The mansion went for $14,500,000 in a deal that closed March 15. That solves part of the long-running mystery.
The other part of the mystery is the question of what exactly a new owner will do with the Ames-Webster. The 50-room, 26,000-square-foot manse serves as the commercial home for 20 businesses, ranging from law offices to money managers. But! It could just as soon turn back into a single-family residence, which is how it spent the first century of its existence, starting in 1872 as a home for Congressman Frederick L. Ames (Ames left the mansion, which had been expanded in 1882, to his wife, along with a stable on Newbury Street, according to an 1893 article in The New York Times about his probate). Whether the mansion does become a single-family residence again (or, for that matter, condos) remains to be seen a few days after its closing.
Still, the possibility's there, kids. "We are exploring all the opportunities and potentials of the building," said Brett DeRocker of First Boston Realty, which represented the buyer. DeRocker declined to provide specifics about the buyer, so we don't know if it's a local individual, a private equity fund from New York, a Saudi prince looking for a pied-a-terre, etc. Stay tuned.
· And the Sales Price of the Ames-Webster Mansion Is... [Curbed Boston]
· Our Big Deals archive [Curbed Boston]
Loading comments...