Boston’s notoriously flimsy $1.25 million house might not have been built for bad

It could have been a big lie.

Boston’s famous Skinny House at 46 Hull St., the narrowest house in the city, may not have been built without a grudge at all, a resurfaced 1920s article and historical material reveals.

The popular Beantown tale claims that the 10-foot-wide house that last sold in 2021 was built after a soldier returned from the Civil War to find his brother built a house that took up most of the land. that they had to share.

To get back at his selfish brother, the veteran built 46 Hull St. to block any sunlight his sibling’s property might receive — but the thread that might actually be legend, according to Business Insider.

A closer look at a 1920s Boston Globe article calling it a “Wicked House” suggests the thin house may have been erected during a land dispute during the American Revolution between residents who were figuratively on opposite sides of the fence, with such a possible Great. “Tory” supporting Britain.

But even that may not be true, with the Globe’s unnamed author referring to a map held by the Bostonian Society that showed the house wasn’t built until after 1874 and gives “the lie to the old legend.”

An 1852 map from the Boston Public Library apparently shows vacant parcels of land at 44, 46 and 48 Hull Street, while an updated map reveals four properties under Thomas Caswell’s name by 1874, Business Insider reported.

An examination of an 1888 map in the Harvard Library suggests that the owner of 46 Hull St. divided the house between 1875 and 1888, creating a tight spot for the “rumored house”.

The Boston Public Library also has a photo from about 1875 that shows exterior features — such as casement windows and siding — along this stretch of Hull Street that appear to match what remains of the “frail house” today, the paper said. .

The photo may indicate that 44 Hull St. it was not built separately from the neighboring houses, which may have been built of wood before switching to brick, Business Insider reported.

The “skinny house” has an area of ​​about 1,165 square meters. At its rear, it tapers to a width of 9.25 meters.

The house is four stories high and does not have a front door – only four large windows visible from the board with entrance down an alley located along the house.

Its reputation must have transcended its diminutive frame, selling in 2021 for $1.25 million, according to Zillow.