17 & 19 Playstead Road was constructed in 1855 in a Gothic Revival Architectural Style and is on the National Registry of Historic Places
This large two-family home had been in a major state of disrepair. The double sized lot, expansive building size, proximity to the ocean, historic architectural detail and charming neighborhood were the attractive attributes to this home. The property location balances the quaint immediately available amenities with spectacular access to city resources. Malibu Beach, The Savin Hill Yacht Club, McConnell Park and Tennis Courts are a stone throw away. Concurrently, the Savin Hill T Station is short .2 mile walk connecting residents to South Boston and Downtown within a few minute train ride.
Development Plan
Upon acquisition in late 2019 the 4,000sf two-family building was in a state of major disrepair and had a hodge-podge layout in half of the building. The Perpetual Team planned to remove the interior walls in this half of the structure and reconfigure it to a more contemporary open floor layout. The development plan entailed repositioning each apartment in the home into two large open-layout four-bedroom, two-bathroom apartment.
Construction
During the construction process it was discovered that the structural framing in half the home was failing as it had deteriorated in the past 165 years and had been haphazardly repaired over time. This required the Perpetual construction team to reframe half the floors in the structure. Once the multiple dropped ceilings throughout the building were removed it was discovered that the both living levels had high ceilings, massive plaster crown molding in multiple rooms, as well as an articulated decorative wood ceiling in the historic library. The construction team made every effort possible to restore these historic architectural components as well as the massive vault which spans the entry hall for the upper level apartment.
The Finished Product
Both the oversized luxury apartments have a unique historic character as well as their own heating, air conditioning and private outdoor spaces. Further, the building was upgraded to balance high performance new technology (foam insulation, high efficiency furnaces/ hot water heaters) with the historic character of the building. Perpetual was able to bring this beautiful Gothic Revival historic gem of Savin Hill back to life. The aesthetic of the steep gothic roof lines, highly ornate crown molding, elegant wood paneled ceilings, historic vault, and oversized window were restored and preserved to the highest extent possible.
