Most condos for sale in Jamaica Plain come with a story about the kitchen. This one comes with a story about the building. 16-18 Walk Hill Street went up in 1920 as a City of Boston firehouse — Engine 53 — and it still looks the part: brick and stone masonry, two arched apparatus bays behind red doors, and a clock set into the façade. Today it holds thirteen condo homes, and Unit 7 is a corner studio on the second floor.

What You Get for $249,000

Three hundred square feet, used well. Gleaming hardwood floors, high ceilings, and a wall of exposed brick that the conversion left alone. Large windows with custom blinds on two walls — it's a corner unit, facing west. The kitchen runs along one side, open to the living space, with a stone-topped breakfast bar, a range, and a refrigerator. The bath is full and tiled. There's private storage in the building, and easy access to the bike room.

The Condo Fee Is the Quiet Headline

At $296.01 a month, the fee covers more than most: heat and hot water are both included, along with water, sewer, master insurance, laundry facilities, exterior maintenance, landscaping, snow removal, extra storage, refuse removal, and the management fee. For a first-time buyer or an investor running the numbers, that changes the monthly picture considerably — there's no separate heating bill to budget for.

A 1920 firehouse, a corner studio, and a condo fee that covers the heat.

The Details

Forest Hills, Step by Step

The address sits at Wenham Street, which puts a lot within walking distance:

• Forest Hills station — the Orange Line, the Needham commuter rail, and a major bus hub, for a quick ride downtown
• The Arnold Arboretum — Harvard's 281 acres of gardens and trails, free and open every day
• Franklin Park — Boston's largest park, with the zoo, a public golf course, and miles of wooded trails
• The Southwest Corridor park and bike path, which starts here and runs up through JP to Back Bay
• Shops, restaurants, and coffee close at hand

Frequently Asked Questions