February 28, 2022 By Carol Britton Meyer
Following a Hingham developer's withdrawal from a purchase and sale agreement with Old Ship Church for the historic Parish House -- located at 107 Main St. -- last fall, the decision was made after consulting with local realtors that the most promising use of the building at this time would be as a single-family residence.
The 14,000-square-foot building is situated on a nearly three-acre parcel located in a Residence A zoning district. This allows a number of uses -- including single-family homes.
As background, Atlantic Development had been working with the church to repurpose the existing Parish House property to fund a new Parish House to be built adjacent to the meetinghouse at 90 Main St. and to potentially allow the board of trustees to negotiate with the Hingham Affordable Housing Trust for the sale of a portion of the land for the expansion of the Lincoln School Apartments in order to provide more affordable senior housing in town.
"The reason we feel comfortable marketing this property as a single-family residence is that the market is completely different today from what it was five years ago," when the decision was first made to sell the Parish House and surrounding acreage, Parish House Management Team Co-Chair Nina Wellford told the Hingham Anchor. "We feel that there are people willing to spend money on this beautiful home [which was built as a residence], especially at the lowered price, knowing that they will be putting in [significant] money for [major improvements and repairs] -- so the asking price seems fair."
Darleen Lannon from Coldwell Banker will be listing the Iconic Landmark property at 107 Main St for $2.6 million.
The original price was $4.75 million, which then dropped to $2.9 million and is now set at this price.
" I'm proud to have the opportunity to list this Landmark home in the heart of Downtown Hingham," Lannon told the Hingham Anchor. "It is being sold as a single-family home, and my focus is finding an end user buyer who will transform this 1867 [property] into the stunning estate that it can be.”
Lannon refers to this as a "once-in-a-lifetime opportunity" to own one of the most significant Landmark properties on Lower Main Street in Hingham, encouraging potential buyers to "bring your design ideas [about how to transform] this iconic property into your own dream home, just steps away from Hingham Square."
Located on almost three acres of land, there is room for amenities such as a pool or a guest house, Lannon said.
The first floor features a grand entry way with soaring 11-foot ceilings, a gracious living room with detailed mouldings, a beautiful office, formal dining room with a fireplace, an industrial kitchen, and a large entertainment/great room.
"The sprawling second floor offers picturesque views of Downtown Hingham and features six bedrooms and three full baths," Lannon said. "The home is on town sewer, with gas, and is being sold as is. The [price] reflects the significant amount of work needed to transform this 1867 home into the stunning estate that it can be." Call/text Lannon at (617) 899-4508 for more information.
Teams of Old Ship members and friends were organized to help showcase the property and to prepare the property for open houses and potential buyers.
"This is a beautiful parcel in downtown Hingham, with land behind the Parish House that can be improved," Wellford said.
Because the property is located in the Downtown Hingham Historic District, any proposed changes will be required to conform to Historic Districts Commission regulations, "but there's plenty of leeway," according to Wellford. "We're hoping that someone from the South Shore or who is moving here from elsewhere will view this to be a good possibility for a signature home."
The "bones" of the building and the structure itself are in "good shape," according to Wellford. However, the current Parish House no longer meets the needs of the congregation because it's not handicapped-accessible, is not functional for their needs, is too expensive to maintain, and the property is not being fully utilized in its current use.
Whether or not to build a new Parish House, the potential location, and other details have not yet been decided in consideration of a number of factors.