Designed in 1871 by famed architectural firm Peabody & Stearns, the Ames-Webster Mansion stands proudly on the corner of Dartmouth Street and Commonwealth Avenue as a testament to the Gilded Age glamour that once dominated Back Bay. In the 1880s, when it was owned by Frederick Ames, an art collector who became owner and director of the Union Pacific Railroad and an original shareholder in General Electric, architect John Sturgis doubled the size of the structure to nearly 30,000 square feet, complete with 50 rooms, 28 fireplaces, a music room with an orchestral balcony, and hidden passageways concealed behind ornate walls. Ames had murals installed by Orientalist French painter Jean-Joseph Benjamin-Constant and stained-glass skylights by John La Farge. By the 1970s, the residence had been transformed into corporate offices. Over time, the luster of the place signifi cantly faded. In 2013, the structure was purchased by an investor who tapped architect Kahlil Hamady to transform the building into three luxury residences while facilitating a meticulous restoration of its ornamental elements. Decorative plaster walls and patterned wood floors have been revived; new millwork, lighting and faux painted plaster elements have been replicated; and the original murals exude their initial breathtaking prominence. For details on the residences, contact Tracy Campion, Campion & Co., 617.236.0711, campionre.com
Photography by: PHOTO COURTESY OF HAMADY ARCHITECTS
