Ornate duplex was once part of Spanish Consulate
The stately stone building at 206 Beacon St. in the Back Bay was built in 1862 by John Rollins.
It is one of six between Clarendon and Dartmouth streets that were built for him.
A frieze above the front door is decorated with shells, ribbons, and egg and darts.
Its massive black double front doors are only five steps up from the sidewalk. Inside more broad steps lead up to the parlor level. The stairwell wall is decorated with cutouts in patterns of flowers and acorns.
In the left corner at the top of the stairs is a beautiful carved white font that is ready for the fountain to be turned on. Stairs at the right corner lead to the upper condos.
A hallway between the two leads past the elevator to the front door of Unit 1. The floor at the entry and in the parlor level lobby is of flagstone. A lobby fireplace is lined with solid black tiles and surrounded by decorated brown tiles.
A lobby window plus another high above the front door fill the lobby with light. It is not surprising that this was once the Spanish Consulate in Boston.
Judy Goldfarb of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage has listed this luxurious duplex at $1.397 million.
It has a magnificent living room, a granite and stainless steel kitchen, three bedrooms, two full baths that were updated in 2008, a powder room, a large deck off the kitchen, and a direct tandem parking space.
Living space is 2,007 +/- square feet, and there is a private landscaped patio.
The sight inside the front door of Unit 1 is breathtaking. The walls are a soft, pleasing yellow with white woodwork, a fireplace surround and deep crown molding. Four nearly floor-to-ceiling windows and a matching door form a slight bow at the back of the room.
Three of the windows give year-round views of the lagoon in the Esplanade plus views of the Charles River when the leaves are off the trees.
An 1800 Venetian fresco adorns the center of the living room’s 12-foot ceiling, which is surrounded by elaborate molding.
The fourth window and the door open to the beautiful kitchen. Gleaming hardwood floors were refinished in 2008.
The soaring 12-foot ceiling is centered by an 1800 Venetian fresco surrounded by a frame of elaborate molding. Around that are more ceiling moldings with friezes of feathers and ribbons and angels.
Stainless steel and granite enhance the maple cabinets and built-in breakfast bar in the kitchen, which includes a JennAir cooktop and a JennAir wall oven, a General Electric Profile combination microwave and convection oven, an Avanti wine chiller, an Asko dishwasher and an Amana refrigerator with a bottom freezer.
Some of the wall cabinets have glass fronts, and they and the tent-like ribbed ceiling and the glass-paneled door that leads to the deck add visual space to the room.
The oversized deck outside the kitchen provides a delightful spot for meals or for entertaining while enjoying the water views.
The contemporary kitchen is finished with stainless steel high-end stainless steel appliances, maple cabinetry and lovely granite counters.
A hallway opposite the kitchen at the other side of the living/dining room has a coat closet and a pretty powder room with a Kohler pedestal sink. The stairwell at the end of the hall leads to the garden level, which like the parlor level has newly refinished hardwood floors.
The door to the right at the base of the stairs leads to a bedroom with an en suite bath, which was updated in 2008. A door next to the bath opens to a walk-in closet full of built-ins for extra storage.
This bedroom has a queen-size Murphy bed that can be pulled down for sleeping but closed to give additional room space when it is not in use.
This room also has a glass-paneled exterior door with a decorative metal protective grill and a matching grill protecting a large window.
Both the door and the window overlook the front garden that has perennials and specimen trees.
The hallway outside this bedroom is lined with storage closets on the left and a laundry closet on the right that holds a Maytag stackable washer and dryer.
A second bedroom that has two closets with built-ins is just down the hall. The two windows in this room provide views of the private patio.
Just past the second bedroom is the door to the patio and another to the second full bath. It too was updated in 2008.
At the end of the hall is the third bedroom that also has a window view of the patio.
The stately building at 206 Beacon St. in the Back Bay was built as a single-family home in 1862. Today five elegant residences are at this address.
A fence surrounds the patio, and a gate at the end gives access to the parking space. A common back door just outside the patio leads to the building elevator. The elevator on the parlor level is just outside the front door of Unit 1.
When there are many groceries to bring in, it is easy to enter the common back door and take the elevator to the parlor level and thus avoid the stairs. The elevator can also be accessed from the garden level hallway between the bedrooms.
There are three zones of central heat, two zones of central air conditioning, and an updated alarm security system. Other upgrades completed in 2008 include recessed lighting, window and crown molding restoration, and some plumbing and electrical upgrades.
DETAILS
Address: 206 Beacon St. No. 1, Back Bay
BR/BA: Three bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths
Size: 2,007 +/- square feet
Age: 1862; recent updates
Price: $ 1.397 million
Taxes: $9,554 (FY 2009 with residential exemption)
Condo fee: $796 per month
Features of unit: Beautiful garden and parlor-level duplex in stately five-story building with five condos; gorgeous, recently restored period ceiling and Venetian fresco; chef’s kitchen with granite countertops and breakfast bar, maple cabinets and stainless steel appliances; recessed lighting, refinished flooring, molding restoration, new bathroom fixtures, some plumbing and electrical updates; large deck overlooking Charles River Esplanade.
Close by: Arthur Fiedler Footbridge to the Esplanade; the Public Garden; Back Bay shops, galleries and restaurants on Newbury Street; Boston Public Library; easy access to MBTA Green Line at Copley Square and Orange Line and Amtrak at Back Bay Station, Storrow Drive, Routes 93 and 90.
Contact: Judy Goldfarb, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, 137 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02116. Phones: 617-266-4430 (office) or 617-943-3318 (cell).
Web site: www.nemoves.com
There will be an open house at this property Sunday, Oct. 4, from 1:30 to 3 p.m.
