Is this the largest single family dwelling in Boston?

I've always been a fan of New York designer Thad Hayes. He manages to combine a clean, masculine aesthetic with warm and sumptuous finishes that result in beautiful interiors that are eclectic, rich and never "over done". So, when AD posted about a huge project he worked on in Boston that is featured in the October issue, I was excited to see what he brought. This was a huge project. The homeowners have spent 13 years buying up the individual condos of two adjoining 1880's brownstones to create, per AD, what is thought to be the largest single family dwelling in Boston. Along with architect Dell Mitchell (see more images of this project here) and Cafco Construction (see more images of this project here) they have knit together two properties - that had different roof heights and floor levels, into a single home that apparently still looks like two traditional brownstones on the outside. Having worked on two different brownstone projects (both about the same age as this project) in Boston (South End and Back Bay) I am doubly in awe of this project.

 

 Photography by Pieter Estersohn | Produced by Howard Christian

After a little digging around, I found that this project is the combination of 25 Exeter Street and 196 Commonwealth Avenue which is in Back Bay. The houses were designed by prolific 19th C architects Peabody and Stearns in 1882 and 1881, respectively. Interestingly (or not, I suppose) they had different builders. You can read more of the history of both properties here: 25 Exeter and 196 Commonwealth.

And a little Google tour:

The corner of Exeter (left) and Comm Ave (right)

This picture shows the difference in stories and floor heights. 196 Comm Ave is the building on the right with the door. The side of 25 Exeter is the structure on the left. The middle group of 4 bay windows is likely the kitchen, which features the transom windows. One of the hints that these two buildings are really now one is that all the windows are new and the same brand - you can tell from the reflection.

Above and below are the street view of 25 Exeter. It's a narrow street, hard to move back in the image. These views also show a four window bay with transoms - so perhaps this is part of the kitchen as well. However, the seating area in the kitchen definitely faces Comm Ave since the bay is rounded, vs. the more squared bay on the Exeter side.

So, the house has two entrances - one dark and one light, one on Comm Ave, one on Exeter. Both feature the same unifying elements of the wood block moldings, and the gorgeous matching 1960s Italian chandeliers from Galerie Van den Akke.

Any thoughts on which is which? I'm guessing the light entry is the Comm Ave side, and the dark is the Exeter side - simply because the light entry is much larger and Comm Ave was always a more tony address than the side streets like Exeter (not that it's not amazing in its own right!). Additionally, if we assume that the front door is beyond the curved entry on the light foyer, then it's clear the door is on the furthest right side of that building, which matches the exterior shots. And, the dark entry shows that the house moves off to its right, as the Exeter street side does.

In any event, what an amazing project! I love the color palettes - almost foggy with the grays and purples. Wonderful mix of furnishing styles and periods. Read more on AD online here.