Home Buying

From Somerville tragedy, a new single-family home emerges

Rebuilt from the ground up after a fire, 34 Walker St. comes with five bedrooms, 4.5 baths, and a $3,199,900 price tag.

The home at 34 Walker St., has a built-in outdoor kitchen. Boston3DProperty

November 1, 2024

2 minutes to read

This is the story of a five-bedroom Somerville property that rose from the ashes like a phoenix.

The building at 34 Walker St. in Somerville was a three-family until a fire destroyed it in March 2023. The current owner has rebuilt it from top to bottom as a 4,750-square-foot single-family home with five bedrooms, 4.5 baths, and a $3,199,900 price tag.

“We have turned a sad story into a beautiful home,” said Jacqueline Arbuckle, the owner, who played a significant role in reconstructing it.

Before

After

The kitchen comes with a walk-in pantry and Thermador Pro appliances, including a French door fridge, six-burner stove, and freezer drawers. The island seats six, and you can grab your drink at the coffee/tea station or the wine/bar station (by the stairs). Both have beverage refrigerators.

“There’s little things throughout the house that have been totally upgraded and the type of features that you just don’t typically see,” said Stephen Bremis of Stephen Bremis Realty Group, the listing agent.

The primary suite boasts a custom closet, a private covered porch, and a bath that has flooring with radiant heat.

Before

Somerville — *Credit – Boston3DProperty*

After

Other highlights, two fireplaces, a laundry room with a drop-down ironing board, solid white oak flooring, a suite with its own entrance, and a home office with custom cabinets and an atrium door to a balcony.

For Arbuckle, the open layout on the first floor stands out. “I could imagine people having parties there” she told Boston.com.

Grace Buckley, whose parents had owned the home previously, said she had been following the house online and was moved to see how they turned such a tragedy into a beautiful showstopping home.

“My sister and I, you know, we were lucky to be raised there in our elementary years … that is where we had Sunday dinner with our parents,” Buckley said.

The home, which was built on a 0.08-acre lot, has an improved driveway with two off-street parking spaces, a fenced-in yard, a patio, and a three-zone sprinkler system.