NORTHBRIDGE — After more than two years on the market, a historic 89-room Whitinsville mansion recently sold.
The mansion at 120 Hill St. in the Whitinsville section of town sold for $1.35 million Oct. 29, according to Keller Williams Realtor Norman Hodson.
The historic property was once operated by the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston as the Oakhurst Retreat, a House of Affirmation and rehabilitation for clergy. The mansion was later the subject of a civil suit filed by a married gay couple when their offer to purchase the property was rejected.
The manor includes three floors of living space with 43 rooms, 23 bedrooms, nine full baths, four half-baths and an unfinished basement with storage and utility rooms.
Placed on the market in March 2019 , the 20,000-square-foot Whitin Lasell Manor, built by the president of Whitin Machine Works, Chester Whitin Lasell, was originally listed for $1,495,000. ‘Mansions like this don’t come up for sale often’
Hodson said all parties involved are pleased with the sale.
“Mansions like this don’t come up for sale often,” he said. “There’s obviously a lot of history and significance to the town and the Industrial Revolution 100 years ago.”
As for the two-and-a-half years that the mansion sat on the market, Hodson said he expected it to be a lengthy process.
“Remarkable properties often are picked up by a very specific buyer,” he said. “We researched mansions, estates, castles, manors throughout New England, and only about 20% we see settle, and many take many months or years, so we kind of predicted that.” One of most unique properties in Whitinsville
While typical family homes sell daily, Hodson said most buyers aren’t looking for a 10- or 20-bedroom home, which attract a unique buyer. Vintage or historic properties usually attract unique buyers as well, he added.
Hodson said it’s one of the most unique properties in Whitinsville, especially due to its history.
The manor has a storied past. The property was owned by the estate of the late Worcester philanthropist James M. Knott Sr. who bought the mansion and its 26 acres for $800,000 in 2012 from the Catholic Diocese of Worcester.
Built circa 1890 by industrialist Chester Whitin Lasell, the mansion was used as the Whitin Lasell residence for decades. Later the property was bought by the Catholic Archdiocese of Boston, which owned the property from 1973 to 1990, and then passed it on to the Catholic Diocese of Worcester, which used the mansion for its House of Affirmation, a facility for troubled priests, and later converted it into the Oakhurst Retreat and Conference Center.
