On the Market: Manchester-by-the-Sea

Anna Kasabian

05/01/2008

LOCATION: Perched above the Atlantic on Boston’s Gold Coast in the town of Manchester-by-the-Sea, just 20 miles from the city.

HISTORY: Originally named Lilliothea by owner George Robert White, president of Potter Drug Chemical Company, the home was designed by R.H. Wambolt of the prestigious Boston architectural firm Bigelow & Wadsworth in 1913. Many of the original materials remain—stone and brick imported from France, limestone from Indiana, rare Circassian walnut and Connemara marble from Ireland. The renowned Olmsted brothers, designers of the Capitol and White House grounds, were hired by White to design the parklike landscaping. Today the property is known as the Wyck estate and is considered one of the most spectacular private residences on the North Shore.

STATS: The 29-room home sits on nearly eight acres comprised of vast, rolling lawns and manicured greenery, a saltwater swimming pool, a tennis court, a private sandy beach and dock rights. There are 11 bedrooms, seven full baths, three half baths, an eat-in kitchen, pantry, kitchenette and wet bar adjacent to the dining room, a breakfast room, several stone porches and a grand terrace overlooking the property. A seven-room, two-story carriage house on 2.1 acres with five bedrooms is also available for $2.5 million.

WHAT SETS IT APART: "This one-of-a-kind property is a rarity in the market," says broker Lanse Robb. "This is a home that transports you back to early-20th-century France, and it is a remarkable bookmark of the Gold Coast’s history. To even attempt to duplicate its materials and craftsmanship would be a monumental, if not impossible, task today."

MARKET INQUIRIES: $13.75 million. Lanse L. Robb, LandVest, an exclusive affiliate of Christie’s Great Estates, 617.357.8996, www.landvest.com