A rare Queen Anne landmark on a corner lot at 269 Kent St. in Brookline’s Longwood neighborhood—the Webber-Bouve Mansion, built in 1885—has hit the market for $4.3 million, combining museum-grade stained glass and preserved late Victorian woodwork with modern
On a corner lot at 269 Kent St. in Brookline’s Longwood neighborhood, a late Victorian showpiece is drawing fresh attention from anyone who loves the drama of old architecture.
The Webber-Bouve Mansion—an extravagant Queen Anne house built in 1885—has been listed for $4.3 million. It sits on the market at $4. 350. 000. with Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty agent Ethan Felleman offering a rare mix: architectural grandeur that has largely been left intact. paired with amenities many older homes can’t claim.
The home’s exterior reads like a catalog of Queen Anne signatures: a unique corner front entrance. large brackets. irregular massing. bays. gables. a stone porte-cochere. plinth-like stone porches. and an unusual corner entry tower. Under that visual flourish is a first floor built of granite blocks. while the upper level is faced with stucco and carved terracotta details. A steeply pitched red slate roof crowns the whole composition.
Inside, stained glass is one of the defining features. “The house has more stained glass than you would find in a museum,” Felleman said. Stained glass details appear throughout the interior, adding color and light to rooms that also retain much of what made the house remarkable in the first place.
The mansion was designed by Boston architect S. Edwin Tobey for local real estate magnate John Prescott Webber, who later sold it to George F. Bouve, a prominent shoe manufacturer, according to Buildings of New England. Because those eminent Victorians owned it. the house has been fortunate—none of its extensive interior woodwork has been removed. painted. or altered. That includes paneled wainscoting, parquet floors, built-ins, and carved fireplace surrounds.
For modern living, the house has been updated without stripping away its character. It includes central air conditioning, a central vacuum system, an updated kitchen, and luxurious bathrooms.
A grand staircase leads to the second floor. The layout spans 6,227 square feet, with seven bedrooms, three full bathrooms, and one half bath. There are seven fireplaces throughout the house. and a palatial entry hall connects to spacious living and dining rooms in the tradition of entries that function as impressive entertainment centers.
Bathrooms also reflect the home’s old-world detail. One of three full bathrooms has a chandelier above the bathtub. Other rooms carry their own sense of personality, with patterned wallpaper and colorful floor tile showing up in the kitchen, and colorful motifs adorning many of the bedrooms.
On the property side, the lot measures 0.33 acres, described as only a small part of the original grounds. In 1995, the stable was demolished in exchange for a preservation restriction on the main house. Fellemen said the house behind it was originally the carriage house.
The current owners have made what they have count. They created a lush series of outdoor areas planted with roses and other flowering perennials. including lawns for children’s play and private. restful areas built for taking in the view. Just outside the kitchen door is a cutting garden that also grows herbs and vegetables. and roses climb on many of the house’s stone architectural elements. including the massive pillars of the porte-cochere. A circular focal point near the path leading to the front door is flanked with stone and sod checkerboards.
Because of the way the gardens are designed, the outdoor space appears much larger than it actually is. There’s also a greenhouse—one of the features prized by passionate gardeners—plus parking for up to eight vehicles.
At $4.3 million, the listing positions the Webber-Bouve Mansion as something more than a renovation story or a design trend. It’s being marketed as a rare high-style Victorian house that still lets original architectural elements breathe. while making room for the kinds of comforts today’s owners expect.
Brookline Longwood Webber-Bouve Mansion 269 Kent St. Queen Anne historic architecture stained glass Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty $4.35 million
4.3 million for a house with stained glass?? wild.
So they’re charging $4.3M because it’s old and has stained glass? I mean, is it even livable or is it like a museum that you gotta whisper in.
Wait this is in Brookline right, like not far from me? I heard ‘Webber-Bouve’ and thought it was a school or something. Also how is it 1885 but still has ‘modern amenities’ like what did they update, the windows or the roof or did they just slap smart stuff on it?
Queen Anne mansions always look like they’re from a haunted movie lol. $4.35m doesn’t sound crazy if it has preserved Victorian woodwork, but I don’t get the whole ‘more stained glass than a museum’ claim… like museums have like a million pieces, so how are they measuring that? Also Gibson Sotheby’s sounds like a real person or a typo, I’m confused.