Julia Child's long-term home in Cambridge, where she lived for almost 40 years, has come onto the market. The property, which Julia Child and her husband Paul acquired in 1956, and where Paul Child moved permanently in 1961 after his retirement from the US Foreign Service, is being offered for US$6.475 million.
Following Paul Child's death in 1994, Julia Child bequeathed the estate to her alma mater, Smith College. Her famous kitchen, along with over 1,200 objects from it, is now preserved by the Smithsonian. Since Child's ownership, the six-bedroom house has been extensively modernised while retaining its 19th-century historic architecture.
Property Details and Features
Upon entering the house, the front door opens into a long central hall. Pale blue walls above white wainscoting define the space, while light wood floors extend through wide openings and glazed doors leading to the adjoining formal and informal rooms. To the left is the formal living and dining room, with its front area arranged with sofas and armchairs around a low central table. The dining room at the rear is characterised by a long table placed between several windows and paneled walls.
Opposite the entrance area, a fireside room with yellow-painted walls opens through glazed doors. A window seat beneath the bay windows creates a sun-drenched retreat here. A gas fireplace with built-in shelving forms the centrepiece, around which sofas and armchairs are arranged.
The kitchen, modernised after Child's departure, features Poggenpohl cabinetry, light stone worktops, and contemporary appliances. An adjoining room offers an informal dining area with tall windows and glass doors. The butler's pantry, once the place where Paul Child prepared evening martinis, is now a second catering kitchen with additional prep space, storage, and built-in wine refrigeration, designed to support the main kitchen during larger events.
Privacy and Outdoor Areas
On the second floor is the principal suite, featuring a spacious bedroom, a gas fireplace, and windows that allow light from multiple directions. The bedroom also offers ample space for its own seating area and includes a private balcony. The principal bathroom is fitted with a long double vanity, wooden cabinets, and round basins under a wall-to-wall mirror. A deep bathtub beneath the windows and a large glazed shower complete this suite. Another suite on this floor offers a similar layout on a smaller scale.
The third floor houses a spacious lounge beneath the pitched roof, opening directly from the landing. Wooden floors lead through a seating area arranged around an L-shaped sofa. A smaller table near the staircase, opposite a fireplace, provides another spot for reading or working. A yoga and fitness room with tiled floors and recessed lighting completes the interior spaces.
Outside, a generous brick terrace sits alongside the house, elevated above the surrounding gardens by low stone walls. This terrace provides space for al fresco dining and relaxation before steps lead into the more densely planted areas of the garden. Much of the plot is surrounded by trees, shrubs, and flowerbeds, some of which date back to the gardens Julia and Paul Child established during their time there. An official plaque honours Julia Child and her years in this house.
- —Price: $6,475,000
- —Location: Cambridge, Massachusetts
- —Living area: 6,321 square feet
- —Bedrooms: 6
- —Bathrooms: 4 full bathrooms, 2 half bathrooms
- —Special features: Historic construction from 1889, Butler's Pantry and catering kitchen, gas fireplaces, wine room, solar panels, landscaped gardens, brick patio, Porte Cochère, historic plaque for Julia Child
