Elegant Charlestown triplex overlooks Bunker Hill Monument

Every house has a story, and the mansion at 19 Monument Square in Charlestown is no exception.

Built in 1862, the three-story Italianate-style row house was one of three (Nos. 19, 20 and 21) constructed by John B. Wilson, a master builder, who also built on speculation Nos. 17 and 18 Monument Square that same year.

Charlestown history says that the lot for No. 19 had been purchased at auction in 1839 by a William Appleton, but extensive grading around the Bunker Hill Monument, completed in 1843, delayed home construction.

Records show that William H. Kent owned the property after the auction. He served as mayor of Charlestown in 1870 and 1871, and during his tenure the Charlestown City Hall was built.

By the 1880s, Isaac Sweetser, president of the F. and M. Insurance Company, owned the home and built two others on the square. One was rental.

Fast forward to the late 1940s. By then, two sisters had acquired 19 Monument Square, which by then was a lodging house. (Helen Sherkanowski Rush and Mary Sherkanowski also owned another rooming house on the square.)

Helen Rush sold 19 Monument Square in 1963, and its uses evolved from a 12-person rooming house to a single apartment with nine lodging rooms and then to a three-family. In 1986 it was converted to condominiums.

One of those condominiums, Unit A, is a magnificent triplex, and Frank Celeste of Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty’s Charlestown office has listed it at $1.275 million.

It is absolutely stunning, and the renovations have been meticulous to reflect its original grandeur.

The entry comprises a set of doors with glass insets and a transom, and inside the hallway is the entrance to Unit A.

The home has a side hall plan, as it did originally, and the staircase to the upper floor of Unit A was reassembled so that it could be part of the interior.

The cozy family room has a wood-burning stove and two sets of doors that open onto a private patio, where a fountain gurgles.

Deep crown molding that surrounds the living room was replicated around the staircase. The ceiling height is 14 feet, and the two front windows with shutters measure nearly 7 1/2 feet tall. They offer views of the Bunker Hill Monument.

The flooring here is oak, and a carved white marble fireplace, which is decorative, features an ornamental grate.

Beneath the staircase is an alcove for sitting and shelving to display art objects.

At the top of the stairs is a gracious guest room with a carved marble fireplace and tall windows with views of the monument.

The gleaming floor is a dark honey pine.

The kitchen features granite counters, stainless steel appliances and white painted wood cabinets.

Off the bedroom, which is directly above the entry hall, is a study with quarter sawn oak paneled wainscoting. The three windows of the oriel give views of the monument.

In the main room are two closet doors opposite two windows. One closet holds the toilet; the other has a white wooden vanity with two drawers and a black oval porcelain washbowl. There is built-in shelving here too.

Back downstairs, off the living room, is a spacious master bedroom suite, which was the other half of a double parlor in its original construction. The decorative fireplace here is identical to the one in the living room.

Wall-to-wall carpeting covers the floor, but a cutout between the windows reveals an oak parquet floor with a mahogany inlay.

The master bath is spacious. It has a pedestal sink between a glass-enclosed shower and the toilet and window. Up two steps is a dressing room with two closets with mirrored doors and more shelving.

Between the living room and bedroom suite is a wide set of stairs that descends to the family room, kitchen and dining room.

A sitting room or home office is located off a guest bedroom suite on the uppermost floor.

This area is filled with light, as two sets of double doors with nearly floor-to-ceiling glass comprise the rear wall of this home. Beyond is a private patio enclosed by a fence and a gate to a two deeded parking spots.

The family room features a wood-burning stove set in front of a brick wall, and opposite are arches of exposed brick that separate the family room from the long, narrow kitchen and dining room.

The kitchen has mottled brown granite counters, and high-end stainless steel appliances, including a Frigidaire professional five-burner range and KitchenAid dishwasher.

The dining room is at the base of the stairs. It has a beautiful maple floor that came from the basketball court at the Charlestown YMCA, when it was torn down.

(An unusually curved door was retrieved from the octagonal building in the Navy Yard when that structure was renovated, according to the owner.)

The guest bedroom on the top level of the triplex has a marble fireplace with a coal grate and an adjacent ventilator.

Two coal chutes at the front of the house now serve as huge storage rooms, and one holds the gas furnace. Next to these doors is a large full bath with a shower. This room also has a side-by-side Fisher & Paykel washer and dryer.

Next to the bath is a big L-shaped closet that wraps under the staircase.

To describe this residence as a jewel is not an exaggeration, and the story of how the Sherkanowski sisters acquired the building is recounted in a book that Helen wrote in 1952, “Rooms to Let.” Her sister had asked her to buy her the finest pair of diamond earrings she could find; instead, Helen came home with a lease for the rooming house.

The book, along with a worn, painted sign that reads: “19 the Fairmont Guests,” will be included in the sale.

DETAILS

Address: 19 Monument Square, Unit A, Charlestown

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

Size: 2,058 square feet

Age:1862; 1986; recent updates

Price: $1.275 million

Condo fee: $245 per month

Taxes: $13,713

Features of building: Four-unit brick Italianate rowhouse with oriel and mansard roof with dormers; double entry door with glass insets and large transom; bracketed cornice.

Features of home: Triplex with abundant original and replicated architectural details; three marble mantelpieces and a wood-burning stove; chef’s kitchen with granite counters and stainless steel appliances; laundry room; large walkout patio; deeded parking for two cars.

Close by: Steps from the Bunker Hill Monument and the Training Field, where Revolutionary War soldiers trained for the Battle of Bunker (Breed’s) Hill; Freedom Trail, USS Constitution; neighborhood restaurants and North End; 15-minute walk to MBTA Orange Line (Bunker Hill Community College stop), bus routes to downtown Boston; easy access to Route 93.

Contact: Frank Celeste, Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty, One Thompson Square, Boston, MA 02129. Phones: 617-242-4222 (office) or 617-872-3227 (cell).

Websites: www.frankceleste.com or www.sothebysrealty.com.

This property may be seen by appointment.