Home of the Week: Converted church in Nahant with ocean views, in-law apartment for $1.6m

The 1851 church is now a six-bedroom house with a roof deck and sunroom

The house at 303 Nahant Road in Nahant is on the market for $1.6 million. It was converted from a church to a residence. Luxe Photography

By John R. Ellement

March 31, 2026 | 7:00 AM

3 minutes to read

303 Nahant Road, Nahant

$1.629 million

Style Converted church

Year built 1851

Square feet 5,969

Bedrooms 6

Baths 3 full

Sewer/Water Public

Taxes $14,125 (2026)

Built in 1851, the house at 303 Nahant Road in Nahant was originally a church. – Luxe Photography

The heated rooftop sunroom and wraparound deck provides views of the water. – Luxe Photography

Classical? Rock? Broadway? The choice is yours to make, but some musical accompaniment seems warranted when standing on the uppermost level of this one-time church that now provides rhapsodic views of the Atlantic Ocean from Nahant.

The 539-square-foot deck and the sunroom it connects to were created when this church transitioned into a residential property, a change that retained the central tower with a pyramid-style hip roof and the wide open space of what was formerly the nave with its arched windows.

The rooftop sunroom with ocean views. – Luxe Photography

The 180-square-foot sunroom, which likely was the balcony during the church years, is shaped as a polygon. The walls have windows (one wall has the door to the deck) with muntins. The ceiling is 9 feet, and the tile flooring has radiant heat.

A wooden stairwell descends into the great room — formerly the nave — that is an astounding 1,108 square feet with 17-foot ceilings and hardwood flooring. Natural light is abundant from the windows on multiple levels. A large portion is set aside for a formal dining area that is defined by one of two sets of pendant lights in the room. The second overlooks a pool table that the current owner will gift to the buyer, the broker said.

Off the great room is a 322-square-foot bedroom with 10-foot ceilings, a gas fireplace in one corner, two exterior windows, and a closet with bifold doors. On the same side of the house but not directly connected to the bedroom is a 168-square-foot office with the same high ceiling and two exterior windows.

The kitchen has a large adjoining pantry for extra storage. – Luxe Photography

Shelving surrounds the kitchen pantry. – Luxe Photography

On the opposite side of the great room, a set of French doors marks the entry into more family space, including a 630-square-foot area with a gas fireplace designated as the living room. It connects directly into the kitchen, which occupies its own bump-out. The 145-square-foot kitchen is U-shaped with the refrigerator and the stove located on the left arm. The sink is positioned underneath windows, and more cabinets are installed on the right side. The backsplash is subway tile. A doorway with a pointed Gothic arch leads to the 63-square-foot pantry with built-in shelving. The stove is gas, and the appliances are black.

Nearby is a full bath that does double duty as the laundry room. The bath has a single vanity with a white manmade top, vinyl flooring, and a shower behind a curtain on the left. Full-size laundry appliances are on the right.

And now, in this inverse approach of a house tour, the last space on the main level is the formal entry with tiled flooring.

The first-floor bedroom has a a gas fireplace. – Luxe Photography

The bathroom on the main level. – Luxe Photography

But where is the primary bedroom? A second stairwell on the right side of the nave leads to the wing with the primary, two other bedrooms, and a full bath. Both the primary bedroom and a second bedroom are about 265 square feet, and both have a double set of bifold closets along one wall. The bedrooms also have two windows on the exterior walls. Both have direct access to the 119-square-foot full bathroom with a single vanity, tile flooring, and a shower/tub. The third bedroom is distinctly smaller at about 85 square feet, but a walk-in closet offsets its size.

Given its origin as a building that hosted a community, there is one more area to explore. This is the ground-floor level, which has its own entrance in the back of the house for a two-bedroom in-law apartment with a kitchenette, a family room with a gas fireplace, and a private full bathroom and separate laundry area.

The home has an in-law apartment with a living room and kitchen. – Luxe Photography

The kitchen in the apartment. – Luxe Photography

The next owner will have to do their own due diligence relative to the town’s permitting process for renting.

Liz Carlson of Carlson Coastal Living has the listing.

John R. Ellement can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him @JREbosglobe. Send listings to [email protected]. Please note: We may not respond to submissions we won’t pursue. Subscribe to our newsletter at Boston.com/address-newsletter.