Return This Greek Revival to Its Single-Family Glory: $795K

  |  December 28, 2023

You can’t talk about the Berkshires without mentioning the Housatonic River that flows through the area. Today’s home is a stone’s throw from the RiverWalk, a town park and greenway trail that’s inspired Great Barrington to embrace the river and its natural beauty.

This c.1900 Greek Revival is in need of serious renovations inside: The main floor was most recently a dental office, with two rental apartments upstairs, but could be converted back to a single family. The exterior retains its vintage details, like architectural spindles on the columned front-porch railings, lintels above the windows, and a fanlight on the third floor.

The porch is in great shape, with a traditional gray floor and a tongue-and-groove ceiling. The front door is a deep red.

A glass office door belies the first floor’s current iteration. These anomalies continue throughout the house, but a hardworking new owner could make changes that revert the style back to its original intention. The floral carpet is a nod to the Victorian era.

Although office-like pieces were added, we’re happy to see that a lot of original details were untouched. In this room, for example, we see a beautifully paneled fireplace wall with a marble surround. Above it are two windows with leaded glass that spill light onto a hardwood floor. Built-in bookcases are a nice touch…

…but we’d pare down—actually, we’d remove—that long desk. Another office is visible in the next room.

This room has another beautiful fireplace, this one with ombre tile.

A few rooms need a complete overhaul to restore period details—Hudson Valley Houseparts would be a good resource for fixtures and furniture. The main floor has no kitchen, either, which is an expensive fix.

There’s a kitchen in this former apartment, though. That built-in hutch is adorable for old-home buffs. A doorway from this room…

…leads to a screened, second-floor porch overlooking the neighborhood.

This bath has some vintage touches but needs an update.

This is the second kitchen upstairs—if it gets demolished, the new owner should consider donating the cabinetry to one of the local Habitat for Humanity ReStores.

The top floor has a fire-engine red floor and that fanlight that overlooks the front yard.

That screened porch on the back has a small deck and stairs that wind their way down to the side yard. Another short flight leads from a back door on the main floor.

The house sits on a quarter-acre that includes a kind-of-crumbling three-bay garage.

In our mind, it’s worth saving.

Like we said earlier, this house is in a great location, smack-dab in Great Barrington. If this elder beauty warrants your help, find out more about 29 Church Street, Great Barrington, from Anthony Blair with Stone House Properties LLC.

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