Brand new Victorian feels at home in historic Avon Hill district
Cambridge’s storied Avon Hill neighborhood has its first new single-family home in more than half a century, a house that looks as though it were built when Napoleon III ruled France some 150 years ago. This Second Empire Victorian, however, is brand-spanking-new from the finished basement to the copper gutters and mansard roof
Cambridge’s storied Avon Hill neighborhood has its first new single-family home in more than half a century, a house that looks as though it were built when Napoleon III ruled France some 150 years ago. This Second Empire Victorian, however, is brand-spanking-new from the finished basement to the copper gutters and mansard roof.
From the front porch, double doors of mahogany with glass panels open into the foyer with its impressive barrel vaulted ceiling and floors of stained oak. In the living room, four arched windows, a classic feature of the Second Empire style, are set in a bay. Adding to the elegance is a fireplace with a Blue Mist granite surround and hearth. Builders Matt Hayes and Charles Mahoney of Cambridge-based Unison Development constructed an 11-foot coffered ceiling here to ensure the space is airy but not cavernous. The dining room has its own four-windowed bay, recessed lighting, and a coffered ceiling.
Story continues after gallery.
See inside the home:
What could have been a featureless hall between the living room and the dining room contains a wet bar with glass cabinetry and a granite counter, as well as a wine cooler and a window seat.
The kitchen is all 21st century, with high-end stainless-steel appliances (including a multiburner gas stove with double ovens) nested among floor-to-ceiling painted maple cabinetry that includes a hideaway spice rack and glass doors at the upper reaches. The counters are a light white Caesarstone. From here, French doors open to a patio and fenced-in backyard (the property is 0.12 acres).
The attention to detail continues in the master suite, where a structural beam in a soffit off the 11-foot vaulted ceiling adds a visual diversion to the space. The bedroom area is sizable and offers a set of French doors with screens overlooking a Juliet balcony and the backyard. A pair of skylights provides natural light that guides you from the walk-in closet to the master bath, which is finished with Italian ceramic tile on the walls, porcelain for under your feet, and a shower floor of white porcelain mosaic squares. The bath features a soaking tub of white lava rock.
The two other bedrooms are sunny and have large closets. The second full bath and a laundry room are also on this floor.
The finished walk-out basement, cozy with its radiant-heat flooring, encircles a full bath and offers double doors that lead to a bluestone patio with radiant-heat flooring. The house, which has two parking spaces, is a short walk from Porter Square.
Listing broker Patricia Reilly of RE/Max Destiny in Cambridge will hold an open house on Sunday, June 27, from noon to 2 p.m.
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