Charming Dorchester home includes important history
At 97 Sawyer Ave. in Dorchester’s Jones Hill neighborhood, a charming Victorian farmhouse, complete with white picket fence, front porch and pretty landscaped yard is on the market for $479,000.
Lee Robinson and Kerry Dowlin of Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty are the listing brokers.
In addition to its many physical attributes, the home comes with a history that is important both to Boston and to the country.
Designated a National Historic Landmark in 1976, the house was the residence of William Monroe Trotter, a renowned early 20th century civil rights activist, and his wife and partner, Geraldine Pindell Trotter.
In 1895, William Monroe Trotter graduated magna cum laude from Harvard, the first man of color to receive the Phi Beta Kappa key. Frustrated in his desire for a career in international banking, Trotter was the co-founder of The Guardian, an influential African-American newspaper, and his wife was, in every sense, his partner in that endeavor.
With W.E.B. Dubois, he was a charter member of the Niagara Movement, an organization that evolved into the NAACP. He was an outspoken critic of racial segregation in government and uncompromising in his demands for equal rights.
The Trotters moved into 97 Sawyer Ave. at the time of their marriage in 1899, and he lived there until his death in 1934.
His home is handsome, but modest, part of the delightful mix of architectural styles found in Jones Hill where huge Queen Anne homes live side-by-side with far less extravagant neighbors.
The freestanding clapboard house is just below the brow of a hill, and its elevation provides nice views of the neighborhood as well as unimpeded natural light in every room.
From the moment one arrives on the wide front porch, there is a sense of stepping back to an earlier, less hurried, time.
The focal pint of the living room is the fireplace with natural wood, a mirrored mantel and glazed tile hearth.
Inside, the home is simple and unadorned, a nice canvas for individual decorative touches throughout, including well-placed hand-painted decoration by John Derian.
On the first floor, natural woodwork and floors provide rich tones that complement the nice furnishings. The stair hall opens to a formal dining room, and a wide doorway allows the space to extend into the living room next door.
A wood-burning fireplace with a Victorian mirrored mantel and wonderful tile hearth is the focal point of the living room, which also features a shallow three-bay window. The room is bright and inviting.
On the way to the kitchen at the rear of the home, there are a butler’s pantry with a serving area, lots of open display shelving and original built-ins for storage.
The kitchen itself has a decided farmhouse feel.
A farmhouse sink and open shelving create an atmosphere of an earlier time. Modern appliances bring the room completely up to date.
White bead board wainscot and vertically striped wallpaper line the walls, and the counters, including the good-sized island, are made from wonderfully utilitarian butcher block. There is a huge, deep farmhouse sink, and the white appliances include a gas cooktop and oven.
In one corner of the room, there is plenty of room for a table and chairs. A door at the rear opens to the back yard, which is a real oasis – private, quiet, leafy and beautifully landscaped.
The second floor is, surprisingly, larger than one might imagine with three bedrooms, a home office and a full bath.
Each of the bedrooms is a nice size, and the one above the living room features the same shallow bay window, here with a nice cushion-topped window seat from which to look out onto the neighborhood. The claw foot tub in the bathroom contributes to the ambience of the home.
Once the attic, the entire third floor is now given over to a master suite, and it feels like a private retreat.
The bedroom is quite large, and the cathedral ceiling and white painted wood floor seem to make the space even larger.
A comfortable reading chair and a desk occupy two of the corners, and outside the bright room are treetops and sky.
Simple, clean lines and beautiful wood floors are found in the dining room.
This home has a full basement where there is a laundry, as well as the forced air oil heating system. Running alongside the building is a driveway with tandem off-street parking spaces.
With its rich history and abundant charm, the William Monroe Trotter house has much to recommend it.
DETAILS
Address: 97 Sawyer Ave., Jones Hill, Dorchester
BR/BA: Four bedrooms, two baths
Age: 1893
Price: $479,000
Size: 2,500 +/- square feet
Taxes: $3,390 (FY 2009)
Features of home: Charming free-standing Victorian farmhouse with modern amenities and abundant original detail, known as the William Monroe Trotter and Geraldine Pindell Trotter House, a National Historic Landmark and long-time home of acclaimed civil rights activist; nicely proportioned rooms with beautiful natural light; decorative painting by John Derian throughout; living room fireplace with original mirrored mantel and tile hearth; bright formal dining room; farmhouse-style kitchen and excellent pantry storage; three second floor bedrooms with shared bath; top floor master suite with treetop views; large front porch; professionally landscaped yard with picket fence; backyard with two pergolas; forced air heat by oil; two off-street parking spaces in driveway.
Close by: Uphams Corner and Savin Hill shopping; Strand Theater; University of Massachusetts/Boston; John F. Kennedy Library; Pope John Paul II Park and Neponset River Greenway; MBTA Savin Hill Red Line station; easy access to Route 93.
Contact: Lee Robinson or Kerry Dowlin, Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty, 119 Savin Hill Ave., Dorchester, MA 02125. Phones: 617-825-0800 (office), 617-875-0763 (Robinson) or 617-817-6602 (Dowlin).
Web site: www.gibsonsothebys.com
An open house will be held at this home from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11.
