Tales of Spiteful Homes | The Boston Skinny House

A ten-foot, four-inch-wide home in Boston sold in 2021 for $1.25 million. The Boston Skinny House, rumored to be a spite house, is at 44 Hull Street in the city’s North End.

One version of the house’s origins is that a soldier returning from the Civil War came home to find his brother had built a vast house on an extensive property they’d both inherited and wanted to annoy him as punishment. It blocked the sunlight from the windows of the larger property. 

However, historical records show that the current house at 44 Hull Street was once part of a larger structure. Around 1857, the owner subdivided 46-48 Hull Street into three properties, as found on records from 1884. The present skinny house was the easternmost portion of the building and was the slimmest because of the alley beside it. After 1884, two larger attached brick houses replaced the original wooden building at 46-48 Hull Street. The skinny house remains the only one left of the original three buildings.

At just over a thousand square feet, it is highly functional and laid out to maximize maneuverability. In one place in the house, the width is only 6.2 feet.

The house entrance is in the middle of the alley. The first floor holds the kitchen and an open living/dining space. A door leads to a balcony overlooking the gardens. The sole bathroom occupies the second level, reached by a narrow stairway. It also has a well-equipped laundry room and another sitting area in the rear. Greenery is visible through the rear window. Windows along the hallway face a brick wall. Another narrow stairway leads to the third floor. It holds another sitting area and a guest bedroom. The fourth floor houses the primary suite, featuring a stairway to a private rooftop offering city views. Outdoor seating exists in a private garden behind the house.

Even though there may be rumors about its spitefulness, the house and its gardens are pleasant despite its skinny appearance.