Hi Everyone,
Happy Passover!
My condolences for those who live in the northeast and were socked with an April snowstorm. I read that it snowed one inch in Boston. However, it didn’t stick. Still, it’s freeeeeeezing outside.
I don’t know if it’s the weather or because I seriously whooped my butt trying to do the “old man challenge” yesterday. I can get down and up from the floor without using my hands, but doing so with crossed feet? No one should attempt to do that because it’s a great way to sprain one’s ankle.
Anyway, I’m sore and dragging today, so I decided to share another architectural gem, a Beacon Hill Penthouse that came on the market several weeks ago. For all I know, there is a buyer, but the listing is still up, so it appears to be available.
Okay, I did some internet stalking research regarding this architectural gem. ;]
Ah ha! According to this meta description in a Google search, this Beacon Hill penthouse apartment was designed by Robert A.M. Stern. Well, probably not Stern himself, as his firm is HUGE. And, this would’ve been a relatively small project for them.
Now, this is interesting.
I found an Instagram post by the listing agent from July 31, 2024. So, it looks like it went on the market last summer and was removed after it didn’t sell.
But then, something super odd. There are two listings on Zillow. The top one is the current one with 13 photos. (see link below)
However, just a little bit down the page is an older listing with 84 pics. I believe several are duplicates. But many more images show the space in far greater detail.
The problem is that listing number one is for $2.400,000, and the older one (above and in this link) has a zestimate price of $1,587,200. That’s a diff of over $800,000 for a one-bedroom apartment.
Laurel, wait! What???
Yes, I know, it’s all quite out of control. However, this space has a 700-square foot Paradise just outside the upper floor.
However, based on the furniture, I have calculated that this space is no more than 7 feet wide, if that. It is broken into two areas by French doors to the roof garden.
Okay, that’s nice. But the space is quite cramped.
On the opposite side is a cool catwalk/library.
The only bedroom is downstairs, and it is quite cramped. Please follow along with more images here.
The kitchen is charming but predictably tiny.
Another cramped area, and the furniture is a mishmash.
And then there’s the copper fireplace cladding. That must’ve cost a pretty penny. (pun may or may not have been intended) I’m unsure how I feel about it, but I could see some people objecting.
While the architecture is dramatic, there’s something of a medieval castle feeling with all the black, old-world-style hardware. However, it also feels like a New England sea captain’s home.
The decor is quite busy, heavy, and on the masculine side.
While this could be a full-time home for one or two people, I somehow see this as being more of a pied a terre.
Some other things I noticed about this unique Beacon Hill penthouse.
The closet space seems to be lacking.
There are two bathrooms, but one of them is quite ugly.
Aside from the stunning architecture with its double staircase, balcony, and catwalk, the thing it has going for it is the exquisitely appointed exterior area.
And panoramic views!
However, the listing says it’s professionally managed. That would be from April – October and possibly two visits a week during the hottest periods. I’m not sure, but at least once a week. That has to be a significant expense. Of course, one could tend to their own garden, but it looks like it would be a lot of work to maintain.
Let’s take a look at where this architecturally gifted Beacon Hill penthouse is located.
Beacon Hill is outlined with red dots and includes the public garden and Boston Common.
The building is near the top of Grove Street, one of four north-south streets on Beacon Hill that hit a dead end at Myrtle Street. All the streets on the north slope, as it is called, are butt-busters when walking up them. The exceptions are West Cedar Street and on the east side of the hill, the streets east of Joy Street.
But then, I saw two big problems when I took a closer look at the listing.
Not only is there no parking, there’s no elevator.
And this is a five-story walk-up- after walking up the steep hill. And then, there’s another flight to get to the roof.
This, I believe, is the biggest problem. It’s not only the owners, but anyone visiting them has to scale a mountain.
Laurel, are you sure there’s no elevator? There’s nothing in the listing that says there isn’t one.
Fair enough. However, it’s an important feature, so if there’s an elevator, the listing would’ve made that quite clear.
Would it be possible to make the balcony into a more enclosed space?
