New condos in South End are 'green'
It is said that Appleton Street and nearby Warren, Chandler, Lawrence, and Gray streets were named for well-known Beacon Hill families.
The homes on these South End streets are smaller versions of the Beacon Hill houses and were built by and for the craftsmen who worked on Beacon Hill.
The Appleton who lived on Beacon Hill was Nathan Appleton whose daughter Frances Elizabeth married Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.
Longfellow was a professor at Harvard at the time and was renting rooms in a Cambridge home on Brattle Street.
Appleton bought the Brattle Street home and presented it to the newlyweds as a wedding gift. Longfellow lived the rest of his life in that house.
Forty-two Appleton is about halfway between Berkeley and Clarendon streets amid brick row houses on a tree-lined street with gaslights. The street looks probably much like it did in the late 1800s when it was first developed.
Built as a single-family home circa 1890, 42 Appleton was changed to apartments in the early 1900s. Early this year the house was gutted and rebuilt as three condominiums.
P.T. Vineburgh of Charlesgate Realty Group is marketing the new condos.
Unit 1, the street- and garden-level unit, includes two bedrooms and two baths on the street level and a living room, dining area, professional kitchen, laundry room, a half bath and storage rooms.
The living room of Unit 1 features a gas fireplace and glass doors that open onto a private patio.
Listed at $879,000, it also has a huge, fenced blue stone patio.
The front door shared by the three units is only a few steps up from the sidewalk. Double front doors open to a foyer with flooring of squares of black and white marble. Unit 1 is through the door on the right. To the left a staircase leads to the other two units.
Inside Unit 1 a coat closet is near the door. At the front of the building is the guest bedroom, which has lovely views of the street from the bay windows. The large closet in the room has built-ins for even more space.
The room next to the guest room is a charming full bath, tiled in white with deep blue accents. The sink is a white vessel and has a European-style faucet.
The master bedroom is at the end of a hall.
It has a double closet as well as a deep walk-in closet, both with built-in storage.
A dining area has been created between the living room and kitchen in Unit 1.
The two windows in this room look out over the beautiful gardens that flourish behind the townhouses on Gray and Appleton streets.
The en suite master bath is a spa-like with a whirlpool deep soaking tub. The separate shower has a floor of Japanese river stones, a hand-held shower and a rain forest showerhead built into the ceiling. It has separate jets that can be angled in various directions. The undermounted sink has a stone surround.
A staircase off the hall and between the two bedrooms descends to the living area. A stainless steel and wire rope balustrade with light wooden handrails gives a feeling of openness to the stairs. A turn at the bottom ends just across from the breakfast bar of the kitchen.
The kitchen was planned for someone who loves to cook. Both the KitchenAid refrigerator/freezer and dishwasher have cherry panels that match the custom cabinetry.
The stainless steel KitchenAid range has six gas burners and an oversize oven and the range hood is vented to the outside.
A stainless steel and wire rope balustrade with light wooden handrails gives a feeling of openness to the stairs.
Above the range is pot filler that conveniently unfolds to fill pots with water on the stove.
The countertops are made of ice stone, which, like the bamboo flooring, is a green, environmentally friendly product. The backsplash is made of glass tiles in subtle shades that compliment the cabinets.
Shelving at the end of the kitchen is actually a hidden door to a large storage area. Balancing that door is a second area that looks like a built-in hutch, but which opens to another storage area. Windows to the outside are above both of these doors.
Between the kitchen and the staircase is an appealing half bath with a furniture-style vanity topped by a vessel basin. Above it is a matching mirror.
Off the half bath is a laundry room with full size Bosch laundry equipment. Another storage room is beyond the laundry room.
The chef’s kitchen boasts cherry cabinetry and top-of-the-line appliances. Above the gas range is a pot filler.
A breakfast bar separates the kitchen from the dining area. The bar is high enough to hide the work being done in the kitchen but low enough for the cook to join the conversation. Attractive pendant lights above the bar complement the recessed lighting that brightens all other parts of this level.
The living room is at the opposite end. It has a gas fireplace with a black surround set into a white wall. The opposite wall is of exposed brick. Surround sound speakers are placed throughout this level and there is even an iPod dock. Oblong custom lighting in three heights that rise as the staircase ascends is built into the stairwall. Four glass doors fill the end of the living room, providing views of the beautiful bluestone terrace.
A high privacy fence surrounds the terrace and creates an outdoor room. On three sides narrow strips of earth were left where perennials are growing.
Unit 2 is a one-bedroom flat with an elegantly appointed bath, a large living room with a gas fireplace and a U-shaped kitchen with similar amenities. The stainless steel appliances are from the Frigidaire professional series. This condo is offered at $449,000.
The penthouse duplex, which also has a roof deck, is under agreement. It was listed at $980,000.
DETAILS
Address: 42 Appleton St., South End
Unit 1: Two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths, 1,303 square feet, $879,900. Condo fee: $212 per month.
Unit 2: One bedroom, one bath, 624 square feet, $449,000. Condo fee: $175 per month
Age: 1890; 2009
Taxes: To be determined
Features of the building: Completely renovated brick and granite row house with three attractive condominiums; central air conditioning and gas heat; pet-friendly.
Features of units: Chef’s kitchens, ice stone counters stainless steel appliances; gas fireplace; in-unit laundry; abundant storage, much natural light
Close by: South End and Back Bay restaurants and galleries, Boston Center for the Arts, the Theater District, Copley Place; MBTA bus lines, Back Bay MBTA and Amtrak Station, easy access to Routes 90 and 93.
Contact: P.T. Vineburgh, Charlesgate Realty Group. 867 Boylston Street, Third Floor, Boston, MA 02116. Phones: 617-587-0100 (office) or 617-921-9060 (cell). Web sites: www.charlesgaterealty.com or 23neighborhoods.com
An open house will be held at Unit 1 from 11 a.m. to noon and at Unit 2 from noon to 1 p.m. Sunday, July 19.
