New Bedford's historic Melville home is now on sale. Here's what to know.
NEW BEDFORD — Have you ever wanted to live in a historic home? The former Catherine Melville Hoadley and Swain School of Design house, featured on the Magnolia channel, is currently on sale.
The house, located at 100 Madison Street, was originally built in 1855. It was constructed by Henry Taber as a wedding present for his daughter, Abby Taber Hunt.
Henry Taber, a whaler in his early twenties, quickly rose through the ranks and became a captain of his own ship by the age of 30. Over the years, he commanded several different vessels known for his bravery and skill in navigating his ships through dangerous waters, often facing harsh weather conditions and treacherous icebergs.
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The house eventually became the residence of Catherine Melville Hoadley, sister of Herman Melville - who famously penned "Moby Dick." The residency later became an independent tuition-free non-profit school of higher learning called The Swain School with the mission as a "school of design" for the "application of art to the industries."
Owners Laura and Tom Parrish-Lavin purchased the house in 2015, putting in tons of effort to restore the house to its original splendor. The house was featured on the Magnolia Network on an episode of “Diary of an Old Home.”
All the details about the historic home
According to its listing in Zillow.com, the Victorian's elegant entrance hall is bordered by a sunny and inviting solarium, a cozy sitting room and a spacious living room with a marble fireplace. Going further down the hall, there is a large dining room that opens up to a quaint kitchen with luxurious marble countertops, a Bertazzoni range and a Newport brass sink.
Up on the second level, there are three generously-sized bedrooms, each with its own bathroom. A charming private suite is also available for guests or relatives.
This unique and enchanting property had been a significant part of Laura Parrish-Lavin's life for many years.
"A house like this is hard to put into words. It's incredibly magical, and I think it's something that people need to experience on their own," she said. "I absolutely recommend that if they're interested in purchasing it, then please come and enjoy the open house."
Parrish-Lavin said although there is an incredible downtown scene in New Bedford, the house is away from the bustle, but close enough where you can walk and enjoy the restaurants downtown.
It's also close to the ferry and the upcoming MBTA commuter rail stop, about a mile away.
"The neighborhood and street in general are incredibly beautiful, with only six houses on Madison Street. The neighbors are wonderful people and the houses are all beautifully maintained. It's a great location," she said.
Preserving the history inside the house
One of the most impressive aspects of the Whalehouse is its well-preserved interior with most of the interior still original. The doors, windows, mantels, floors and radiators have all been maintained.
"Nothing historic has been removed or replaced," she said, adding that even the widow's walk, currently adorned with signatures from students who went to school in the 60s, 70s, and 80s, will remain as is.
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"It's an very livable property, because I have owned it for almost a decade and have achieved all of the major projects that were needed there," she added.
The house is not being sold as a rental business
To locals, the house has been referred to as "The Whalehouse," created by Parrish-Lavin to serve as a rental for weddings and other private events. The house is also listed to rent on Airbnb. However, "The Whalehouse" business aspect will not be part of the sale.
"We are not selling house as The Whalehouse, we are selling the house as 100 Madison Street," she said. "The social media is not something that I'm passing along with the sale, I will keep it for whatever projects we ended up tackling after this one."
Parrish-Lavin said the house is being sold as a single-family home. It will be up to buyers to decide how they want to use the house and they need to do their own due diligence if they want to follow in the footsteps of renting it out.
What it means to own a historic home
As the housing market continues to boom, according to Diana Henry of Diana Henry Realty, she and Parrish-Lavin believe it is a good time to sell the house.
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"I think that as crazy as the market has been, it's a good time to sell. There are a lot of people looking, both from out of town and within the city who are looking to move up," Parrish-Lavin said.
"There has been a lot of interest already."
Henry said that there are surprisingly several historic properties on sale in the New Bedford area. She said its about a 50/50 split between buyers interested in purchasing and maintaining historic homes.
Henry, who lives just a block away from the property, knows firsthand the amount of work that goes into maintaining its original character.
"There's a lot of extra work that you have to do to maintain its original character," Henry said. "I have a historic house as well. You have to understand that owning a historic house means there will always be something that needs attention."
However, Henry said the New Bedford community is known for its strong network of expert craftspeople who specialize in restoring and maintaining historic homes. Henry reassures potential buyers that there are plenty of resources available in the area to help them navigate and care for the property.
"Owning a historic house is something that you learn as you go. It's not something you can just live in for 20 years without ever having to do any work on it," she said.
"When you fall in love with something, you learn how to educate yourself in order to restore it and keep it the way that it deserves."
Standard-Times staff writer Seth Chitwood can be reached at [email protected]. Follow him on twitter:@ChitwoodReports. Support local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Standard-Times today.
This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: The Whalehouse, Herman Melville family home on market.