Oh, I don’t have the strength to go there. However, theoretically, that area where the desk is shoved into the corner could extend out further.
No, unlike the unit we looked at recently on Commonwealth Ave, the only way this place could be altered is a gut renovation, and I don’t see anyone doing that. If a buyer needs another bedroom, there are plenty of two bedrooms for sale in Boston. And, there are plenty that are for less than 2,400,000. Although, I don’t think they will get that much for this place.
IF the building had an elevator, maybe.
And yes, if there were an elevator and parking. There’s a parking garage nearby, but I believe it’s totally full, and a space is about $750/month the last I heard.
What do you guys think? Would you consider living here if you had the money and only needed a one-bedroom? I know the stairs would be a deal-breaker for many of you.
However, there is the stunning view.
Laurel, can you see your building from here?
Almost, but I can tell you where it is. The skyscraper furthest on the right is the Pru (Prudential). To the left of the Pru you’ll see a very large striped penis with some other buildings in front of it. At the base of the penis is a dark squareish thing. My building is to the right of that.
What is that dark blob, Laurel?
Ahh…That’s the bell tower wrapped in scaffolding of the 1st Baptist church on the corner of Clarendon and Comm Ave. It was built in 1873, and the bell tower began crumbling at least a decade ago. There has been scaffolding surrounding it ever since. When the restoration will be complete, no one knows. I am surprised, but I can’t find an image of it. That’s just how ugly it is. I’ll go and take one tomorrow if it isn’t raining. haha.
In the meantime, below is a pic of the church in 1883 with its soaring bell tower. It image is from the fabulous Backbay Houses anthology.
Awww, look at the baby 19th-century trees on the Comm Ave mall! And yes, guys, that’s my building, the first brownstone next to the church, completed in 1880.
I definitely feel quite close to God living here. :]
The first two buildings on the other side of Clarendon (the cross street) are no longer there. The replacement building is definitely prewar but looks to have been built in the 20s. Indeed, it was, as I just looked it up.
Edit, Monday April 14, 2025
Below are some pics I took of the aforementioned bell tower of the 1st Baptist Church undergoing renovation (indefinitely).
I took the first one from the opposite direction, looking southwest right after sunset this evening.
In the foreground, you can see the 100-year-old 90 Commonwealth Ave that was built to replace the 1880s buildings you can see in the sepia 1883 historical image.
Below, are three more images of this historic church.
This last one is from the same side as the sepia image.
I realize that money is tight, but I’m not sure why someone can’t do something to raise the funds to get this fixed so that this horrid scaffolding is no longer required.
Oh well. I’m sure there’s more to the story that I don’t know.
I hope you enjoyed this architectural post!
xo,
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12 Responses
Wow…it feels like a Medieval Castle with all of the large, black hinged hardware. Furniture is dark, large, and bulky. I wonder if you could plaster over the Copper Fireplace? Remove everything from the walls and ditch the dark counter tops and backsplash. I could go on and on, but my knees are saying no way to the deep sloped street and stair climb to the condo. The bones are great but, remove everything and start over…& be a very rich person to even make it livable.
Wow, what a stunning property! The design of this Beacon Hill penthouse is absolutely breathtaking — a perfect blend of luxury and modern architectural elegance. The natural light, open spaces, and those panoramic views make it truly one-of-a-kind. Definitely a dream home for anyone lucky enough to snag it!
What? Nobody else is curious about exactly where that large giant striped penis is? I zoomed in, but? Also, I need that nifty wine cabinet.
Oh, and I love shutters, but this is ridiculous overdo. Put up Silhouette shades which roll up into a neat gizmo at the top and can be adjusted to filter light while down. This would make the place feel more Zen. All those shutters are just emphasizing the choppiness of the place, never mind dusting and washing them!! And why are there two separate sets of stairs to the rooftop level. Removing one would free up square footage, no? Maybe they needed a second one to get stuff up to the garden.
This place should be a movie set, i.e. not a place anyone would have to live in.
Pretend there is parking and an elevator.
