Old Jamaica Plain school boasts lofty penthouses

A beautiful brick building that was once the Wyman School in Jamaica Plain now contains 13 luxury condominiums. They and the nine units next door on Forbes Street form the Forbes & Wyman School House Condominiums. 

David Hindle and Scott Johnson of William Raveis Real Estate are marketing the last two units, Nos. 3D and 3E, at 11 Wyman St.

Each penthouse triplex has two bedrooms, two full baths, a mezzanine, a chef’s kitchen with top appliances, two parking spaces and two large decks. No. 3D with 1,973 +/- square feet of living space is listed at $659,000, and No. 3E, with 2,184 +/- square feet, is offered at $689,000.

The school house between Wyman and Forbes streets was completed May 20, 1892, and named the Wyman School. It served well, mainly as an elementary school, until 1974 when a new school building was completed across Wyman Street.

After a two-year search for a new use of the building, the city’s zoning board of appeals gave permission Jan. 18, 1977, to change the building to a clinic, the Language and Cognitive Development Center of Boston.

The center, known for its work with autistic children, outgrew the space and relocated in the early 2000s.

Built in 1892, the Wyman School at 11 Wyman St. in Jamaica Plain has been converted to 13 loft-style condominiums.

In 2004 a developer bought the property and built three new buildings, each containing three townhouses, at 24, 26, and 28 Forbes St.

After they were sold, work began at the school house to create 13 condos – four each on the garden and parlor levels and five on the floor above.

The first unit was offered for sale Jan. 1, 2009. Now only two remain, including the developer’s own unit that has been released.

The predominant feel in the homes is of light. The windows are huge, and there are many of them. The second sense is of space.

The ceilings are high, 16 feet in some rooms, and the units are loft-like. 

Early on, Hindle bought one of the penthouses for himself.

The well-equipped kitchen is tucked beneath the mezzanine, allowing for lots of open space in the living room of No. 3D.

He said his father was worried about his heating such a large area, but his heat has only cost about $150 in even the coldest months.

He said that the units are so well built and that the units, including the windows and doors, are so well insulated heating and cooling are not a problem.

Unit 3D is in the northwest corner of the building. The front door opens to an entry. Stairs are to the left, then a coat closet, a door to the kitchen and finally the living room. 

The wall straight ahead and the wall on the right in the living room are lined with the giant windows.

Half way along the wall on the left is the kitchen, divided from the living room by a breakfast bar. Top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances include a Fisher & Paykel refrigerator/freezer, a Bosch dishwasher, a Viking gas range and a Viking combination microwave and convection oven.

A hallway off the living room at the far end leads to a full Travertine marble bath and a bedroom. A laundry closet is off the bathroom.

Up the flight of stairs by the front door is the mezzanine, which is open to the living room below but separated by a railing of stainless steel and glass. The large space would work well as a study or media room. 

A deck wraps around the master bedroom of No. 3D, and a spiral staircase at the left rises to another roof deck.

The next flight leads to the master bedroom with an en suite Travertine marble bath that has both a soaking tub and a separate shower. The bedroom has large windows on two sides that give views of the roof deck that flanks these windows. An exterior door in the bedroom leads to the deck.  

A spiral staircase on that roof deck leads to the roof deck atop the bedroom. From there are beautiful views of the Boston skyline. Another door in the bedroom goes to the third floor, shared hallway.

Unit 3E is in the southwest corner of the building. Inside, a door across from the entry leads to a bedroom. A hallway from there passes a full bath and a laundry and ends at an enormous living room with huge windows on two sides. 

A staircase with a steel and glass railing leads to the mezzanine. At the west end, the room expands to fill the space taken by the entry and bath at the other end.

Off that space is the kitchen, equipped with the Viking, Fisher & Paykel and Bosch appliances, white painted custom cabinets and black countertops.

The mezzanine is enclosed by glass and a stainless steel rail, ensuring that light from the living room windows spills into this area.

The mezzanine with its glass railing is filled with light from the living room windows and from the recessed lighting in the ceiling. Another open staircase with a glass railing leads to the master bedroom with an en suite marble bath and a walkout to the wraparound deck and spiral staircase to the roof deck. A second exterior door leads to the shared third floor hallway and the stairway to the second floor.

The grounds are beautifully landscaped. A curved driveway enters and exits on Wyman Street. Parking is off street on the building grounds; each of these units has two spaces. 

DETAILS

Address: 11 Wyman St., Units 3D and 3E, Jamaica Plain

Unit 3D: Two bedrooms, two baths, 1,973 square feet, $659,000. Taxes: $6,202; condo fee: $363 per month

Unit 3E: Two bedrooms, two baths, 2,184 square feet, $689,000. Taxes: $6,644; condo fee: $389 per month

Age: 1892; 2007; 2010

Features of building: Beautiful brick building with curved driveway and off-street parking on the grounds; entrances on east and west sides of building, interior staircases on north and west sides of the building, central air conditioning. 

Features of units: Stunning, open loft-style living rooms, chef’s kitchens with top brand appliances – Fisher & Paykel, Bosch, Viking; second level mezzanines for lounging, media room or office; Travertine marble baths; wraparound roof decks outside the master bedrooms and also roof decks with Boston views atop the master bedrooms; abundant storage; two deeded parking spaces. 

Close by: Jamaica Pond, Arnold Arboretum, shops, restaurants, a new Whole Foods; easy access to MBTA bus lines and the Green and Orange Lines.

Contact: David Hindle or Scott Johnson, The Residential Group at William Raveis Real Estate & Home Services, 277 Dartmouth St., Suite 2, Boston, MA 02116. Phones: 617- 266-5200 (office), 617-223-1315 (Hindle) or 617-290-7428 (Johnson).

Website: www.jplofts.com

An open house will be held at this property Sunday, Jan. 30, from noon to 3 p.m.