A condo in a late poet’s home is full of surprises

Once the home of 19th-century poet and writer Celia Thaxter, this Newtonville Victorian on the National Register of Historic Places is now a couplet: two condo units that harmoniously blend the hallmarks of the past while accommodating the needs of the present.

Entry to the unit featured here is gained in two ways, one more lavish than the other. From the wide wraparound porch, you can go through a nice-looking everyday door into the kitchen or into the front entryway through a doorway with Victorian stylings, including 32 squares of bull’s-eye glass and a transom window with stained-glass highlights.

To the right of the main entry is the living room, which features an arched windowed nook and a dark mahogany fireplace mantelpiece framed by ceramic tiles. The fireplace, one of three in the home, is functional.

Pocket doors separate the living and dining rooms. The dining room has a decorative fireplace and boasts a mantelpiece that is a snowy white and has a mirror at its center. A simple yet elegant chandelier lights this room, which has a small closet. The ceiling height here and elsewhere on the first floor is 9½ feet. The flooring through much of the home is heart of pine.

A wide doorway from the dining room leads to the updated kitchen, which is compact and U-shaped. It has a stainless-steel gas stove, a sink underneath a leaded-glass window, solid-wood cabinetry, and richly veined granite counters in a muted tiger-like pattern. A half bath off the kitchen completes this floor.

Back in the main entry, a broad oak stairwell with its original carved newel posts leads to a sizable second-floor landing. This level houses two bedrooms, including the master suite. The home’s conversion into a two-family cost the master suite its working fireplace, but the richly carved dark mahogany mantelpiece with mirror remains. Other highlights are the private deck, the large walk-in closet, and the shower-only bath, which has a console sink.

The third floor offers two sunny bedrooms with ample closet space. They share another shower-only bath.

The basement is unfinished. The unit comes with four assigned parking spaces, including one of two bays in the detached garage.

The listing agent, Bill Aibel of Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Cambridge, will hold open houses on July 9 and 10 from noon to 1 p.m. Despite its federal designation, the home is not subject to restrictions on updates, Aibel said, because it is not in a historic district.

$848,000

Style: Condo

Year built: 1840

Square feet: 2,440

Bedrooms: 4

Baths: 3 full, 1 half

Sewer/water: Public

Taxes: $6,323 (2016)

Fee: $325 per month