Jamaica Plain home is exquisite
Moss Hill has been called the executive section of Jamaica Plain. Once an orchard, it was subdivided into house lots in the late 1800s. In November 1909 Dr. Mark Richardson applied for a permit to build a home at 116 Moss Hill Road. The final report on the completed home was filed July 16, 1910.
Constance Cervone and Janet Deegan have listed this home at $1.685 million through the Previews Fine Homes division of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage.
Its location is excellent, near the crest of the hill and almost equidistant from the centers of Jamaica Pond, Arnold Arboretum and Larz Anderson Park in Brookline.
There have been only four owners of the home; two of them were doctors, which attests to the fact of its convenient proximity to some of the best medical facilities in the world.
Since the home was built, the owners have continued to keep it up-to-date and well maintained. A stand-alone one-car garage was added in 1922 and was expanded for two cars in 1948.
In 2003 a permit was gained to replace the roof with a 40-year roof, and two years ago both the kitchen wing and the master bedroom wing were updated.
Stonewalls, hedges and mature shrubs give privacy to the yard and produce a sense of a rural retreat near the heart of the city.
A large, beautiful dogwood tree is located between the home and the street, and a mature hydrangea is still in bloom at the base of the veranda stairs.
Built in 1910, this home set on a beautifully landscaped lot is like a retreat.
The side of the home at the living room faces the street. A brick path leads the way to the front door, which is under a covered portico.
Inside is a wonderful foyer. At the first level a coat closet is on one side and a power room on the other. Up a few steps is the large entry hall with the living room to the right, the library straight ahead, and the dining room to the left.
Just before the living room is a magnificent staircase that curves up and over the foyer to reach the second floor.
The oversize living room is splendid. Large eight-over-eight windows line three walls.
A long window seat beckons to the windows on the left overlooking the veranda.
The large living room fireplace with its faux marble mantelpiece with inlaid mirrors above it is the focal point of this room.
An architectural alcove frames the windows on the right.
Straight ahead is the fireplace, surrounded by a faux marble mantelpiece with inlaid mirrors above the fireplace.
Large matching windows provide light on either side of the fireplace but are far enough away to give the fireplace the attention that it deserves. French type doors hide the four bookcases in the corners of the room.
The ceiling is marvelous, with painted beams that add richness to the room. The room is large but with such excellent proportions that it produces a feeling of warmth and comfort.
French doors open to a cozy room between the living room and dining room that also has a fireplace. In the far wall a glass-paneled door with similar size sidelights produces almost a wall of glass. This door leads to the broad covered veranda that runs the full length of that side of the home.
The dining room is large and elegant enough for any type of entertaining.
It is adorned with ceiling molding, wall molding and a beautiful fireplace.
Opposite it is a white stone-lined alcove for plants with three large windows at the back and a narrow window at each end.
The elegant dining room has a beautiful fireplace and is enhanced by ceiling and wall moldings.
In another wall two glass-paneled doors a few feet apart open to the veranda and enable an easy flow for entertaining.
The kitchen features spacious pickled pine cabinets and beautiful granite countertops. The stainless steel appliances include a Bosch dishwasher, a LG French door refrigerator with bottom freezer, a Thermador wall oven, a Thermador microwave, a Bosch five-burner gas cooktop, and a KitchenAid trash compactor. There is a Franke sink.
At the far side of the kitchen is a large sitting area. A gas fireplace was added when the kitchen was remodeled two years ago.
A door leads from the sitting area to the back staircase hallway. The staircase reaches every floor of the home. A door opposite the staircase opens to the front foyer.
Up the grand stairway are the master suite wing on the left, a study straight ahead and two other bedrooms and a bath to the right. The master bedroom is grand and enhanced by a fireplace.
The master dressing room with six closets and a dressing table leads to the new marble bath and then the private master sitting room with a fireplace.
A fireplace and a large dressing room are all part of the master bedroom suite, which occupies an entire wing of the home.
From there are the laundry room, the back stairs hallway and then the main hallway.
The study has a fireplace and French doors to an exterior balcony. The bedrooms are charming, with a corner fireplace in each.
On the third floor are a large bedroom with a fireplace and two desks built into the eaves, another bedroom or playroom, a full bath, a walk-in cedar closet and a walk-in storage room.
The partially finished basement is a walkout, with full size windows at the end beneath the kitchen.
The home has insulated windows and storm windows, forced air gas heat, two zones of central air conditioning, and a security system.
DETAILS
Address: 116 Moss Hill Road, Jamaica Plain
BR/BA: Five bedrooms, three-and-a-half baths
Age: 1910; recent updates
Price: $1.685 million
Size: 4,822 +/- square feet
Land: 14,415 square feet
Taxes: $ 9,749 (FY 2009 with residential exemption)
Features of home: A gracious stucco home with the elegance that marked the turn from the 19th to the 20th century, restored and maintained for the best in 21st century living.
Close by: Jamaica Pond, Arnold Arboretum, Lars Anderson Park, fine schools, top medical facilities, bike paths, walking trails, shops and restaurants of Jamaica Plain and of Brookline; easy access to MBTA buses, the Jamaicaway, Routes 203 and 9.
Contact: Constance Cervone or Janet Deegan, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, 713 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, MA 02130. Phones: 617-522-4600 (office), 617-796-8607 (Cervone) or 617-796-8601 (Deegan).
Web sites: www.NewEnglandMoves.com or www.JamaicaPlainRealEstate.com.
An open house will be held at this property Sunday, Oct. 18, from 3 to 4:30 p.m.
