Gracious Living on Orange Street
MAURY PEOPLE - GARY WINN $6,945,000
One of the most appealing aspects of Nantucket's historic architecture is that its grand houses were built in a variety of styles. Clustered primarily along Main and upper Orange streets, these homes provide a fascinating panorama of people's tastes in the heyday of whaling. Built in 1835, the house at 38 Orange Street, known as "Four Chimneys," is an excellent example of a style of the day and, having been completely restored and updated in 2003, it provides an unparalleled opportunity for those seeking gracious and spacious living.

With four floors (not including the cupola) and almost 7,000 square feet of living space, Four Chimneys dominates the "turn" of Orange Street, just a brief walk from Main Street.

Climbing the steps to the front door, the sense of grandeur is reinforced even before entering the foyer, which extends through another space to the back of the house, much like a center hall. The front hall shows off the Venetian plaster that is present through much of the house. During the recent restoration, the hand-finished patina of the plaster, which has the appropriate coloring incorporated in it, was restored and gives the house a unique style and in an understated way, conveys its mid-19th century grandeur.

As you enter, to the right is a large, bright room with the first of the house's nine working fireplaces. It has a full bath which allows for multiple uses, but your imagination takes you to creating a wonderful library incorporating existing features which the 12- foot ceiling, the mantel with its decorative painting and the superb molding.

Across the hall, the living room, equal in its grandeur and features to the library, extends through to the dining room, inspiring you to dream about how wonderful the house would be for entertaining. The dining room overlooks the covered back porch and the beautifully landscaped garden and gives a hint of the harbor view that awaits you upstairs.

On the opposite side of the hall is the kitchen. In this home of many marvelous spaces, the bright kitchen holds its own with the rest of the rooms. With a sitting area at one end and a breakfast nook with built-in benches at the other, you could spend most of your waking hours here in great style and comfort. The cabinets with their distressed finish, fitting the period of the house, are English and as skillfully crafted as any you will see. The stove hood is sheathed with wood. The wide board floors are wonderfully finished heart of pine.

A powder room is tucked in the back hall and back stairs lead both up and down.

Returning to the front hall, you climb the curving staircase to the upstairs hallway. In that gracious space, which again extends from front to back, you approach the large front window.

On the right side of the house is essentially a two- bedroom suite, again each with a fireplace, both with high ceilings and a large, connecting bath.

Across the hall is the master suite. The bedroom is at the rear of the house, with a private bath that features a Jacuzzi tub. Through the large, walk-in closet, at the front of the house, a wonderfully cozy sitting room awaits you and your book.

Both rear bedrooms have access to the second floor porch which, like its counterpart on the first floor is covered. From this vantage point, the view of the harbor across to Great Point opens up.

The top floor is amazing. It is a single open space suitable for almost any activity. A train track (which could stay with the house) is built into the exposed beams above head level. There is a powder room on this floor, but if you desire to add additional bedrooms, the plumbing (restored!) remains from when there were four bedrooms with ensuite baths. (The house was a bed and breakfast from perhaps 1870 to 2000.)

The harbor view is even more spectacular from the third floor deck, and from the enclosed cupola above (reached by a ladderway) the 360 degree views are breathtaking.

On the ground level, there is a two bedroom apartment with a full bath and a powder room. The open living room contains a handsome galley kitchen and has plenty of room for both a sitting area and a separate dining space. The apartment also has its own laundry.

Downstairs, there is also a separate laundry room for the main house, reached by the back stairway. It contains two washers and dryers (including a commercial washing machine) a large double sink, a commercial beverage refrigerator and a large folding shelf. It must also be noted that there is as much closet and storage space in the house as anyone could need.

During your tour, what will really impress you is the care with which this house has been restored. While maintaining the important features of the original structure, such as the fireplaces, the molding and the interior window shutters, the rebuilding incorporated such modern touches as the marvelous and unique tile work in each of the bathrooms (as well as brand new fixtures different in each bathroom), the plaster work, the new wooden flooring which looks like it should have been there from the beginning, the French tile in the downstairs apartment and the decorative painting. In short, the work combined the very best of old and new.

In a nod to the 21st century, the house has three off-street parking spaces.

This exquisite seven bedroom, four bath, three half-bath home, with spectacular views and fabulous indoor and outdoor living and entertaining spaces, is offered for $6,945,000.