Dorchester, Boston’s largest neighborhood by area, produced some of the city’s most gobsmacking listings this year. Let’s dive right in with a Grampian Way colonial that all but defines “quaint.”
54 Grampian Way
There is a sale pending for the 5-BR, 2-BA colonial at 54 Grampian Way, which was last asking $899,000—after an initial listing in August at the rather precise tag of $997,999. (There’s a sale pending.)
The spread is gorgeously generous with its historical details. Chief among these is the living room’s stone fireplace, which went up with the rest of the house in 1885.
60 Ocean Street
The shingle-style pile at 60 Ocean Street in Dorchester’s Ashmont section dropped on the sales market through Re/Max Destiny in the fall for $1,750,000.
Sixty Ocean is actually two properties on a single half-acre atop Ashmont Hill: a more than 4,300-square-foot mansion and a converted carriage house of approximately 1,300 square feet.
Edwin J. Lewis designed both parts of 60 Ocean in the 1890s, and many details of that genesis remain, starting with the main house's grand entry foyer and its staircase. The estate was originally constructed and owned as a package, an arrangement that continued into the 21st century.
It looks, though, that the spread will not go to a single buyer this go-round. The sellers apparently want to divide mansion from carriage house.
61 Alban Street
Architect Harrison Henry Atwood designed the colonial at 61 Alban Street in Ashmont Hill in 1888, right as he embarked on his long design career (a career he would interrupt for elected stints in both the U.S. and Massachusetts houses).
The 5,239-square-foot spread still shows its late-19th-century roots in touches such as carved reliefs, stained glass, and intricate woodworking. There’s also a deck and a back yard, never mind the potential for seven bedrooms.
The spread is now up for sale through Gibson Sotheby’s for $1,100,000, though there is a sale pending.
37 Belfort Street
The 2,275-square-foot Victorian at 37 Belfort Street in Dot’s Savin Hill area had last sold in November 2012 for $359,900 when it hit the market this past April for $629,000.
That price proved easily attainable: The 4-BR, 1.5-BA closed in June for $685,000.
The house, which dates from 1905 (Edwardian, then?), comes with a three-season sunroom and an attic with plumbing. There is also outdoor space and stained glass.
35 Melville Avenue
The 2,870-square-foot Queen Anne Romanesque Revival at 35 Melville Avenue dates from 1885, when Arthur Vinal, then Boston's official architect, designed it for his own family.
He included flourishes such as a Syrian arch to frame a stained-glass window nook (there are 31 stained-glass panels in the house total); 10-foot cove ceilings; and four carved-tile fireplaces.
The 4-BR, 2-BA dropped on the sales market in April for $899,000; and then dropped off in July. Its whereabouts remain unknown.
296 Ashmont Street
Edwin J. Lewis designed the 3,172-square-foot Shingle-style house at 296 Ashmont Street in Ashmont in the late 1880s. Lewis himself was a Dot native and did a lot of work in the neighborhood, divining grand Victorians as well as more utilitarian fair such as stables.
This particular creation retains much of the charm imbued by Lewis' design, starting with that Shingle exterior and ending with touches such as pocket doors and the half-moon seating alcove off the dining room.
The 5-BR, 2.5-BA sold through Gibson Sotheby’s in April for its asking price of $905,000.