massachusetts real estate

Lee Street, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates

Today's home is one of the priciest on the market in the Boston area. This French-style, three-story brick residence in Brookline, Massachusetts was designed and built between 1929 and 1930 by renowned Boston architect William T. Aldrich. The main home is on over three acres with manicured lawns, flower beds, shrubs and mature deciduous and coniferous trees.

The home has 20 principal rooms in the main house and there is also a separate one-bedroom guest house. The home has been thoroughly renovated to combine its original, formal style with modern amenities. The most unique feature in this home might be the light-filled indoor pool pavilion which is reached via an underground passageway that also serves as an art gallery. The pavilion offers additional entertaining area and a caterer's kitchen. Overall there are a total of 10 fireplaces, hardwood floors, hand-painted murals and other finishes, and ornate moldings. This home is listed at $15.75 million with LandVest.

Gallery: Lee Street

Tags: brookline, estate of the day, massachusetts real estate

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Cole Porter's Berkshire Retreat, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's property, a beautiful 40-acre expanse in Massachusetts' tranquil Berkshire Mountains area, was once the home of songwriter Cole Porter. In June 1940 Linda Porter, Cole Porter's wife, chose the estate as the couple's summer residence. The couple also frequently entertained here, offering members of the royal, theatrical, and jet-set society a weekend in the countryside. Cole Porter continued to visit the home until his death in 1964 and completed many of his important numbers in the home.

The land includes formal gardens, woodlands, stone walls, hedgerows, terrace and fountains and two miles of nature trails while still offering easy access to picturesque Williamstown. The main residence has lovely floor-to-ceiling windows, large living and dining rooms, a wood paneled library, eat-in kitchen and four fireplaces. There are five bedrooms including the first floor master suite. The grounds are also home to a pool with a 1940s pool house with changing rooms, a prep kitchen, tennis court, greenhouse and potting shed. There is also a guest cottage with two large suites, a livestock barn that offers an additional 700 square feet of living space, and a carriage barn with a three-bedroom apartment above. This home is listed at $4.495 million with Alton & Westfall.

Gallery: Cole Porter's Berkshire Retreat

[Thanks, Spec.]

Tags: berkshires, cole porter, estate of the day, massachusetts real estate, williamstown

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Searles Castle Still On The Market

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

A recent MSN article prompted me to take another look at a former estate of the day which has had a price cut. I've actually been hearing about this one since 2007 when it first hit the market. Searles Castle in Great Barrington, Massachusetts has 40 rooms and seven turrets. The home, which had most recently served as a private school went up for sale for $15 million back then but is now listed for $12.5 million with William Raveis.

Searles Castle is one of two in the New England region (the other is in New Hampshire) that bear the name of Edward Searles. Mary Hopkins, the widow of railroad tycoon Mark Hopkins commissioned the castle which was built in 1888. She hired interior decorator Edward Searles for the project, and they married a year before it was finished (she was 22 years older than he). After she died he stayed in the castle for a time and then after his death it became private private school and then conference center among other businesses and was most recently the John Dewey Academy.

Tags: castle for sale, massachusetts real estate, searles castle

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Balemor, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's home in Brookline, Massachusetts was built in 1929. The Balemor Estate was originally constructed for Elizabeth Paine as a gift for her marriage to Thomas Metcalf but has had major renovations since those days. The six-bedroom home is on over two acres. Terraces and formal gardens connect indoor and outdoor living. The home's classic brick exterior reveals a space that has been considerably lightened up. French doors and abundance of windows contribute to a bright and modern space including a simple and contemporary living room. The modern kitchenhas a Wolf 6 burner induction gas cook top, Wolf range oven and microwave, Thermador refrigerator, and two Fisher and Paykal dual drawer dishwashers. The custom built pantry includes an additional refrigerator and an abundance of storage and a spacious seating area with a gas fireplace overlooks the terrace. The outdoor kitchen has a grilling deck and wood burning pizza oven and the formal dining room with dual fireplace is located between the living room and kitchen .

The east wing of the house has a great room with Crestron projector screen, electronic black out shades, gas marble fireplace and four sets of French doors. The library is a cosy space with custom oak paneled walls and original cast iron fireplace and a nook for a home office.Located off of the kitchen is a guest suite with private entrance and full bath. The second floor master bedroom suite has a vaulted ceiling and two master baths. There are three additional bedroom suites on this level. The top floor is open space that could be used for bedrooms, offices, or full time live-in help. The lower level has a spa with an adjacent treatment room. The renovations are magnificent and flawlessly done but it's hard not to pine a bit for the more classic lines that this home must have had in its previous incarnation. This home is listed at $12.5 million. The property website is here.

Gallery: Balemor

Tags: balemor estate, brookline, estate of the day, massachusetts real estate

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Burroughs Street, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Boston's Jamaica Plain area is full of beautiful old houses along the roads near Jamaica Pond. Today's home is a pondside residence 100 yards from historic Jamaica Pond, part of Boston's Emerald Necklace of parks. Built in 1897 this home combines Victorian and Greek Revival elements and retains its grand and gracious space. this large home has ten bedrooms and includes a servants wing. The Carriage House was structurally restored and renovated and now serves as family recreational and home office space. This home is listed at $2.5 million.

