Home of the Week: A famous architect left behind some character in this West Roxbury farmhouse
He designed a Congregational church in Hollis, N.H., and topped it with a belfry with arched openings. A mansion in Newton he designed with a grand entrance was featured in House Beautiful in 1915. Architect Oscar A. Thayer then chose a 19th-century Colonial on Bellevue Hill for his home, and appearing to employ elements of the church and the mansion, he created something fresh. He added a grand entrance, a vestibule with a marble floor, arched windows, and stucco walls. (He gave the home’s exterior coats of stucco, too.) The vestibule opens to a graceful foyer and a bridal staircase constructed of mahogany with enough room underneath to tuck a fainting couch.
See inside 155 Bellevue Street in West Roxbury:
To the right of the staircase is the front-to-back living room, which has crown molding and a decorative fireplace. A medallion is centered on the ceiling, and the room boasts a triple window.
Running to the left of the staircase, a grand hallway with crown molding and oak flooring in a herringbone pattern (the style found throughout much of the house) leads to a half bath, the screened-in porch, and the back of the living room.
From the foyer, take a sharp left down a short hallway into the dining room, which has picture-frame molding, a chandelier, a bow window, and a decorative fireplace. Head into the kitchen via the butler’s pantry, where the glass-front cabinetry is original to the home. In the kitchen, stainless-steel appliances reflect modern updates, but the space still has a country feel, thanks to features like the farmhouse sink. The cabinets are white, the counters are granite, and the flooring is Italian tile.
From the kitchen, a short hallway leads to the mudroom and a library with built-ins, a decorative fireplace, dark wood panels, a bank of windows, and a fit-for-Agatha Christie rear door that blends in with the wall when closed.
Upstairs, the walls are smooth and curvy. The front-to-back master, for example, is topped with a barrel ceiling. It also has an en suite half bath.
The three secondary bedrooms vary in size, but none feels small. An office with a wall of built-ins and a full bath with a window seat complete the second floor.
The home, which sits on a 0.39-acre corner lot, has a walk-up attic, an unfinished basement, and a two-car detached garage.
Karen Hickman and Helen Coen of William Raveis in Brookline are the listing brokers.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com