Take a Look Inside the Most Expensive Single-Family Home Ever Sold in Boston

This record-breaking rowhouse on Beacon Hill sold for a whopping $28.25 million.

By Erin Kayata· 3/22/2023, 4:10 p.m.

Photos by Amanda Beattie of Boston Virtual Imaging

Even as luxury high-rises with pricey units fill the Boston skyline, this record-breaking home sale shows that the appeal of a classic Beacon Hill home is timeless. A rowhouse at 56 Beacon Street recently sold for $28,250,000, making it the highest-recorded sale of a single-family in Boston ever, according to LINK Boston and Shelagh Brennan of Cabot and Company, who represented the sellers. The abode sold in an off-market transaction in February 2023.

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With this hefty price tag comes a number of unique features buyers will be hard-pressed to find anywhere else. There’s the location, for starters—the property overlooks the Common—and the amenities, including a mini basketball court on the home’s top floor. And despite being in the heart of Boston, the home still affords its owners plenty of space: Boston property records show it has 9,440 square feet of living space, including six bedrooms, six full bathrooms, two half-baths, and an au-pair suite with its own entrance. Plus, Brennan says, it comes with a four-car heated garage, another rarity for this part of the city. “What’s truly remarkable is how this Greek Revival masterpiece accommodates contemporary living without losing its Beacon Hill patina,” Brennan adds. “It was an honor to be part of this historic sale.”

Built in 1819, this house still retains some of its original architectural details, such as a grand central staircase, ceiling medallions, and eight fireplaces. You’ll also find stately spaces like the formal dining room on the first floor, the billiards room (with its own wet bar), a wood-paneled office/library. However, it has been renovated over the years, with a recent restoration done by Damian McNulty of the Moth Group. Now, the new owners will be able to enjoy a modern chef’s kitchen with a LaCornue range and bathrooms with soaking tubs and glass-encased showers. An elevator allows for easy access between floors and can easily whisk them up to the second-floor parlor, which serves these days as an extra-large bonus living room.

Of course, no covetable home is complete without outdoor space—and this one comes with plenty. When the buyers aren’t taking in the city skyline from the roof deck, they can enjoy the home’s two other decks, which offer glimpses of the surrounding neighborhood. For hosting, there’s a garden terrace with its very own outdoor kitchen for dining al fresco.

Besides breaking records for single-family home sales, this transaction also came close to being the single most expensive home sale in the city, period, according to Boston Globe, and sold for more than any home throughout the entire state in the last year. It all goes to show that the temperature in Boston’s already hot housing market is ticking up yet another notch, even in the luxury real estate realm.