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Elegant Charlestown home boasts Irish pub, gardens
A close to perfect house is on the market in Charlestown. Its grounds are nestled into the side of Bunker Hill, almost like a calm port that would be a haven in any storm. Mary Kay Donovan of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage has listed this home at 64 Walker St. at $1.6 million.
The home, a symmetrical Georgian style, has a central entrance with sidelights and is protected by a pedimented portico. The unusual fanlight above the front door that looks like a leaded glass work of art was imported from Dublin, Ireland.
At the right end of the home, an ell extends forward and holds a two-car garage with living space above it. Shrubs backed by privacy fencing enclose the space at the end of the ell.
Granite pavers that fill the area in front of the home and garage provide generous parking. A matching privacy fence and shrubs run along the parking area at the left of the home.
While the home looks like an antique, it is not. Approval was given to construct the two-family home June 23, 1998. The home was completed and an occupancy permit issued Oct. 1, 2001.
Although less than 10 years old, the home and grounds fit their site so well that they appear to have always been there.
The spacious entry hall spans the front of the house and leads to a door to the ell.
A brick sidewalk runs along the right side of the home to the gate to the back yard. There, to the right, are tiered gardens the width of the home, but the surprise is the long flat stretch of green lawn, garden islands and specimen trees that flow just as far to the left. Privacy fences, shrubs and a hillside surround that area.
A stone patio and a raised garden bed held by a stone retaining wall are just behind the house. Perennials and herbs grow at the top of the wall, and a lawn stretches behind them to another stone retaining wall and fountain.
Granite steps run from the patio to the upper lawn, and a brick walkway leads from there to a brick circular pool where water spills from a stone carved with a Celtic cross. Apple trees have been espaliered on the upper wall behind which tall evergreens provide even more privacy.
As lovely as the grounds are, the house is even more wonderful.
The spacious entry hall runs from the front door across the front of the house to a door at the start of the ell.
Through that door, the breakfast room is visible. Also off the entry hall are a coat closet, a lovely powder room and an elegant staircase.
Abundant cabinetry and workspace on the granite counters and center island makes this kitchen a delightful place to work.
Across from the front door and past the staircase, French doors allow a view of the magnificent living room. The cherry hardwood floors are a perfect complement to the crown molding. In the back, three floor-to-ceiling windows and a pair of French doors give views of the gardens.
The second exterior wall holds a fireplace with a classical white wooden mantelpiece. The fireplace is forward of the wall so that on either side of the fireplace there are large niches where window seats provide spaces for reading or enjoying the views outdoors.
The wall with the French doors to the entry hall also has a doorway to the study that is lined with bookcases and three large windows. Some of the bookcases have wiring for audiovisual equipment. The study can be closed off from the living room by a pair of refinished antique doors that were brought from New Hampshire.
The kitchen was planned for enjoyable cooking. On the interior wall, six sets of wall cabinets with double glass-paneled doors are above six floor cabinets with double solid doors.
The floor cabinets are topped by beautiful granite lit by under-cabinet lighting. The cabinets and granite continue on the next two walls where there are four large windows.
The living room features a fireplace flanked by window seats and a set of French doors that open onto a patio and landscaped grounds.
A granite-topped center island has seating for six or more. Three skylights are above the space between the island and the far exterior wall.
The appliances are all professional grade. There are two ovens, two dishwashers and a side-by-side Sub-Zero refrigerator all paneled to match the cabinets, and a six-burner gas cooktop set into island.
At the end of the kitchen near the ell, a breakfast room also has a wet bar with a wine cooler and built-in bookshelves and desk. Cabinets and granite surfaces match those in the kitchen.
The lower level has an amazing family room.
It is lined with bookcases and has a decorative fireplace surrounded by blue Chelsea tiles that were made between 1860 and 1875.
An incredible re-creation of an Irish pub with a full bar is also there. A half bath, a large workshop and storage rooms complete this level.
An Irish pub has been replicated in the family room on the lower level of this home.
The upper floors have four bedrooms, each of which is as large as an average master bedroom. Two have en suite baths and two share a bath. A laundry room is on the second floor.
Above the garage is a one-bedroom apartment with a full kitchen, full bath and a laundry room. It can be entered through an exterior door next to the garage or through a door in the second floor hallway of the main house. The home is a legal two-family, so the apartment could be used by guests or to provide rental income.
DETAILS
Address: 64 Walker St., Charlestown
BR/BA: Five bedrooms, four full baths, two half baths
Size: 6,886 +/- square feet
Age: 2001
Price: $1.6 million
Taxes: $ 5,863 (with residential exemption)
Features of home: A legal two-family home with a magnificent main house and a one-bedroom apartment with beautiful grounds; professional kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances; amazing family room that includes a re-created Irish pub with coffered ceiling, full bar, dishwasher and refrigerator.
Close by: Bunker Hill Monument and museums, shopping and restaurants of Charlestown, Charlestown Navy Yard and “Old Ironsides,” marinas, TD Garden, the North End, Rose Kennedy Greenway; easy access to MBTA bus and train service, Routes 93 and 9 and airport tunnels.
Contact: Mary Kay Donovan, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, 2 Thompson Square, Charlestown, MA 02129. Phones: 617-242-0025 (office) or 617-872-1314 (cell).
Website: www.NewEnglandMoves.com
This home may be seen by appointment.
