Published July 8, 2020
THE OLD CHARLES WINSHIP MANSION was torn down today. The long-negected property was purchased last year by James Gattuso, who plans to build two single-family homes on the site. (Mark Sardella Photo)
BY MARK SARDELLA and GAIL LOWE
WAKEFIELD — After today, a long-vacant West Side mansion that has for years been a thorn in the side of neighbors and local police will be no more.
The long-neglected former Winship home met the wrecking ball today. The property was purchased for $585,900 last August by James Gattuso, who plans to build two single-family homes on the site.
The once stately manor at 10 Mansion Rd. sat vacant and hidden in recent years behind such an overgrowth of trees and brush that it was barely visible – except to the assortment of trespassers and vandals for whom the property seemed to be an irresistible magnet. A closer look would reveal broken windows on the second floor and grounds strewn with trash, including an old mattress.
The mansion was known as the Charles Winship House and was considered one of Wakefield’s historic homes, a monument to American industry and success. The two-and-a-half story building was built between 1901 and 1906 for Winship, co-proprietor along with Elizabeth Boit, of the Harvard Knitting Mills, a major Wakefield business at the corner of Albion and Foundry streets from the 1880s through the 1940s.
The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The total building area is 13,392 square feet on a little more than an acre of land. Its most recent assessed value was listed as $ 1,788,000.
The once grand mansion had a gigantic front yard that went all the way down to Jordan Avenue. But over the years, the owners subdivided the property in phases, selling off the surrounding land for single family homes. As a result, the mansion was left on a small plot of land and looked out of place in the neighborhood.
In its glory days, the mansion was quite the property. The home boasted 11 bedrooms and eight bathrooms. At the front of the property was a wide, roofed porch supported by 10 Corinthian columns. The roof was topped with a widow’s walk surrounded by a balustrade. There was also a circular portico out back, multiple bay and palladium windows and a swimming pool. The interior was once a stunning blend of natural woodwork, possibly mahogany, winding staircases, a massive foyer and special rooms set aside for music and reading.
It was the type of mansion befitting “Downton Abbey.”
But in recent years, the long vacant mansion became nothing but a shadow of its former self. And it became an attraction for youths looking to get into mischief. Over at least the last decade, police have logged hundreds of calls from neighbors complaining about trespassing youths. Police say that drugs, sex and vandalism routinely took place on the grounds.
Neighbors became accustomed to police cruisers showing up almost every night, shooing away kids and other trespassers, many from out of town who heard about the mansion online or through social media. Neighbors also lived in fear of a devastating fire sparked by careless revelers.
When Gattuso came before the Zoning Board of Appeals last December seeking a variance that would allow him to proceed with his plans, several neighbors spoke in favor of Gattuso’s plans to improve the property. No one spoke in opposition.
Its heyday long past, the once great property’s long, sad decline is now over. There’s nowhere to go but up.
