This $35 Million Boston-Area Mansion Is Surrounded By an Acre of Peaceful Gardens

Cambridge, Massachusetts, is best known around the globe as the home of Harvard. But the tony Boston suburb is also home to some pretty spectacular, well, homes.

Case in point: A historic estate spanning three lots that total more than 1.2 acres just a mile from Harvard Square has hit the market for $35 million. The seven-bedroom, six-bath property was built back in 1877 but it’s now owned by RoAnn Costin, the investor and philanthropist who was one of the first women to become a partner at a major investment firm. Gail Roberts and Ed Feijo at Coldwell Banker hold the listing.

The stately red brick building opens to a 27-foot foyer and a dramatic central staircase topped off by a skylight. The entertaining spaces include a large fireplace-warmed living room, a library surrounded by floor-to-ceiling bookcases, and a formal dining room with French doors that spill out to an 80-foot wraparound porch. Along with the family bedrooms, the third floor features an au pair suite, while a guest or staff apartment sits above the two-car garage. Other highlights include a billiards room, a wine cellar, and an exercise suite.

Dignified and proud as the handsome house is, the arboretum-like grounds are the real showstopper. The late landscape architect Morgan Wheelock designed the terraced gardens that include mature specimen trees that shade discrete seating areas and a water channel that cascades from a wisteria-laden pergola down to a central koi pond before it waterfalls into a circular catch basin. Off to one side is a heated pool.

In recent years, as planning restrictions and limited land availability have kept supply low, Cambridge has become a relatively hot property market. Since 2007, property values have risen more than 76 percent, and almost half of the homes in the neighborhood sell for more than their asking price. Other homes in the area include a more modern seven-bedroom abode that’s now listed at $18 million. 

Click here to see all the photos of the Cambridge estate.