Designed by Son of Tiffany & Co. Founder, a Gilded Age Mansion Is on Sale For $17 Million
Though the Tiffany name may be most readily associated with Tiffany & Co., Art Nouveau artist Louis Comfort Tiffany, the son of the iconic jewelry company’s founder, made his own indelible impression on American design. His unforgettable mosaic lamps continue to fetch sky-high prices at auction, with two rare lamps fetching over $3 million each at auction in recent years, and hundreds of copycats still being produced and cherished worldwide. What fewer may know is that Tiffany also embarked on several large-scale residential design projects, including a since destroyed glass wall at the White House. The only standing Tiffany-designed home in the world, Boston’s Ayer Mansion, has just been listed for $17 million.
The approximately 15,600 square-foot property, which was completed in 1901 and designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2005, features mosaic tiling, stained glass, detailed plasterwork, and yes, custom light fixtures throughout. The sale of the house, purchased in December 2021 by Jean Abouhamad, president of SEA-DAR Real Estate and Construction and Charles Reed of CNW Capital Partners, includes plans, permits, and renderings, in order to return the home to its original state as a single family space, as it was formerly owned by the Trimount Foundation and used as a students’ residence for women. Under the current plans, the home is expected to contain five bedrooms and 12 bathrooms, plus many distinct entertaining areas, two offices, and a home gym. The listing is held by LandVest | Christie’s International Real Estate, while the renderings envision what the space could look like.
Photo: Neoscape Rendering1/6Original custom plasterwork and stained glass transom windows are on display in the main floor’s parlor. Renderings show a selection of minimalist contemporary furnishings that allow the ornate details to command the space.
Photo: Neoscape Rendering2/6Further upstairs, a salon offers highly detailed wood trim, built in bookshelves, a tiled hearth, and relatively low-key stained glass windows. The upper trim features unique carvings of coats of arms, horses, and other medieval-leaning imagery.
Photo: Neoscape Rendering3/6Located at the back of the home, fewer ornamental details remain in the dining room. Tasteful wooden trim remains, while a simple white brick fireplace is suggested.
Photo: Greg Premru/LandVest4/6Even on Boston’s stately Commonwealth Avenue, the building’s bright facade stands out. It’s leftside entrance allows for spacious living areas, and its extension all the way back to Marlborough Street at the rear adds an additional entrance.
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Photo: Greg Premru/LandVest5/6Geometric mosaic trim adds additional flair to the already impressive foyer. A vase-like lamp sets light off the tile-lined niche it rests in.
Photo: Greg Premru/LandVest6/6Simple white marble underscores the drama of the foyer’s proscenium arch. Up the blue and green tile fronted steps lays a trompe l’œil Greek temple created with more complex tilework.
