Cambridge Townhouse Where Cole Porter Once Cavorted Seeks $2.4 Million

Last week, the data analytics firm Niche unveiled the results of its annual “Best Cities to Live in America” survey. Claiming the top spot this year: Cambridge, Mass. The New England town was awarded grades of A or A+ on its report card in the “Public Schools,” “Good For Families,” “Outdoor Activities,” “Nightlife,” “Diversity” and “Commute” categories. But, as the city’s C grades for the “Cost of Living” and “Housing” categories indicate, one must be prepared to shell out some serious clams in exchange for a Cambridge address.

For those in that fortunate position, the latest offerings on the real estate market include a townhouse that was once home to renowned composer and songwriter Cole Porter. Born in Peru, Indiana, in 1891, Porter received his undergraduate degree in 1913 from Yale, where he composed many school cheer songs, including the immortal “Bulldog,” and was voted “Most Entertaining” by his classmates.

One person who did not find Porter’s musical antics entertaining in the least, however, was the person funding his education — his grandfather. So, in an attempt to please his benefactor, Porter enrolled in Harvard Law School in 1913. As anyone with even the slightest acquaintance with Porter should have been able to predict, law school did not agree with him, and after a year, he changed his major to music without informing Gramps. Had he not done so, perhaps the world would never have been blessed with such standards as “Night and Day,” “Anything Goes,” and “You’d Be So Nice To Come Home To.”

The place Porter came home to during his Harvard years is located a few blocks north of the Charles River and a few blocks west of Cambridge Common. One half of a three-story building constructed back in 1886, and converted at some point into a two-unit condo, it contains four bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms within 2,413 square feet of living space. On the entry level is a semi-open dining area bracketed on one side with a wall of bookshelves that segues to a show-stopping step-down living room anchored by a brick fireplace at the center of wraparound banks of wood-framed windows.

One level up are three corner bedrooms, two of which feature cozy fireplaces, while the primary suite, with an office or potential dressing room, occupies the third floor. Additional highlights include hardwood floors, baseboard and crown moldings, bay windows, and built-in window seats. The unit also comes with a spacious private deck, a full basement, and one off-street parking space. With an asking price of $2.395 million, it’s listed with Max Dublin of Gibson Sotheby’s International Realty.