Real Estate: Living Large
Rachel Slade's Off-Kilter Take on Hub Dwellings
Photo by Bob O’Connor
PERIOD PIECE
Back when Brookline was a summer destination for the well-to-do, magnates built enormous homes like this 7,657-square-foot Colonial Revival stunner, decking them out with wraparound porches, cupolas, stables, and big rooms. These days it’s increasingly hard to find such a manse that hasn’t been “renovated” by Philistines — those who in the name of progress rip out every 19th-century detail. Lucky for this Fisher Avenue estate, there’s a happier ending. The owners bought the property in 2008, and spent a fortune rehabbing the ceiling medallions, moldings, and paneling. They even discovered amazing hardware in the walls, including a patented trackless pocket-door hanger, circa 1890. Rather than seal it back up, they built a glass viewing panel into the wall — another very good reason to check out the master bedroom’s huge walk-in closet. Fun fact: The garage alongside the house was one of the first “auto stables” to be erected in town (1902) and features a chauffeur’s unit above and a full basement below. It’s the perfect place to park your Locomobile Runabout or Stanley Steamer.
On the Market
Address: 219 Fisher Ave., Brookline
Listing Price: $3,995,000
Listing Agent: Tracy Campion, Campion and Company, 617-236-0711, campionre.com
Stats: Six bedrooms, five full baths, one half bath
NOW SHOWING
Rent your apartment, rent your car, rent your…art? For $10 per month, Boston-based TurningArt will send you a 16-inch-by-20-inch pre-framed reproduction of an original work sold on its website. Hate it? Mail it back and choose something else, à la Netflix. And all the while, the membership fee earns you credits to (someday) buy a piece you can’t live without. turningart.com.
RISKY BUSINESS
Someone at the Massachusetts Association of Buyer Agents tells me that to land their dream home (and lock in low interest rates), first-time home buyers have begun skipping standard operating procedures — like the mortgage contingency, home inspection, and appraisal. Can you say dodo?
