A Boston Landmark Is Now for Sale: Jordan and Jonathan Knight’s Childhood Home

A gorgeous Dorchester home with a history steeped in pop culture but a bit of damage thanks to a frozen pipe bursting. Do you have the right stuff to fix it up?

By Erin Kayata· 10/5/2021, 12:48 p.m.

Photos by Jack Vatcher Photography

10 Melville Ave., Dorchester
Price: $1,795,000
Size: 6,058 square-feet
Bedrooms: 9
Bathrooms: 3 full, 2 half

There was a time, believe it or not, where the New Kids on the Block were truly the new kids on the block. For Jordan and Jonathan Knight, that block was in Melville Park in Dorchester. The now-famous brothers spent their youth specifically in this Victorian home, making it go down in Boston cultural history as the house where the Knights grew up.

Even before the Knight family moved in, the home had a notable past. It was originally built in 1880 by George Meacham, who also designed a local park you may recognize: the Boston Public Garden. With high ceilings and many period Victorian details still intact, such as a porte-cochere off the side of the building, this home still retains much of Meacham’s original design. And it’s now on the market.

Sound too good to be true? There is one tiny (well, not so tiny) catch. While the home is described as “lovingly maintained” in the listing, a frozen pipe burst last winter, leading to some interior damage, with some of the rooms here being gutted to the studs. The carriage house out back is also described as being in need of “extensive repairs.”

But the benefits may outweigh the cons. Set on a roomy 35,000 square foot lot, the multi-family house comes with a spacious yard with a carriage house out back and 10 parking spaces. Inside, the 6,000-square-foot home has 23 enormous rooms inside, including nine bedrooms and five bathrooms. With this much space, the house can be used as a single or multi-family home or for institutional purposes, as the Salvation Army, the prior owner, used it. The Knight family sold the multi-family structure to the nonprofit in 1996, according to Major Marcus Jugenheimer, General Secretary, The Salvation Army Massachusetts Division. The Massachusetts Division turned the multi-family home into what was known as the “Jubilee House,” where local college students lived while working in community ministry. Most recently, the organization used the space as a house of worship. However, last October, the Salvation Army announced the Jubilee House was merging with the Kroc Center for Boston, freeing up the space.

As a result, the storied house has now hit the market. If you’re up for a renovating challenge, this home could be yours for a cool $1.79 million. And if you’re in need of renovation tips, maybe swing by Novara in Milton to see if Jordan can offer insight, or see if Jonathan can offer some advice from what he’s learned on Farmhouse Fixer, his HGTV show.

For more information, contact Michael Dorion, The Residential Group at William Raveis Real Estate, 10melville.com.