One-of-a-kind Tiffany-designed mansion in Boston listed for $11.5 million

The sole surviving residence fully designed by Louis Comfort Tiffany is up for sale in Back Bay for $11.5 million, a listing for the property said.

The nearly 15,000 square foot mansion at 395 Commonwealth Ave. was designated a national historic landmark in 2005 and was originally commissioned by textile magnate Frederick Ayer and his wife. They lived there until Ayer died in 1918 and the property was used for a variety of purposes throughout the 1900s.

Ayer, alongside his brother, owned the Tremont and Suffolk Mills and the American Woolen Company, which owned 60 mills in New England, according to the Lowell Cemetery, where he is buried. He made the majority of his fortune while living in Lowell before moving to Boston. His home in Lowell became an orphanage and then the Franco-American School which operated until 2016.

Completed in 1902, the Ayer Mansion is the last standing home featuring handiwork both inside and out by famed designer Tiffany, the listing said. Tiffany, the son of Charles Lewis Tiffany, the founder of Tiffany & Co., made a name for himself as an artist and designer with his work with stained glass.

Tiffany grew up in New York City,but his art took him to North America, Europe and North Africa, according to Tiffany & Co. He started out as a painter but quickly discovered his love for stained glass and glass mosaics, and his work would end up in building lobbies, banks, hospitals, department stores and hotels.

His work was often inspired by the nature around him — dragonflies, grapevine and flowers — and he mixed metals, enamels and colored gemstones to create his pieces. In 1902, he was appointed Tiffany & Co.’s art director, where he established the Tiffany Art Jewelry department for the Fifth Avenue store, and, two years later, his jewelry debuted at the St. Louis Exposition.

Now known as the Ayer Mansion, the now single-family home has 23 bedrooms and 12 baths throughout its five stories, and also features rooftop panoramic views of Back Bay and the Boston skyline. There are five fireplaces throughout the townhouse and it has four parking spaces.

The unique design is seen in its granite facade with mosaic panels, arched ceilings, and its hand-laid Tiffany tiles and stained glass throughout the entire home.

“Tiffany combined exotic architectural style with masterful design elements to create a museum-quality masterpiece that is just as unique now as it was at its unveiling at the turn of the 20th century,” the listing said.

While its landmark designation can make renovations difficult, it has undergone restoration renovations and is already “widely regarded as one of the most stunning and distinctive addresses on Commonwealth Avenue in Back Bay,” according to the listing.

Located in the heart of Back Bay, it’s a short walk to Newbury Street, Harvard Bridge and Fenway.

After Ayer died and the estate was sold, the home transitioned to office space, a medical clinic, and the headquarters of an insurance company. In 1964, the Trimount Foundation, Inc., formally known as the Association of Cultural Interchange, Inc., turned it into a female students’ dormitory until December 2021, when it was purchased by 395-399 Commonwealth Avenue LLC in an off-the-market sale.

It was listed back in May of 2022 for $17 million and was reduced to $14,995,000 after a price drop in November of that year as they continued to seek a private buyer for the home. The listing was removed in April 2024 and returned as the current listing Feb. 24.

The Ayer Mansion is listed by Tracy Campion of Campion & Company Fine Homes Real Estate.