This colorful estate also boasts a life-sized outdoor chess set, an indoor grotto, and a stone teahouse from the 1920s. Photo by John Bellenis 16 & 18B Boardman Ave., Manchester
Price: $25,0o0,000
Size: 16,390 square feet
Bedrooms: 6
Bathrooms: 6 full, 1 partial
There’s a lot to be said about this mansion, but you certainly can’t say it’s boring. Just its location alone on a private peninsula in Manchester by the Sea is dramatic, given the views it offers of Marblehead, local islands, and the Atlantic Ocean. But the house itself—originally built in 1900 as a summer home for Robert C. Hooper, the man who established the Boston terrier breed—is just as eye-catching as the vistas it offers.
This spot feels like if a home on the Mediterranean coast met a historic Italian church, which was the goal of Epstein Joslin Architects , who redesigned the place for the current owners. Mosaics inspired by Roman ruins cover the pool room floor. Venetian glass chandeliers hang at the entrance. An oceanfront terrace lines the main house, while inside, stone archways serve as an entry point between rooms. And the elaborate decor (including colorful wallpaper) and whimsical ceilings and walls painted with images of cherubs, stars, and more make this home feel like a work of art.
The home’s current owners commissioned Epstein Joslin Architects to help renovate and expand the main house as well as make it feel more cohesive after some prior renovations left it feeling disjointed. As a result, an indoor lap pool with a bridge was added to the front of the home, connecting the entry of the home with the outdoor living space. The interior living space offers a number of additional spaces to entertain and relax, including a garden-like center courtyard and a living room with a grotto-like waterfall where you can sit and listen to the sounds of water trickling as you relax.
Outside, the new homeowners here can enjoy a deck and a supersized game of chess, thanks to a large board with real heavy wooden chess pieces. Also on the 4.4-acre grounds is a stone teahouse from the 1920s, with two bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, and plenty of whimsy. Or you can spend more time on the grounds and check out the playground, private gardens, and putting green.
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