Founding Father's historic property in Boston tourist district hits market with one intriguing secret

Fox News

4 days ago

A Revolutionary War-era home tied to a Founding Father is for sale in historic downtown Boston – but one detail remains under wraps.
The property, called the Ebenezer Hancock House, was built in 1767. The building is located at 10 Marshall Street in the city's tourist-heavy Blackstone Block Historic District.
The house sits right on Boston's Freedom Trail and boasts proximity to Faneuil Hall, Haymarket and North Station. It's also a short walk from the North End, a bustling tourist hotspot.
Luxury real estate company LandVest says the building is the last surviving Boston property tied to John Hancock. The Founding Father owned the house before transferring the title to his brother Ebenezer — for whom the house is now named.
The three-story house still maintains Georgian-era interior details, although it was expanded in the 1970s. It is now in use as a law office.
"[It] remains the only vernacular structure dating to the mid-1700s to survive in central Boston," the firm's website states.
The listing added, "It is reportedly the site where Ebenezer Hancock, deputy paymaster of the Continental Army and John Hancock's younger brother, stored 2 million silver crowns, loaned by the French government, prior to disbursement to the troops."
Dave Killen, a commercial real estate broker with LandVest, told Fox News Digital the listing is aimed at commercial buyers, rather than residential ones.
"We are actively looking for a buyer who loves the history and the location, and who will embrace their role as a steward of this Boston landmark site with enthusiasm," the broker said.
"Given the property's location in the heart of the Blackstone Block, this likely means an owner occupant for office, retail or mixed use."
"We are grateful that the story of 10 Marshall Street is being told, and we are excited to see what this new chapter brings."
Yet one mystery remains.
The asking price is a closely held secret, available only to serious buyers. Killen declined to share the price with Fox News Digital.
But the property is one of a kind — and the broker said similar listings are "extremely rare" on the Boston market.
"This is the first time in approximately 50 years the property has been available for sale," he said.
"The current owners, who have been conscientious stewards of the site, acquired the property in 1976 and helped facilitate the landmark designation."
Above all, Killen noted that the property "may have one of the best untold stories for a historical site in downtown Boston."
"The Freedom Trail is literally steps from the front door, and I think because the site has been owned and occupied by a law firm of some discretion for the last 50 years, the historical authenticity of this property may be less widely understood than that of some of its more famous peers," the broker said.
"We are grateful that the story of 10 Marshall Street is being told," he added.
"And we are excited to see what this new chapter brings."