Standing five stories tall with 15,000 sqft, 23 bedrooms and 6 full 6 half bathrooms, this mansion currently on the market for $14,995,000 at 395 Commonwealth Avenue is the only home entirely designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, architect and son of Charles Tiffany, founder of Tiffany & Co. With some of the most sophisticated and admired work from the 20th century coming from the Tiffany family, it’s no surprise that the design of this home is stunning and unique.
This beautiful curved staircase, glittering with Tiffany mosaic tiles, is the first thing you see when entering the mansion. Inspired by the desire to move in a different artistic direction than his father, Louis wore many hats as an architect and designer of home decor. Notably, in the last 2 years, multiple table lamps designed have sold for over three million dollars at auction.
Since the mansion’s unveiling in 1902, the sleek, apple granite building with iconic Tiffany mosaic designs stands out amongst the rest of the red brick norm on Commonwealth Avenue. The first owner was Frederick Ayer, a very successful and savvy businessman who owned the American Woolen company, co-founded the Arctic Coal Company, and was involved in the patent medicine business. He and his wife Ellen hired Louis Comfort Tiffany to design this iconic space in 1900. The mansion was sold following Ayer’s death in 1918.
In the last century, the mansion has gone through many owners utilizing the landmark in various ways. From an office space, to a women’s dormitory for a religious group, and then designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2005 (occasionally opened for museum tours). The original plan by the current owners was to turn this home into condos, but they came to the realization that they couldn’t ruin this iconic piece of history Louis Tiffany graciously placed in our beloved Back Bay neighborhood. However, the building to the left of the mansion will become luxury condos while the Ayer mansion will be sold as one of the most desirable single family homes in Boston. We can only hope the next owners of this architecturally significant home will maintain the carefully designed details meticulously crafted by Louis Comfort Tiffany. Listed by Greta Gustafson of LandVest, Inc.
