Designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany, Boston’s Ayer Mansion is an ‘otherworldly experience’

Set against the traditional red-brick townhouses of Boston’s Back Bay, the Ayer Mansion — with its pale facade, bow-front windows, stained-glass panelling and stone columns — is a holistic work of art. It is also the world's only extant building with a Tiffany-designed interior and exterior.

The son of Tiffany & Co. founder Charles Tiffany, Louis Comfort Tiffany was an icon of American design known for his striking glass artworks. In 1899 he was commissioned by the prominent businessman Frederick Ayer and his wife, Ellen, to design the sleek five-story residence on Commonwealth Avenue. An architect and artist, Tiffany applied his myriad talents to the interior and exterior of the home. In 2005, the Ayer Mansion was designated on the list of National Historic Landmarks.

Tiffany’s hand can be seen in the smallest details throughout the Ayer Mansion, now available through Christie’s International Real Estate. From lighting, plasterwork, textiles and furnishings, he conceived of a home where every element worked in harmony.

‘Louis Comfort Tiffany was a polymath and a transformative genius whose beloved works are among the most sophisticated and valuable designs of the 20th century,’ says Alex Heminway, Christie’s International Head of Design. ‘He thought in the broadest, most holistic terms possible about space, about objects in space and about the people who lived in those spaces.’

Today, Tiffany’s impact on design is indisputable, and iconic works such as his colourful glass lamps continue to set records at auction. Selling for millions apiece, these items speak to the coveted, timeless aesthetic he pioneered.

Tiffany’s design ethos

Across the exterior and interior, Tiffany’s design ethos is woven into every corner. The limestone facade is inset with elaborate mosaic panels and a half-moon stained-glass window sits atop copper-clad double front doors. Inside, the entryway features a proscenium arch that frames a tromp l’oeil mosaic of a Greek temple. A Tiffany glass ceiling light hangs from the top ceiling down the length of the home to the first floor, encircled by a winding oval staircase. Other original details remain, including elaborate plaster mouldings, timber panelling and fireplaces, each with unique Tiffany-designed surrounds.

These arresting elements showcase Tiffany’s varied sources of inspiration, from ancient Rome to Japan, India and the natural world. Elaborate mosaic ornamentation is a testament to his love of Islamic art, while the Favrile glass touches throughout highlight the innovative glassmaking techniques he helped to pioneer. ‘The Ayer Mansion is really an incorporation of a lot of these different impulses,’ says Heminway. ‘It’s a transporting, otherworldly experience.’

A historic space for modern living

Preserved across more than a century, the Ayer Mansion is an unmatched opportunity to add a personal touch to a historic landmark. The other residences that Tiffany designed —from Manhattan’s storied Havemeyer House, torn down in 1930, to the artist’s own legendary Long Island estate, Laurelton Hall, which burned down in 1957 — have been lost to time, making the Ayer Mansion the only extant example of this important piece of his oeuvre. The last of its kind, Ayer Mansion provides buyers with a historic framework that can be updated for modern living.

An award-winning team of developers, builders and architects including Sea-Dar, CNW Capital Partners and Hacin + Associates have reimagined the possibilities of the 15,600 square-foot space in renderings and design schemes. The plans included in the sale incorporate grand entertaining spaces, a floor-through master suite, guest and family accommodations, a gym, a rooftop terrace, underground parking and a gym, all the components to bring Tiffany's vision into the 21st century.

‘From a design history point of view,’ says Heminway, the Ayer Mansion ranks ‘amongst the most important houses on the market today.’ Ground-breaking in its own day, the Ayer Mansion showcases astounding design foresight and remains a vital work of art meant to be lived in.