Roslindale, 318 Metropolitan Ave.
$1.5 million
Victorian-inspired StyleQueen Anne
Built in 1900
3,835 square feet
Five Bedrooms
Two full, one half baths
Water/Sewer Public
$12,836 in taxes (2025; excludes residential exemption)
Take a seat. This Queen Anne Victorian, the only house in Roslindale to be listed by the Boston Landmarks Commission, has a lot to offer.
With connections to Boston’s Gilded Age elite, the house was first constructed in the early 1900s for newspaper executive Albert Fox and his opera singer daughter Blanche Hamilton Fox. The enormous house featured 24 rooms and a stable that was joined by a portico in its original form.
The Fox family had left by 1943, and a developer literally divided the house in two, putting the split part close by. The original house was owned and rented by a number of people before being adopted in 2016 by Dr. Vissia Viglietta, an Italian, and Adam Shutes, a London resident.
Although the biopharma executives legally bought the property, they actually regarded it like a member of their family. After nine years of preservation and restoration, the city this year chose it as a landmark. Shutes also conducted historical study on the house, compiling his findings into a website.
A gravel driveway with at least six parking spots is accessible from the sidewalk via a little white gate. The path winds through the front lawn, past peach, pear, apple, and cherry trees, and ends to the right of the house. There are multiple places to just sit still on the enormous wrap-around porch, which is accessible by a spacious stairs.
An antechamber and a mahogany-paneled foyer are accessible through the doorway, which is supported by an old red brick fireplace that bears the Scottish saying, “East, West, Hame s [Home s] Best.” In addition, there is an old brass and etched-glass chandelier and a vaulted ceiling with dark wood beams. The landmark designation protects this area as well as the grand stairwell on the right.
A 275-square-foot living room with a three-window bump-out at the front of the house is the starting point for the double parlor, which emerges on the left past functional pocket doors. The flooring is oak, and the crown molding is thin.
A second pair of pocket doors leads to the music room, which has been transformed into a magnificent formal dining room as you continue into the house. In one corner of its 303 square feet is a built-in China cabinet; in another is a tiled fireplace; and in a columned alcove is a stained-glass window with a lyre motif.
Next is the kitchen, which is 292 square feet. Completely renovated, it features a herringbone-patterned tile backsplash that was hand-installed by a craftsman from Viglietta’s birthplace of Italy. The appliances, including the gas stove, are stainless steel, the cabinetry are white, and the island and countertops are black Corian quartz. The porch in front of the home is connected via a slider. The 17,384-square-foot lot has a 178-square-foot family room attached to the kitchen that has a slider to the back yard.
Before ascending to the second floor, where a two-room apartment awaits, the grand staircase leads to a home office on the mezzanine level.
It combines the new with the old: The bedroom is 431 square feet and features a single window on the opposite outer wall, three windows in the bump-out, and hardwood floors. White bifold doors open into the closet. With the assistance of Viglietta’s father, the current owners constructed the new conservatory, which is 302 square feet and features two walls of windows and a wide skylight. The elder Viglietta created a built-in wet bar with an old porcelain sink. It’s patterned cement flooring.
The renovated 151-square-foot bathroom is just a short distance away and features a single sink and a dresser that was formerly used for the vanity. It features marble tile floors, black subway tile for the backsplash, and a shower only but no door. The Wedi shower system, which was created for better waterproofing, was used in its construction. There is radiant heat in the tile floors.
This floor’s second bedroom is 219 square feet with three windows. There is a built-in closet and armoire, and the floors are hardwood.
Another home office on a mezzanine level is located on the third and last floor.
The primary bedroom, which measures 431 square feet and has walls that are radically formed by the roofline of the house, is located on the top floor. In addition to a ceiling fan, there are windows on each of the three external walls. The shared full bathroom and the last bedroom (138 square feet) are connected by a door.
The bathroom features a white subway tile backsplash and is shower-only. The lone vanity is a dresser that has been repurposed and has a sink installed on top.
The unfinished basement, which includes a workshop and plenty of storage space, is where the laundry is kept. Boulders of granite served as the original foundation. Gas-fed forced hot water with six temperature settings heats the house.
The listing is owned by John Maxfield of Boston’s Maxfield & Company.
You can contact John R. Ellement at [email protected]. Observe him at JREbosglobe. Listings should be sent to [email protected]. Please be aware that we won’t reply to submissions we won’t pursue and that we only feature newly constructed or gut-renovated homes. Follow us on X @globehomes and sign up for our newsletter at Boston.com/address-newsletter.
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