Gallery: Burroughs Street

Tags: boston, boston real estate, estate of the day, jamaica plain, massachusetts real estate

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Hillside Road, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's home in the tony Boston suburb of Brookline, Massachusetts is an older home that has been renovated into a fantastically luxurious family abode. The six-bedroom home has marble floors, crown moldings and large carved fireplaces. The master bedroom has his & hers closets, a private balcony and a master bathroom with a spa tub. The gourmet kitchen has gleaming granite counters, custom cabinetry and top-of-the-line appliances. The well-laid out kitchen even includes space for cookbooks. The home also has a spacious media room, home gym and large carriage house. It is listed at $7.25 million.

Gallery: Hillside Road

Tags: brookline, estate of the day, massachusetts real estate

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15% of Chestnut Hill Home Sale Profits Will Go to Charity

by Ann Brenoff (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates, Charity

Mark Andrus, who made his fortune selling Stacy's Pita Chips to Frito-Lay, is giving back. He's listed an historic Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts estate that he recently renovated at $12.5 million and will donate 15% of the profits from the sale to to the Boston Food Bank. With this home, Andrus is launching RH Design and Development, his new real estate development company devoted to helping people in need.

We think he couldn't have picked a better time and hopefully more millionaires and billionaires will join in the "give back" drumbeat.

For the 45-year-old Andrus, giving back has been a way of life. Both his parents gave generously despite their own struggles. His dad, a physician, lost his eyesight to diabetes and went back to school to become a psychologist, a path that Andrus himself pursued. Even when the company he co-founded with his ex-wife Stacy was a struggling upstart, it offered free English as a Second Language classes to the community.

"When we sold, I wanted there to be an aspect of my life where I could continue giving back to the community. For this new company -- where we're building high-end homes -- it only feels right to be to be giving back to those in need. Yes, we build great beautiful things, but you can't forget about or ignore those who are struggling and can't partake in this," he said.

Andrus bought the 1929 brick Balemore estate for $3.5 million and spent $7 million and 2.5 years renovating it. He always intended to sell the 6-bedroom, 5-bath home, which has 12,000 square feet and sits on 2.2 acres, although he celebrated Thanksgiving in the house with his family both to "do a test run" and to inaugurate the company's first project.

The Georgian Revival mansion, a stunner, is fused with modern resort-like features, including a spa garden with a plunge pool, indoor-outdoor living areas, a wine cellar and state-of-the-art Crestron audio-visual system. There are two laundry rooms, a library and a studio apartment with a small kitchen. There are stone terraces and formal gardens.

Andrus, who lives in Boston, sold Stacy's Pita Chips in 2005 to Frito-Lay.

Allison Mazer of Sotheby's International Realty has the listing.

Tags: boston real estate, chestnut hill, estate of the day, massachusetts real estate

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Winsor Way, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Last time we were in the tony suburb of Weston, Massachusetts it was in 2009 to check out a home listed at $24.5 million. That home has had a price cut to $21.75million putting it above today's home, another newer incredibly lavish home. This home's street name Winsor Way refers to the fact that it was once the home site of the legendary investment banker, Robert Winsor. It is on 3.9 acres of land once owned by the Queen of England. The modern Georgian Colonial estate was completed in 2001. The six-bedroom home is 21,000 square feet and has a wine cellar, home theater, gym, rec room, tennis courts and more. If the other pricey Weston home strived for a cozy, family home look, this one is pure grandeur all the way, built to impress with an obvious display of wealth and formality. It is listed at $21 million.

Gallery: Winsor Way

Tags: estate of the day, massachusetts real estate, weston

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Marblehead Neck, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The coolest thing about today's property in Marblehead, Massachusetts might not be the house itself but the zen-inspiring tea house perched on the rocky shoreline. The 1.8 acre property has access to a private beach and the main house is on a hilltop with clear ocean views. Well-suited to the picturesque environs, the home is a 1880s renovated Victorian with over 6,000 square feet of living area. The five-bedroom home has been remodeled and has a newer kitchen but rooms like the wood paneled library, ocean-facing living room and the dining room with window seat speak to the home's original charms. The property includes a lower terrace built into the rocks above the Atlantic. This home is listed for $5.9 million.

Gallery: Marblehead Neck Estate

Tags: estate of the day, marblehead, massachusetts real estate

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Appleton Street, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

There's nothing quite like Harvard Square in the fall. The excitement of the students filling the area, warm sunny days with the first nip of cooler weather to come and rows of older picturesque houses still fronted by their summer blooms. Today's home in Cambridge, Massachusetts is just off scenic Brattle Street. The circa 1883 Queen Anne Victorian has been given a lot of updates including a new open kitchen and new bathrooms. But some of the old grace is here, including large open rooms, many with French doors, plenty of fireplaces and gleaming hardwood floors. The six-bedroom home also comes with a two-car garage and a small fenced-in yard. This home is listed at $3.35 million.

