Pondside Jamaica Plain condo is elegant

A magnificent condominium is on the market in Jamaica Plain.

It is located in the Morse Mansion at 100 Pond St. Many of the features in this condo were part of the original home.

Those intricate architectural details and the added elegant updates are reminiscent of homes described in “The Great Gatsby.”

The home, a Colonial Revival designed by architect William Ralph Emerson, was built for Robert McNeil Morse in 1893.

It replaced Morse’s original home, which was on the other side of Jamaica Pond. That home was taken so that the grounds could be part of Frederick Law Olmsted’s Emerald Necklace.

Morse raised his five children in the new home.

In 1936 the Children’s Museum moved into the property and remained there until 1979 when it moved to its present location on Museum Wharf off Congress Street in downtown Boston. 

On Sept.19, 1979, the museum applied to the city building department to change the occupancy of 100 Pond St. to 12 apartments. 

A second living room boasts a wood-burning fireplace. At the far end of the room is a wall that separates this space from a bedroom.

At the same time, a request was made to combine the lot and the lot at 60 Burroughs (where the Morse stable had stood) with the lots at 51 and 57 Eliot St. to create Jamaica Pond Estate Condominiums. The entire complex now contains 30 units.

Today the main entrance to 100 Pond St. is reached from Burroughs Street, and off-street parking is nestled in the park-like grounds.

Rhododendron, azalea, red maple, flowering quince and Japanese andromeda are just a few of the many shrubs and trees on the property.

The garden beds are just awakening. The ferns are still at the fiddlehead stage. The purple heuchera adds interest, and most of the peonies are just emerging.

Lauren Carroll of William Raveis Real Estate has listed Unit 1 at 100 Pond St. at $749,000. It encompasses the very elegant original library and dining room.

The second living room or family room features an ornately decorated ceiling and quarter-sawn oak flooring.

The 1,971-square-foot residence holds two bedrooms, two full baths, a half bath, a wood-burning fireplace as well as a gas fireplace, a recently renovated kitchen with top appliances, a balcony that overlooks the grounds, and fantastic light from the huge windows that are on three sides of the unit. 

The large entry to the complex has hardwood flooring, a soaring ceiling and what must have been the original staircase. The spindles are in four alternating patterns and end in a birdcage newel post.

The stairs ascend to the first landing where a ficus tree enjoys the light from the surrounding windows of the portico before continuing to the second floor.

Inside Unit 1 is a charming foyer with a coat closet and tray ceiling centered by a light fixture with a shade made of amber.

Two hallways run from there. One leads to a walnut-paneled room. The second leads past a powder room, a closet and the marble-tiled master bath before ending at the room with the wood-burning fireplace.

The master bedroom has a wide bay that can hold a sofa. The windows frame a view of Jamaica Pond.

There are two spacious rooms with a fireplace, and either of them could be used as a living room. The hallway across from the front door leads into the walnut-paneled room, which is exquisite. The ceiling is decorated with plaster garlands and roping.

The floor is of quarter-sawn oak. The paneling around the fireplace and the area above it is carved in the manner of an antique picture frame. The gas fireplace has a surround of grained granite.

Large windows are on either side of the fireplace. In the wall at the end of the room, floor-to-ceiling windows frame French doors topped by a fanlight. The balcony is through the doors.

Across from the fireplace, the wall holds walnut cabinets paneled with clear glass. 

Before it, a granite-covered island has gorgeous paneling on the front but holds a sink, a Miele dishwasher, a General Electric Monogram wine cooler and a General Electric trash compactor at the back.  

The master bath is beautifully appointed and has a long vanity.

The door in the middle of the wall leads to the rest of the kitchen where a stainless steel Sub-Zero refrigerator, Viking gas range and Viking range hood are surrounded by cabinets and with a decorative ceiling overhead. 

In the wall opposite the balcony, walnut bookcases flank the doublewide doorway to the second living room, which has quarter-sawn oak floors and an even more elaborate and amazing ceiling. The plaster ornaments are Grecian in feel and include cameo type silhouettes  

The wood-burning fireplace in this room has a white mantelpiece with three small columns on each side. A large one-over-one window beside the fireplace lets in abundant light. The wide crown moldings are painted white.

The present owner added a wall at the end of the room to separate it from the master bedroom.

The wall does not go all of the way to the ceiling so that the wonderful plaster detail that continues into the master bedroom can be protected.

In addition to the wonderful ceiling and wide molding, the master bedroom has a bay where two large windows frame the outstanding view of Jamaica Pond.

The mansion at 100 Pond St., built in 1893, today contains 12 condominiums. For many years it was home to the Children’s Museum.

The second bedroom, a laundry room with a granite-topped cabinet and a delightful bath are all on the lower level. The bath has a white Victorian-type sink and an oval soaking tub surrounded by wood paneling.

A door on this level leads to a common laundry room and to a separate storage room owned by this unit.

DETAILS

Address: 100 Pond St., Unit 1, Jamaica Plain

BR/BA: Two bedrooms, two-and-a-half baths

Size: 1,971 +/- square feet

Age: 1893; 1936; 1980; 2006

Price: $749,900

Taxes: $4,864 (with residential exemption)

Condo fee: $1,020 (includes heat and hot water)

Features of the building: Beautiful, park-like grounds, tennis court, off-street parking; additional storage and additional laundry room.

Features of the unit: Exquisite details, high ceilings, a gas fireplace and a wood-burning fireplace; quarter-sawn oak flooring; newly renovated granite and stainless steel kitchen with top appliances; marble bath; new central air conditioning; laundry room, much storage; balcony overlooking the beautiful grounds and breathtaking views of Jamaica Pond.

Close by: Jamaica Pond, Arnold Arboretum, the Emerald Necklace shops and restaurants in Jamaica Plain and Brookline, public transportation, easy access to Routes 203 and 9.

Contact: Lauren Carroll, William Raveis Real Estate, 191 Grove St., Chestnut Hill, MA 02467. Phones: 617-731-7737 (office) or 617-290-2600 (cell).

Websites: www.thegillachgroup.com or www.raveis.com

This property may be seen by appointment.