‘Incredible’ Colonial fit for big family
The century-old Colonial at 75 Park St. in West Roxbury has served its owner, Karen Galvin, well.
“It's been an incredible home for 30 years,” Galvin said, sitting in the sunny living room with her jumpy lab mix, Honey.
“What I love about it are the great details,” Galvin said, noting the wide hallways, triple crown molding, brick fireplaces, handsome wooden staircase, and the sliding pocket doorways that lead out of the living room.
“It reflects a time when families were bigger,” she said of the home, which is listed for $849,000.
“The size of the house ... has provided for an incredible array of people in my life,” she said.
The six-bedroom Colonial that has two kitchens, the main one downstairs and a smaller one on the top floor, has helped Galvin raise her two children until they moved out — and to later house her daughter who needed a place to stay after college. She also put up friends when they were in a time of transition in their lives.
Built in 1915, the house is not as polished as some new or newly renovated places, and could use some cosmetic work here and there. But it shows fine craftsmanship rarely seen in recently built homes, and, besides, several rooms were getting a fresh coat of paint this week. It also has plenty of room for a house that appears from the outside a modest wood-shingle two-story with an old-fashioned front porch and dormers up top.
The place has more than 3,000 square feet of living space that's efficiently configured into many good-sized rooms — some that offer pleasant views of West Roxbury's Centre Street shops, others that feel quiet and away from the bustle of the neighborhood, and others that are bright with sunlight. The first floor houses the living, family and dining rooms and a kitchen that was renovated in 2012 with granite countertops and white cabinets. Here, the same rooms are connected by the pocket doors, allowing them to feel open but with the option for closing them off. On the second floor are four bedrooms and a deck that's attached to the master bedroom.
The top floor — which was likely built as a maid's quarters — offers a private place for guests, friends or family members.
There's a kitchen, two bedrooms, recently remodeled bathroom and separate good morning stairs.
And although Galvin said she has fond memories and feelings for the place, she admitted, “it's just too much house for Honey and me.”