Gallery: Appleton Street

Tags: cambridge, estate of the day, harvard square, massachusetts real estate

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Falling Real Estate Prices Hit Kennedy Compound

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

The price of real estate in Massachusetts has affected even one of Massachusetts' most famous properties. The value of the Kennedy compound in Hyannisport, Massachusetts has fallen $2.2 million since last year. The Boston Herald reports that the Barnstable Board of Assessors cut this year's taxable value the compound to about $11.5 million, representing a 16 percent decline. The waterfront mansion, most recently lived in by Senator Ted Kennedy, dropped in assessed value from $9.6 million to $6.2 million.

Values rose at the compound's two other houses: John Kennedy's one-time home added $720,000 to $2.5 million while Robert Kennedy's former home went up by $265,000 to $2.6 million. Another waterfront parcel once owned by Senator Ted Kennedy went up an impressive $251,000 to $305,400. The Boston Herald article quotes local Realtor Jack Cotton, who said that the way Barnstable generates assessments contributed to the falling value. The estimate was was made partially by looking at how much nearby homes sold for in 2009 and late 2008 during the nadir of the housing market. Cotton estimates the compound's value has really only fallen 5 percent to 10 percent.

Tags: cape cod, hyannisport, kennedy compound, massachusetts real estate

Red Gable, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's estate of the day is classic 1880s New England home that has been lovingly remodeled into a modern beach home. This home in Gloucester, Massachusetts has a fantastic perch of approximately half an acre on Coffin Beach between Ipswich Bay and Essex Bay at the northwestern tip of Cape Ann. This is some of the prettiest shoreline that the North Shore has to offer. The home itself is approached down a private road.

While the exterior maintains its venerable facade inside we are looking at granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, newer floors and decking. There are five bedrooms including one tucked into the turret of the house. There are ocean views from almost every room offering sweeping vista over dunes and the white sandy beach. This home is listed at $4.1 million.

[Thanks, Nathaniel]

Gallery: Red Gable

Tags: estate of the day, gloucester, massachusetts real estate, oceanfront real estate

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Crocker Tavern House, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Today's home comes with quite a bit of history. The Crocker Tavern House on Cape Cod in Massachusetts was built around 1754. The historic structure in Barnstable played a key role in history, serving as a Colonial-era meeting place and tavern.

The restored seven bedroom main house is on over three acres that includes a heated barn and a stone wall. According to the listing the home has been featured on Home and Gardens national TV and written about in tourism guides, novels, and historical studies of the American Revolution. Because of the historic nature of the home certain restrictions are in place and the home has the low ceilings and small rooms of an older home. But for a slice of classic Americana it can't be beat. It is listed at $1.38 million.

[via ArtFix Daily]

Gallery: Crocker Tavern House

Tags: cape cod, crocker tavern house, estate of the day, massachusetts real estate

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$55 Million Estate For Sale In Massachusetts

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

An impressive historical property has been listed in Cohasset, Massachusetts for a really impressive price, $55 million. The property is actually four properties on Cohasset Harbor and includes not just a 20,000 square-foot mansion but also the Cohasset Harbor Resort, and the Atlantica and Olde Salt House restaurant complex as well as the Mill River Marina. The area is a popular summer destination and the resort and restaurants have been the site of many weddings.

The property once belonged to Clarence Barron who bought Dow Jones & Co. in 1902 for a mere $130,000 and is considered to be one of the key creators of modern financial journalism. After Barron died in 1928, his stepdaughter Jane Barron tore down the original home and built the 45-room brick Georgian Revival house now on the property. She and her husband inherited Mr. Barron's stake in Dow Jones and their descendants sold the company in 2007 for $5.16 billion to News Corp. Her granddaughter lived in the house until her death in 1982.

Gallery: 49 Margin Street

Tags: clarence barron, cohasset, massachusetts real estate, peter roy

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Sconset, Estate of the Day

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Estates

Island style can mean different things in different places. Usually if I say Nantucket house you'd know what to picture, the shingles, the shutters, the Colonial style. Today's Nantucket home though was designed to resemble a Hawaiian style beach house (still has the shingles though). The home known as Aloha was built in 1910 and housed the "Actors Colony" in 'Sconset at the turn of the century. It has gone through many renovations, the most recent, completed last year, brought in Black Cyprus trees from Louisiana for the porch posts. It's an upside down house meaning that the first floor is given over to bedrooms including a master bedroom with sitting room and full bath. The second floor is the public space with a large great room and access to the wraparound porch. There is a dining area, an eat-in kitchen and a fieldstone fireplace. The overall feel is very casual and welcoming. There is also a one-bedroom cottage, Little Aloha, which has a living room with a cathedral ceiling and painted floors and décor by George Davis, a Nantucket decorator. This home is listed at $4.1 million.

Gallery: Sconset, Estate of the Day