Architectural delight in Roslindale
When Jimmy and Regina Hester were looking for a house to raise their family some 23 years ago, they were having trouble finding the right place.
“We were looking for a home with large rooms,” said Jimmy, noting that with all their furniture and kids, they didn’t want a place that felt too cramped.
Then they came upon 234 Poplar St. in Roslindale.
“Immediately, it felt like this is where we belonged,” said Regina, standing in the sunny living room of their house, which is now on the market for $629,900.
“This house has a lot of love in it,” she said. “I don’t know if you believe in it, but the spirits in here are loving.”
What is clear is that over the decades they’ve made the place their own. The rooms are painted in a variety of colors — green, red, yellow, beige, orange and aqua with white — and decorated with giraffe statues, Tiffany lights, and quirky paintings Regina picked up at secondhand shops. It all fits well with this unique century-old home that stands out on this quiet residential block near Belgrade Avenue, thanks to its intriguing combination of architectural accouterments, like the semicircle verge-board decorating the third-floor exterior, the second-floor overhang, the two firstfloor window bays and the cross-gable roof. The only drawback here is at some point the exterior was clad in vinyl siding.
While the house is handsome and appears to be in good shape, it lacks the overthe-top luxuries typically added right before a sale. It makes up for this with its character, its great use of space, and its small yard and big deck. With six bedrooms, a huge walk-in closet, a big basement for storage, and three stories, the place feels much larger than its nearly 2,000 square feet, too.
The Hesters also worked on it over the years, recently removing all the carpet to expose the rustic wood floors and replacing the floor completely in the dining room downstairs, renovating the kitchen with natural wood cabinets and stainless steel appliances and painting all the rooms and the decorative surround of the fireplace in the living room.
But now that their children have all moved out, said Regina, it’s time to move.
“We decided six bedrooms were just too much for us,” she said, joking that if they stayed, “that means (the kids) will move back.”