Fee $176 a month (estimated)
Benjamin Cressy built a saltbox at 107 Dodge St. (Route 1A) as a residence in 1724, but the property went on to serve other roles in its long history. The penultimate iteration was as an insurance office.
Now a new saltbox has taken a premium spot on this half acre-plus lot in what will be known as Cressy Crossing, a development that also includes two other buildings, both duplexes, for a total of five units.
The front door opens into a narrow foyer and an unusual floor plan. Directly ahead is a standard stairwell, but a door slightly off to the right opens into a full bath with a tub/shower combination and a single white vanity topped with marble. Seeking to evoke the site’s history, the developer installed porcelain tile flooring with a rustic wood appearance. The shower surround is a white, square ceramic tile, but porcelain Arabesque tile creates a focal point on the wall behind the vanity — a design carried out in the other bathrooms, too.
Directly to the right off the foyer is a bedroom with three windows, a single-door closet, and a gas fireplace with a wooden mantel from the Cressy house painted an off-white. And, as is the case in nearly every major room in the home, this bedroom has dark wooden beams saved from Cressy’s house and then installed as a counterpoint to the walls from this century. The beams are so integrated into the current home that space was carved out of them for the electrical outlets.
Back out in the foyer and to the left, the home opens up into the high-traffic areas (the living room, dining area, kitchen, and family room), which are broken up only by a narrow wall holding a two-sided fireplace with gas inserts. The living room has recessed lighting, built-in speakers, an antique wooden mantel from the Cressy house, and three windows flanked by notched original beams.
The flooring throughout much of the house is new red oak.
The mantelpiece on the dining room side of the wall is floor to ceiling and from the Cressy house. This room also has built-in speakers, and wood beams frame its single window. A glass slider opens to a deck.
The dining room, kitchen, and family room run shotgun style along the back of the unit.
The kitchen features a long rectangular island with a sink and seating for four. Two pendant lights with seeded-glass shades hang overhead. The ceiling is also dotted with a generous helping of recessed lights. The kitchen is all white, save for the dark honed-granite countertops and the stainless-steel exhaust hood and appliances, including a pair of built-in ovens. The backsplash is a traditional white subway tile, and the wooden Shaker-style cabinets are painted white.
The room flows seamlessly into the family room, where the cathedral ceiling holds a fan and natural light comes from four windows, including one set high up on the wall (with no way to access it). The original beams in this space form a T set on its side. The family room also has recessed lighting.
Up on the second floor, there are two suites and a laundry room.
In the owner suite, the original beams have been dramatically configured into what can be described as a headboard, but one that is positioned well above the bed. More beams bisect a pair of stacked windows and sit sentry in a corner. The en-suite shower-only bath uses the same materials as the first-floor bath.
Both bedroom suites have walk-in closets with shelving; recessed lighting; and four windows. In the guest suite, beams bisect a pair of stacked windows, fill a corner, and are used in an inset above the bed. The en-suite bath has the same setup as the owner bath.
The door to the basement is in the kitchen. The basement, which runs the full size of the house, is unfinished but plumbed for a full bath. A concrete stairway offers direct access to the backyard through a windowed door.
The unit comes with a one-car detached garage.
There is central air and a heat pump. The development is 0.4 of a mile from the North Beverly commuter rail station.
Mike Becker of Atlantic Coast Homes is the listing agent.
Follow John R. Ellement on Twitter @JREbosglobe. Send listings to [email protected] . Please note: We do not feature unfurnished homes and will not respond to submissions we won’t pursue. Subscribe to our newsletter at pages.email.bostonglobe.com/AddressSignUp.
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