On the Market: A Stately, Sprawling Victorian Townhouse in Newton

This mahogany-adorned marvel offers 3,707 square feet filled with fireplaces, soaring cathedral windows, a wine room, and two soaking tubs.

By Rachel Kashdan· 10/26/2020, 3:23 p.m.

Photo by Jake Rubin

53 Vista Ave. Unit A and B, Newton
Price: $2,450,000
Size: 3,707 square feet
Bedrooms: 2
Baths: 3.5

Been finding this latest chapter of the twenty-first century to be a bit rough? This stately Victorian-era townhouse in Auburndale might provide just the sort of change of pace you’re in need of—no time machine required. This is the largest of three units within the Winslow Haskell Mansion, a Gothic-inspired house built for Edwin Haskell (a then-co-owner of the Boston Herald) in 1870 and then converted into separate units in the 1980s.

Soon after snagging one of two first-floor units in the early aughts, the current owners also purchased the adjacent unit and converted them both into a single home. While the two-year-long renovation preserved many of the space’s original details—such as its mahogany beams, trim, and paneling—the expanded unit benefits from a more open layout, updated fixtures, and revamped outdoor areas.

The first floor now comprises eleven rooms that flow smoothly from one to the next, beginning with the great room, which features a marble fireplace, tall cathedral windows, and wood built-ins. Next door, you’ll find the dining room, which takes on a sleeker tone with stone floors and a creamy color palette, and connects to the kitchen through a cozy family room. The spacious kitchen offers up-to-date appliances, stone countertops, intricately tiled floors, maple cabinetry, a gas fireplace, and a La Cornue range that hails from France. The room’s two snug nooks also provide a place for casual dining and kicking back.

In addition to a bedroom on the main floor that connects to a porch and a sun-filled bathroom, a larger suite is located downstairs at the garden level next to a wine room and accessed through a glass door. The 238-square-foot space comes outfitted with a bathroom featuring a soaking tub, steam shower, and a double marble vanity, as well as a large walk-in closet and high ceilings.

The bedroom also boasts access to a brick patio, adorned with flowering bushes and manicured hedges. It’s just one of the home’s two private outdoor spaces, and the building itself sits atop a hill surrounded by 3.74 acres of pathways and greenery. It’s hard to imagine a more elegant and tranquil hideaway.

For information, contact Micéal Chamberlain, Historic Homes, historichomesboston.com.