New South Boston condos have link to history

Developer Frank Mulligan has completed three new condominiums in a former three-family brick home at 436 East Fifth St. in South Boston, which Tia Zaferakis of Jack Conway Company is marketing.

Each has a beautiful chef’s kitchen, hardwood maple floors, central air conditioning and wide crown molding. Prices range from $479,000 to $519,000.

The property itself has an interesting history. Perkins School for the Blind opened in 1832 just after its first headmaster, Dr. Samuel Gridley Howe, returned from a trip to Europe where he studied the education of the blind.

The school quickly outgrew three locations, one of which was given by trustee Thomas Perkins for whom the school is named. 

Two were near downtown Boston. A third site was in Cohasset, which was used for a short time. However, it was determined that the children needed to be in a more urban setting where there were sidewalks and enrichment opportunities such as nearby musical performances.

In 1839 a hotel on Dorchester Heights between G and H streets in South Boston was bought with funds from the sale of the building that Perkins had donated. Perkins School for the Blind remained in South Boston for the next 73 years. 

Charles Dickens visited the South Boston school and included the visit in his book, “American Notes.”

Helen Keller’s parents read that book and learned of the possibility of educating their daughter, and as a result, the South Boston campus of the Perkins School is where both Anne Sullivan and Helen Keller studied.

The kitchens in all three units are alike and boast sable cabinetry, stainless steel appliances and composite counters.

The Perkins School was on Broadway between G and H streets. The school built several brick three-family homes along Fifth Street between G and H streets, perhaps to house the students in more family sized groupings. The buildings were in blocks of two, each for three families.

Application to build 436 and 438 Fifth St. was made Feb. 27, 1896. The front doors are side by side on the flat section where a shared center wall separates the homes, and each home has an angled front bay that runs from the basement to the roof.

There are definite advantages to changing a three-family home to three condominiums. The layout is planned from the very beginning so that stairways, doors and living areas make the best use of space.

A foyer inside the front door of the property holds the door to Unit 1 and the stairway to the other units.

The living room in Units 2 and 3 features a gas fireplace set into a wall of tile.

One flight up, the door to Unit 2 is in the hallway that runs beside the staircase, and one floor above that the stairs end at a landing outside the door to Unit 3. The stairs are covered with tightly woven Berber carpeting that deadens sound. The staircase walls are decorated by stained wainscoting on the bottom half and white walls above.

The maple hardwood floors in each unit give a feeling of light and airiness to each of them, and large thermal windows give copious light to the units.

The light fixtures are like those seen in home decorating magazines. Zaferakis says that the developer is always about three years ahead of the pack.

The tiles and decorative features in these units are products that she has not seen in South Boston before, but, from past experience, she expects to see them being used in new units in the future.

The master bedroom in Unit 1 is slightly smaller than the other two units because of the common foyer.

It is at the front and includes the front bay as in the other units.

The master bedroom in Unit 1 looks out onto East Fifth Street and has sliding closet doors of reflective glass.

The surprising thing is that the room is so high above the sidewalk that those walking by are not at eye level with the windows.

The master bath has a soaking tub/shower combination with a glass shower enclosure. The second bath has a corner glass-enclosed shower.

The master closet has built-ins and reflective glass sliding doors. There is an extra closet off the living room and a closet under the stairway. An advantage to Unit 1 is that the owner has the use of the large back yard, which is beautifully manicured and fenced.

Unit 2 also has the reflective glass on the sliding doors of the master closet with built-ins. Like Unit 1 it has a laundry room beside the bedroom hallway. Unit 2 has a second bath with a shower as well.

Both Units 2 and Unit 3 have a large rectangular gas fireplace set in a wall of tile in the living room. (Unit 1 has a picture rail in the corresponding area.)

Units 2 and 3 feature rear mahogany decks with a fir rail.

The large deck outside the back door, like Unit 3, has a mahogany floor and a fir privacy wall.

Unit 3 has a walk-in closet in the master bedroom, which is enhanced by a long transom window that lets in light from the bathroom window. 

The windows in the master bedroom offer partial water views, and the buyer of this unit will have roof rights and completed plans for a roof deck. The laundry room for Unit 3 is in a room past the back staircase. 

All three units have back stairs and lockable storage rooms in the basement. All three units have custom sable kitchen cabinets, composite countertops and a peninsula work and breakfast bar beside a dining area. The stainless steel appliances include a gas range, a dishwasher and a side-by-side refrigerator/freezer. The striking range hood is stainless steel and glass. 

DETAILS

Address: 436 East Fifth St., South Boston

Unit 1: Two bedrooms and two baths, 1,115 square feet, $479,000

Unit 2: Two bedrooms and two baths, 1,103 square feet, $489,000

Unit 3: Two bedrooms and two baths, 1,115 square feet, $519,000

Age: 1897; /2010

Taxes and condo fees: To be determined

Features of building: Brick building constructed in the 1890s for Perkins School and converted to three condos; common first floor foyer, front stairwell, back stairwell, basement with lockable storage for each unit.

Features of the units: Maple hardwood floors, chef’s kitchens, latest designs in tile and fixtures, laundry rooms and outdoor space, either a yard or rear decks.

Close by: Shopping, restaurants, beach, historic Thomas Park and Dorchester Heights Monument; easy access to MBTA bus lines, Routes 90, 93 and the Harbor Tunnel.

Contact: Tia Zaferakis, Jack Conway Real Estate, 739 East Broadway, South Boston, MA 02127. Phones: 617-269-8310 (office) or 617-699-6268 (cell).

Websites: www.jackconway.com or www.tiazaferakis.com

An open house will be held at this property Sunday, Jan. 9, from 11:30 a.m. to 2:45 p.m.