South Boston penthouse has terrific views

In a quiet South Boston neighborhood, near City Point, stands the former Benjamin Pope School at 114 O St., which was converted to 14 condominiums in 2000.

One of the four penthouses in the building, Unit 13, is on the market for $575,000, listed by John Ranco and Joe DeAngelo of Hammond Residential Real Estate.

It is a roomy, corner-unit condominium with 1,352 square feet of living space on two levels, configured in an open floor plan and the upper level as a family room.

The flexibility of the design of the unit would allow for the family room to be fashioned into a master bedroom suite or an expansive home office, says Ranco.

Stepping into the residence, a visitor discovers a foyer with a hallway to the left that leads to a spiral staircase.

A bi-level granite counter lies straight ahead, perfect for casual dining or morning coffee.

It helps define the kitchen and the rest of the hallway.

The family room on the upper floor has gleaming maple floors and original pine posts and beams.

The hall continues in the other direction into the grand living/dining room, which boasts gleaming blond maple floors and a 10-foot-high ceiling with recessed lighting.

This room has a huge dormer with three windows and a deep, continuous sill. The view for these windows includes the Black Falcon Cruise Terminal, homeport for the Norwegian Dawn, Royal Caribbean’s Jewel of the Seas and Holland America’s Maasdam.

The kitchen is C-shaped, open to the living room, and includes black granite counters against three walls, stainless steel Frigidaire Gallery series appliances, including a four-burner gas range and a built-in microwave above it, and Shaker-style maple cabinetry. A corner cabinet is glazed that can show off stemware or china.

A dining area has been created against a wall near the kitchen, allowing for a larger living room.

Two bedrooms of approximately the same size are on the opposite side of this grand room, and each has a French door that allows light into the rooms and gives a sense of more spaciousness in the living room.

The kitchen boasts high-end stainless steel appliances, custom Shaker-style maple cabinets and granite counters.

Each room as two closets, and the smaller closet is tucked under an eave. The windows have deep sills.

The bath on this level features a marble-tiled shower and a pedestal sink. Within this bath is a laundry closet with a stacked washer/dryer.

Returning to the hallway, you can ascend the open spiral staircase to the large family room, off which is a full bath with a whirlpool tub, a pedestal sink and stone tiles.

The huge original pine support posts and beams in the family room have been left exposed and unfinished, offering eye-appealing geometrics as well as a visual contrast to the white walls.

A French door with wide sidelights plus a phantom screen bathe this room with abundant natural light and give access to a mahogany deck, framed by a black wrought iron rail.

It is large enough to hold outdoor furniture and container plants.

From the top, the open spiral staircase with maple treads offers an interesting architectural design.

The views give a close-up look at the handsome slate roof tiles and copper trim; beyond are the Black Falcon, the John Hancock towers, the State Street and Federal Reserve skyscrapers and the cranes at the Conley Terminal. It is a great spot for watching the Fourth of July fireworks and other holidays too.

Other amenities include central air conditioning and gas heat. Two parking spaces are included with the sale.

The current owners love their home and the neighborhood as well as the convenience to the Seaport and Financial Districts and to Copley Square via an MBTA bus that has a stop only a block away. The area has exciting new restaurants too, they said. They are moving because of a job transfer.

The architectural history of the building is interesting too. Built in 1883 at the corner of O and East Fifth streets, the Queen Anne-Chateauesque-style building was designed by Cambridge-born architect Charles J. Bateman, who also designed the old Bigelow School on West Fourth Street.

Bateman also designed other architecturally significant buildings in Boston, such as the Great Hall in Codman Square in Dorchester, which was originally a library, and the former fire barn, No. 31, on Bunker Hill Street, which houses the Charlestown Working Theater.

The building served as a school until 1946, and subsequently, the South Boston Knights of Columbus occupied it until 1999 when the council sold it to Andrew Middle Development LLC.

The developers repointed the brick exterior accented with sandstone, replaced the copper flashing and downspouts and repaired the slate roof shingles. 

The master bedroom has a shiny maple floor and two good-sized closets, one of which is built beneath an eave.

Many of the interior details of the old school, such as chair rails, wainscoting and thick newel posts at each turn of the wide staircase were preserved or restored or were replicated. The top floor has two staircases, just as there were in the old schoolhouse.

DETAILS

Address: Benjamin Pope Condominiums, 114 O St., Penthouse 13, South Boston

BR/BA: Two bedrooms, two baths 

Size: 1,352 +/- square feet 

Age: 1883; 1946; 1999-2000; recent updates

Price: $575,000

Taxes: $4,897 (with residential exemption) 

Condo fee: $435 per month

Features of the unit: Stunning penthouse duplex with flexible floor plan and exquisite details; chef’s kitchen with top-of-the-line stainless steel appliances, Shaker-style maple cabinetry, granite counters; in-unit laundry; family room with full bath and roof deck; central air conditioning; two deeded parking spaces; additional basement storage.

Close by: Castle Island, Marine Park, two yacht clubs, swimming beaches, full grocery store and pharmacy; shops, parks, playgrounds, bakeries, restaurants, picnic areas, the Seaport District; easy access to four bus lines a block away, Routes 93 and 90, Ted Williams Tunnel. 

Contact: John Ranco or Joe DeAngelo, Hammond Residential Real Estate, 10 Berkeley St., Boston, MA 02116. Phones: 617-587-4616 (Ranco) or 617-487-4626 (DeAngelo).

Websites: www.hammondre.comor www.rancodeangelo.com

An open house will be held at this property Sunday, Sept. 11, from noon to 1:30 p.m.