square at $2.19 million. The spectacular luxury penthouse has 2,123 +/- square feet of living space, including three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, windows on three sides, magnificent views, direct elevator access to one floor and two garage parking spaces.

A wrought iron fence encloses the grounds of the property, and a gate opens to the front walk on Monument Square. On the Winthrop Street side, the gate at the driveway and the garage door are both opened with a remote control. 

The decorative stone driveway is heated to remove snow so even this winter it is ice-free. 

The penthouse features a beautiful kitchen with granite counters and high-end appliances.

Within the fence the landscaping provides year-round interest with crabapples, Japanese holly, hybrid dogwood, dwarf Korean lilac and winterberry.

There are six parking spaces in the garage, all assigned. The garage is on the garden level and the front door on the first floor. The elevator runs from the garage to the roof deck but requires a key in order to stop on a specific level. The roof deck is divided so that each unit has its own section with water, gas, and electricity.

When the attractive elevator stops at the penthouse, the door opens to the foyer of Unit D.

The front door for those who take the stairs is across from the elevator door; a coat closet is to the right, and the living area is to the left.

Brazilian cherry hardwood gives a beautiful base for the entire home. In the living room a wide gas fireplace surrounded by granite is atop cabinets paneled with frosted glass.

On each side of the fireplace, niches with glass shelving give spots for books and art and allow room for a flat screen wall-mounted television.  

 A dining area has been arranged between the open kitchen and the living room. The glass table
creates a sense of airiness.

The five large windows in a wide bay in the outside wall give natural light from three directions.

The view from these windows is breathtaking. Brick row houses, a long-time symbol of Boston, are in the near view. The Zakim Bridge, a recent Boston icon, is in the center. Behind both is the skyline of Boston from the Financial District to the Back Bay and Beacon Hill. 

The view is amazing in the daytime and magnificent when the lights come on at night.

Just past the living room is the dining area. A contemporary fixture with short pendant lights hanging from an S-shaped base is above the dining table. On the inside wall, a built- in buffet features frosted glass-paneled storage cabinets at the top, storage drawers on each side of the bottom, and a center bottom refrigerator under the granite countertop.

The kitchen fills the end of the great room. The European type cabinets are paneled in frosted glass. The countertops are of granite. 

Appliances include a Sub-Zero refrigerator paneled to match the cabinets, a Wolf five- burner gas cooktop, double Thermador ovens and a Fisher & Paykel dishwasher. The two sinks have Grohe fixtures and the granite-topped island has dining spots. 

Views from the four kitchen windows include Boston and the activity on Monument Square and High Street.

A small study is off the kitchen. Its window gives a close-up view of the Bunker Hill Monument.

The master bedroom is in a wing of the building so that there are windows on three sides.  

The snow-covered rooftops of Charlestown offer a different perspective of the panoramic view.

The gas fireplace there has an oak mantelpiece thought to be original. There are two other bedrooms, two-and-a-half marble and glass baths, and a Miele-equipped laundry room. All of the windows have wooden blinds. There is surround sound throughout, an alarm system, and a video intercom system.

DETAILS

Address: One Monument Square, Unit D, Charlestown

BR/BA: Three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths

Size: 2,123 +/- square feet

Age: Circa 1850; 2004

Price: $2.19 million

Taxes: $16,378 (includes residential exemption)

Condo fee: $875 per month

Features of the building: Four luxury condominiums in an 1850 brick and granite building that was completely gutted and refitted with new wiring and plumbing; beautifully landscaped; garden level garage; first floor main entrance; direct key access elevator; roof deck.

Features of the unit: Amazing views, gas fireplaces in living room and master bedroom; glass and marble baths; top brand chef’s kitchen and laundry room; one floor living, direct access elevator, front and back staircases.

Close by: Bunker Hill Monument, Charlestown Navy Yard, marinas, shops and restaurants of Charlestown and the North End, TD Garden, the Rose Kennedy Greenway; easy access to MBTA bus and subway lines, Routes 93 and 90 and the harbor tunnels.

Contact: Nancy Soisson, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, 2 Thompson Square, Boston, MA 02129. Phones: 617-242-0025 (office) or 617-710-8637 (cell).

Website: www.NewEnglandMoves.com

This home may be seen by appointment.