Colonial shines with family focus

When Lisa Maregni moved into 71 Hastings St. with her husband and his daughters nearly 20 years ago, they were one of the few families on the quiet residential street with a baby on the way.

“We were sort of the first family with a baby in a generation,” said Maregni, whose daughter is now in college.

But over the past two decades, the once-sleepy West Roxbury street turned out to be a vibrant place to raise children. And their home — a big, century-old Colonial Revival on the market for $949,900 — turned out to be the perfect “familyfocused house.”

The blue, wood-shingled home has an all-American feel, with the flag hanging from its big white porch and square columns. A sidegab-led roof with two pedimented dormers top the house — in classic Colonial fashion — and two window bays give it depth, while the full-width porch feels a like a rarity for the style.

A vestibule welcomes visitors with double doors flanked by sidelights with leaded glass images of rosebuds.

Although it’s only about 2,445 square feet, the home appears bigger. There are five bedrooms and three total bathrooms over three floors, and the master bedroom with the en-suite bath on the third floor is huge. Oak and fir floors are throughout, as well as grooved oak millwork, such as on the fireplace surround.

A few years after moving in, the Maregni family worked over much of the first floor, opening it up and upgrading the kitchen.

“It was a classic Colonial with four square rooms ... we tore down some walls and opened up the floor plan to give it a complete flow,” she said.

They also worked on the third floor and expanded the bathroom on the second floor, where three bedrooms, an office, and the handsome, open staircase reside. The kitchen, though about 15 years old, looks in great shape with glossy dark granite countertops, natural wood cabinetry, recessed lighting and a heated floor.

To the rear is a big deck and small grassy yard with a brick patio.

But as the children are all adults, “it’s much more house than we need,” she said.

“I’ll miss the front porch,” she added, “so many summer nights we sat out there and watched the kids play.”

STAFF PHOTOS BY PATRICK WHITTEMORE COZY, YET SPACIOUS: A century-old Colonial Revival at 71 Hastings St. in West Roxbury offers an expanded second-floor bathroom, above, a bonus bedroom on the third floor, left, and grooved oak millwork on the living-room fireplace, below. The sellers...