Around the Neighborhood - The Heinz-Kerry House

Ah, Louisburg Square. So many distinctions: the largest patch of greenspace on the Hill, the oldest homeowners association in America, the most expensive houses. Unquestionably the most prestigious addresses in Boston, home to Adamses, Alcotts and, yes, Heinz-Kerrys.

The sweet digs of the famous flip-flopper and his condiment magnate wife Teresa are found at 19 Louisburg Square. I know this because I went there at 7:30 in the morning last Saturday and looked at their junk mail, but if you don’t believe me, here’s a Herald article that backs me up. I’ve also managed to track down a floor plan [PDF]; it only cost 1.7 million…back in 1995.

So, want to live down the street from a US Senator? It can be comparatively cheap - 1.125 mil gets you in the door at this spacious 1 bed at 58 Pinckney; it’s got 1.5 baths, so no more awkward moments when both you and a guest have to go to the bathroom at the same time - that’s luxury. And the house that ketchup built is a mere 100 yards down the road.

Heading along Pinckney in the other direction, we come to a 1.5 million dollar 2 bedroom at number 99. It sports gorgeous cherry-wood accents, thoughtfully placed skylights, a roof deck, and jacuzzi in it’s 1,600 square feet. Plus if the Senator is staggering back from 21st Amendment one night, and has to meet the needs a nature, eventually it’ll dribble past your doorstep. Nice!

But for those of you who crave both the space and location of the Kerry mansion, there’s 75 Mount Vernon Street. 6 bedrooms, 6.5 baths, 6,000 square feet, and a freakin’ private lawn, the clearest mark of luxury in the cozy plots and tight corners of Beacon Hill. Plus it’s on the only two way street in the neighborhood, meaning unnecessary turns are a local burden that you no longer have to bear. At 4.7 million, roughly half the estimated value of the Heinz-Kerry pad, it seems like quite the bargain.

photo © Cosmo Catalano under CC by-nc-sa 3.0.