Then, all you would have to do is remove all the furniture, get rid of most of that black iron (why is there black iron on the ceiling?), check out why the library catwalk needs cable supports, reconfigure/remodel two bathrooms (where on earth are these bathrooms located on the floor plan? Maybe make one nice bathroom.), find storage space, do a patina on the copper fireplace turning it copper turquoise green, paint out most of the brick in order to make the whole space feel less chopped up.
Take down everything hanging on the walls and choose just a few carefully curated art pieces to hang in only the places that scream for something as opposed to every possible foot or two of wall space.
If the brick is painted white, the chopped up feeling of the place would be greatly reduced. I’ve never seen a space I wanted more to be all white than this one. Color could come in through NOT brown leather furniture and a few rugs. Then the naturally masculine aspect of the place could be softened by more feminine choices to scale, leaving more room to move around.
It is the kind of place one wants to fantasize about fixing. It would be a good exercise for you to do one of your theoretical plans fixing this place up, but without an accurate floor plan, I don’t know how you would do it.
The decorating is beyond masculine. And why are there heating stoves and tvs stuck Everywhere? How on earth would you go about getting a cord of firewood up there? Doesn’t the main fireplace keep the space warm? It has central heating, yes?
In this case, removing all the furniture and decorations would help people to see how the space can actually be made attractive and livable.
The rooftop is stunning, but the rest of it seems unsolvable. It is a shame because I am sure a lot of careful work and money went into ruining the space.
The owner is most probably a wealthy man who thinks he has created a man cave in the sky that everyone would want. Hence, the nutso price. LMAO.
Is it just me, or is the kitchen range missing its knobs and the backsplash is that faux-tinned stuff from the big box store? Makes you wonder what else has been done “quick and dirty”, or maintenance deferred?
Yikes! It’s hard to resist making a snide comment or two about that apartment and the decor. It could be charming, but that would take a total gut, as you said Laurel.
While there is not much on the market in my area, there are several properties that have been languishing unsold. I hear that in the Midwest and south the housing market is declining. With prices like this one’s, I will not be surprised if it doesn’t sell.
Always interesting.
Oh, my! If you are a mountain climber this may be what you’re looking for! No elevator, but to get to the rooftop you climb a spiral staircase and exit to the roof through a special skylight.
And the “dining area” is a tiny round (24″?) table and two chairs under the stairway (think Paris sidewalk cafe). It’s around the corner from the kitchen at the end of the living room.
Hi Laurel. Reporting from Chi-town that warmer weather is on the way to you — at least for a couple days. Anyway, I think I solved the puzzle. The link you posted is last year’s listing to rent the unit. The 1.5 million amount is Zillow’s current estimate of the apartment’s value. Redfin and some other sites carry the current sale listing, but they use a different apartment number than Zillow (PH vs. apt 4). So, not only is the seller asking significantly more (like 50 percent more) than the Zillow tabulated value, he or she is trying to sell a rented property. In my experience as a buyer, rented properties never show well. (Let’s face it, the renter’s motivation is not going to be to help you sell the home.) Anyway, on the design side, it does seem like painting the walls a color that would complement the copper chimney breast and all that black iron would make the place look a million times more inviting. Incidentally, it looks like the current rent is $2600 per month with all utilities and yard work included, which seems like a good deal if you never need to carry things up five flights of stairs.
Nopedy, nope, no way. Except for the lovely roof top garden/view the rest of the deal is nothing but negatives.
Hi Laurel,
I certainly couldn’t live in that home. The lack of storage is a big issue. At my age I’ve accumulated some things.
I suppose if you didn’t own a car you might consider this place.
The amount of stairs don’t scare me. I say that now, but I’m not sure how I’d feel after lugging in multiple bags of groceries. I do feel sorry for any furniture mover that has to remove the current owners furnishings. I hope they tip him well.
Well, my eyes need a rest after looking at that VERY busy place. I agree that the lack of an elevator and parking is a big drawback, but the place is so hard to look at with everything stuffed into every corner.
I wonder how serious they are about selling? Even if it is being sold with the furniture removing the many wine bottles and most of the art would help people see what they would be buying.