South End home to be staged for benefit tour

In an unusual move to promote a brand new single-family townhome in the South End, Ricardo Rodriguez of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage is hosting an urban showhouse at this one-of-a-kind property during the next two weekends.

The eight-day event, which begins April 29, will benefit Pine Street Inn, the 40-year-old South End agency that provides shelter, outreach, job training and placement for homeless men and women.

The home will feature four outstanding interior designers, each decorating one level. In addition, Andrew Anderson from ilex Designs will provide floral arrangements. Work began this week.

The property will be open from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Tickets for the Thursday and Friday showings are $10 each; the showings on Saturday and Sunday are $20 each.

The three-bedroom home is listed at $1.995 million and is shown by appointment; the fundraiser replaces a traditional open house for the next two weekends.

Developer David Goldman, principal of New Boston Ventures, along with his business partner, Dennis Kamin, formed 44-46 Bradford Street LLC last year to build this four-story brick townhouse on a vacant lot at 44 Bradford St., a tree-lined one-way road off Milford Street. It makes a 90-degree turn toward Shawmut Avenue, and 44 Bradford is at the elbow, overlooking Peters Park.

The living room boasts abundant windows, including wraparound windows at the front corner and a five-window boxed bay on the side of the house.

The architect was Guy Grassi of the Grassi Design Group. “He did a phenomenal job,” said Goldman.

The exterior blends in with the vintage brick rowhouses along the street, but the interior is anything but traditional.

“This home is all about windows,” said Rodriguez, during a tour earlier this week. One side has a five-window bay that is three stories high and brings in abundant natural light. Wrap-around windows are on the first and third floors, and the garden level features a wall of glass, with a door that opens onto a private patio and side garden.

The exterior blends in with the vintage brick rowhouses along the street, but the interior is anything but traditional.

The floor plan is open, and there are accents that reflect a Mission-style sensibility. The living room occupies the entire first floor, and a custom-made railing frames an opening that looks down upon the family room and out through huge windows to the outdoor patio.

A large double closet with oversized custom-made wenge doors is at the end of the room, at the foot of the staircase to the upper floors.

The balustrade is Mission-like too, topped with a wood rail stained to match the imported wood.

Andrew Terrat and Dee Elms of Terrat Elms Interior Design will stage the living room.

Lisa Kreiling of LTK Interiors talks to Ricardo Rodriguez about her design assignment.

“I can’t wait to see it,” said Rodriguez. They will use pieces from Mitchell Gold + Bob Williams store.

Lisa Kreiling of LTK Interiors of the South End is staging the top floor of the home, and has created a vibrant bedroom and a home office in the two rooms on this level. There is a full bath as well.

She said she was inspired to transform “a beautiful, clean, minimal envelope to an eclectic textural space and capture all the amazing views.” She asked local vendors to loan pieces for the showhouse.

“As a new designer, this was a great partnership with the businesses,” she said. Some of the furnishings came from her own home.

The bedroom features custom-built wenge closet doors on either side of a window seat, topped with pillows. “I was going to be totally neutral,” she said. Instead she added red bedside tables and a multi-hued rug with a Southwest design to contrast with the bed linen.

In the office, which has wraparound windows, she will hang a thick rope light by J.E.M. on one wall, which not only will be functional but also will serve as an art piece.

Next to the office, which could be the third bedroom, is the bath. It has a blizzard white CaesarStone vanity and a “Tea for Two” tub designed by Philippe Starck. Attached is a glass swing door to contain water drops from the shower. The walls and floor have Spanish satin floor tiles.

In the hall is another set of stairs that ascends to a spacious roof deck, equipped with gas, electric and water service.

The views are spectacular.

The enclosed brick patio is one of the nice amenities of the house. The fence includes a gate to an alley.

The master bedroom on the second floor comprises the entire space. Dennis Duffy of the Duffy Design Group will stage this room and already has painted a red accent wall rubbed with gold that reflects the light from the windows on the opposite wall.

The master bath is lavish and includes an egg-shaped soaking tub against a wall of Bianco Dolomiti chiseled marble that sparkles. The oversized shower is enclosed by glass on three sides and features a rain showerhead built into the ceiling and multiple jet sprays.

The custom-made CaesarStone vanity, suspended from the wall, has two large rectangular sinks set atop it. Sleek polished nickel hardware is from Valli & Valli.

The fourth participating designer is Jonathan Adler, who will decorate the family room and kitchen on the garden level.

The open kitchen is white, with high-end appliances, including a gas range with a sculptural hood, and a Sub-Zero refrigerator that has matching white paneling. A center island of blizzard white CaesarStone has several drawers and a shelf to hold a microwave. A powder room is tucked beneath the stairs.

At the opposite end of this level is the family room, with a modern gas fireplace and a wall of windows with a view of the brick patio, which is enclosed by a fence with a gate to the alley.

A garden on the side of the house features flowering plants, including a variety of colorful azaleas. The stone steps and the retaining wall supporting the garden are blocks of quarried Rockport granite taken from the old Salem jail, which Goldman has redeveloped into 23 apartments.

Two garage parking spaces at the nearby Wilkes Passage condo development are included in the sale of this home.

Goldman, who lives in the neighborhood, said, “The vacant lot was accumulating a lot of debris, and now we have created an asset in the neighborhood.”

DETAILS

Address: 44 Bradford St., South End

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

Size: 2,340 square feet

Price: $1.995 million

Taxes: To be determined

Close by: South End and Back Bay restaurants and shops; Boston Center for the Arts, Boston Ballet; easy access to MBTA Silver Line, Routes 93 and 90 (Mass. Turnpike) and airport tunnel.

Features about home: Brand new one-family home with four levels, three outdoor spaces, including roof deck; sleek kitchen with high-end finishes, luxurious baths; fireplace in family room; central air conditioning; forced hot air by gas; security system.

Contact: Ricardo Rodriguez, Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage, 137 Newbury St., Boston, MA 02116. Phones: 617-266-4430 or 617-796-6084. Websites: www.NEMoves.com or www.44bradford.com.

This property may be seen by appointment or during the showhouse hours.