Home of the Week: Wing features hatchery-turned-great room
A lot has happened in West Bridgewater and to this Cape since it was built in 1825.
145 Spring St., West Bridgewater
$899,900
Style: Cape
Year built: 1825
Square feet: 3,672
Bedrooms: 3
Baths: 4 full
Sewer/water: Private (Title 5 not completed)/public
Taxes: $13,179 (2019)
A lot has happened in West Bridgewater and to this Cape since it was constructed in 1825.
The population has grown from 1,055 in 1820 (“A Statistical View of the Population of Massachusetts, From 1765 to 1840’’ by Jess Chickering) to 7,262 by Census Bureau estimates. During that time period, this house, once the life center of Ebenwood Farm, has been updated and expanded.
Although the Cape is much larger now, its original structure serves as the root from which the footprint has grown. With an exterior of weathered cedar shingles and Colonial green trim, this house lends an air of antiquity from the outside that carries inside without sacrificing modern comforts like central air.
Behind a front door with sidelights is a small foyer with a stairwell directly in front, a narrow closet to the left, and flooring of refinished wide-plank pine — a warmer complement to the dark, rustic beams that cross the white ceilings in the living room on the right and the sitting room on the left. The flooring runs throughout the home, but the owners are not certain whether it is the original wood in some spots.
The living room offers a relaxing anteroom off the dining room to entertain guests before dinner. Three wide two-over-two windows direct light into the space.
Across the way, the sitting room features a propane fireplace surrounded by white built-ins. The hearth and surround are brick. When the evening’s reading is done, repair to the adjoining master suite, added in 2003. The suite has a short hallway lined with double-door closets, one of which holds a washer and dryer. A right turn leads to the bath and boasts a wall of built-in cabinetry and a walk-in closet.
The hallway ends at a light-yellow bedroom with blue accents, thin crown molding, a ceiling fan, and recessed lighting. All focus, however, turns toward the window seat. It has a long bench with three drawers underneath, recessed lighting, sconces with two candle-like lights, and three windows overlooking the backyard, which boasts a built-in saltwater pool and a patio. The lot itself is 2.1 acres.
The master bath is behind a pocket door in the far left corner of the room. A single vanity (one of two in the room) is topped with white granite that has gray veining. In the rest of the bathroom, the flooring switches from pine to a blue ceramic tile, and the walls are painted a sky blue. Nantucket bead-board wainscot runs a quarter way up the walls and frames a deep, jetted tub. A water closet with two windows (one is stained glass) sits behind a pocket door. The second vanity bumps up against a big frameless-glass shower with multiple heads, a bench, and a white tile surround with a granite inlay. The shower floor is tile.
In addition to the master suite, the sitting room also adjoins the dining room, which has been expanded by the removal of at least one wall. The space features a chandelier with seven bowl lights, recessed lighting, thin crown molding, four windows, an alcove that currently holds a tall cabinet for displaying crystal, and a chair rail that bisects the wall, which is painted taupe on the bottom and a brick red on top.
Through a doorway is the kitchen, where dark beams, some rough-hewn, lend drama to the ceiling. There is much to see below that ceiling, including the original — and still functional — wood-burning brick fireplace.
A breakfast nook is a step or two away from the hearth and positioned next to a bank of floor-to-ceiling windows with backyard views. The room flows toward an island with a dark granite counter, seating for at least two, cabinetry, and a built-in microwave.
The main counter features the same granite, as well as a gas cooktop, a ceramic tile backsplash, an oven hood encased in wood that matches the off-white, slow-close cabinets with narrow-beaded inlays. The apron sink sits under a window, and the appliances are stainless.
A door leads to a side patio that runs along the driveway. Another goes to a short hallway with a shower-only bath that features a stained-glass sunflower skylight, a greenish-gray ceramic tile floor, bead board on the ceiling and on the walls, and a dresser-like single vanity.
The hallway ends in the great room, a carpeted space once used as a hatchery. This space features a rough-hewn vaulted ceiling stained a warm brown, a half-moon window, a ceiling fan, skylights, a double-door closet, and exposed beams. An antique pulley hangs from one. Window pairings and a glass door offer views of a stone patio with an arbor and garden beds.
The ceilings in the two second-floor bedrooms try to steal the attention away from the great room. Sharp angles and eave storage (common in Capes) add character to each. Recessed lighting lends a modern touch. One bedroom offers eaves storage that is quite deep.
The property’s third full bath, also found on this floor, has a circular shower with a subway tile surround, a sink with fat legs but no cabinetry, and a wide-plank pine floor.
The basement is unfinished.
A horseshoe driveway runs past a two-car garage with a full shed dormer. The shed, constructed in 2016, is used as an office and includes a bath with ceramic tile flooring and a shower inset with a clear-glass door.
A sign honoring this former farm runs the expanse of the garden shed facing the street.
Isobel Wilson of Keller Williams Realty in Easton is the listing agent.
See more photos of the home below:
Take a 3-D tour of the property.
Follow John R. Ellement on Twitter @JREbosglobe. Send listings to [email protected]. Please note: We do not feature unfurnished homes and will not respond to submissions we won’t pursue. Subscribe to our newsletter at pages.email.bostonglobe.com/AddressSignUp and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter @globehomes.
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