Ayer Mansion Boston’s Tiffany-Designed Home Is Now Up For Grabs
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Ayer Mansion Boston’s Tiffany-Designed Home Is Now Up For Grabs

June 12, 2022

The Ayer Mansion in Boston, Massachusetts, is a rare surviving example of the residential work of artist Louis Comfort Tiffany – and now it could be all yours.

The Ayer Mansion is the only wholly Tiffany-designed home in the world. Standing five stories and fronting both Commonwealth Avenue and Marlborough Street, this is a rare opportunity to match a buyer’s vision.

It also holds a fascinating place in the back bay – smack bang in the heart of Boston. The designer Tiffany was a famous architect known for his creative totality of space known more famously as Mr. Tiffany was also the design director of the jewellery company Tiffany & Co. He was so talented that if you had a naked room, he would decorate and think about every element. From the wallpaper, paintings, and furniture to the structures themselves, he was a master of all trades. 

Ayer Mansion

So you could say that from a design history point of view, it has to rank among the most important houses on the market today. This could explain its juicy price tag of $17 million. What makes this legendary home worth the pay cheque? Well, as you walk up to the Ayer Mansion, you will notice that its exterior stands out from its neighbourly terrace twins – tiles and materials. These are just some of the compositional details hidden in the facade.

Ayer Mansion
Left: A “glass jewel” lamp, suspended five stories up combines with gold foil-backed columns (see right) to create the sense of the sun rising. Right: A striking marble staircase adorned with mosaics leads the way to a beautifully decorated proscenium arch.

As you make your way off Commonwealth Avenue and into the mansion, you will be confronted with a grand staircase like no other, a mosaic greek temple. Secondly is this marvelous ceiling light that runs through the whole house that transports you into this otherworldly experience. 

Ayer Mansion
Original handcrafted details from the present incarnation of the home (left) are both preserved and enhanced in the reimagined room design (right).

The five-storied mansion (each comprising at least 2,700 square feet) contains 23 bedrooms, five fireplaces, and views of the Citgo sign and other Boston landmarks.

Ayer Mansion
Photo courtesy of Greg Premru.

What was once designated as a National Historic Landmark in 2005 and, more recently, used as a women’s dormitory for a religious group is now an empty shell packed with history, legacy, and modern-day potential. 

Author: Michelle Laver
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