Even in a town chock-a-block with famous properties, the four-story townhouse at 44 Hull Street in the North End stands out. Why? Because it's really, really thin. And because it was likely built purely out of spite. First, 44 Hull's dimensions: about 10.4 feet at its widest point and tapering to barely 9 feet; inside, the narrowest point is about 6.2 feet; and it can only be entered through an alley, not through the street-facing front. Legend has it that one of two brothers built it shortly after returning from Army service in the Civil War. Turned out the other brother had built big on a plot of land the siblings had inherited; the returning veteran threw up 44 Hull on the plot's remaining sliver of space just to block the natural light, vus, et al, of the bigger house. Records of the dwelling appear starting in the 1870s, so there is something to the legend. Incidentally, the Skinny House is available for rent for $250 a night.
· Living Sideways [Boston.com]
· Our Micro Week 2015 archive [Curbed Boston]
Filed under:
Loading comments...