Home Buying
It features four bedrooms, two full bathrooms, two half bathrooms, six wood-burning hearths, and a detached four-car garage. Price: $2.7 million.
Creative-types seeking a home with a rich backstory and a wellspring of inspiration are in luck. The former home of N.C. Wyeth is on the market in Needham, offering both in spades.
Wyeth, one of the most renowned painters and illustrators of the 20th century, was born in the house next door to the property for sale. He left his native Needham in his 20s to spread his wings, but often thought of home. As he neared his 40s, he decided to buy the house beside his parents at 178 South St.
In the years following, the house would make many appearances in Wyeth’s works, such as “Christmas Morning” and “Paul Revere.” He also entertained the region’s literati there, including poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who is said to have written “To the River Charles” based on the view from Wyeth’s yard.
More recently, Linda Bean, the granddaughter of L.L. Bean, had been working on turning the 5,232-square-foot home into a research library. But Bean died last spring before she was able to transfer the money needed to endow the foundation, according to the Needham Observer. Prior to her death, Bean founded the N.C. Wyeth Research Foundation and Reading Libraries, made up of several properties where Wyeth lived and painted: one in Chadds Ford, Pa., and the other in Port Clyde, Maine. In order to finish funding those two libraries, the foundation put the Needham home on the market, per the Observer.
Michael Niden, the listing agent on the house, hopes the home’s buyers will appreciate its history and work to preserve it.
“It’s incredible to live in a place with such rich artistic and historical significance,” Niden said.
Built in 1776, the house was once a stop on the Underground Railroad. Now asking $2.7 million, it features four bedrooms, two full baths, two half baths, six wood-burning hearths, and a detached four-car garage. The renovated kitchen is appointed with top-of-the-line appliances, while an elevator provides access to the first and second floors. Original wide-plank floors and wainscoting, meanwhile, add to its historical charm.
In addition to the detached garage, there’s also an artist’s studio on the property, built on the foundation of a former barn. Inside, soaring ceilings and northern-exposed skylights provide the kind of natural light that’s ideal for creative work, while a wood stove can warm the place on chilly evenings.
“This home is perfect for multigenerational living, especially with the main house and the studio equipped for convenience and privacy, boasting a full kitchen and bath,” said Niden. “It seems like an ideal blend of comfort and functionality, allowing families to connect while also having their own space.”
In the backyard, there’s a landscaped fieldstone terrace overlooking a grassy expanse that opens to the Charles River. The home’s “combination of Georgian Colonial architecture and proximity to both nature and downtown Boston makes it a unique retreat,” Niden said.
The property is being sold as is.
See more photos of the home below:
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