YEAR BUILT:1872 STYLE:SECOND EMPIRE ARCHITECT:UNKNOWN This house and its mirror-image next-door neighbor are among the very oldest houses on Ashmont Hill, built on speculation by the George Welles estate to encourage fashionable development in the area. Although its Second Empire idiom was soon eclipsed by other styles, this recently restored and redecorated house is a testament to the richness and grandeur of that original vision. Passing through the vestibule into the center hall, one turns left into a large, pale-gold parlor with parquet floor whose soaring ceiling is emphasized by its high-relief medallion and cornice moldings. Across the hall, a burgundy library features another ceiling medallion, a marble mantelpiece and an extensive collection of nineteenth-century books, framed maps and city views. Beyond is the spacious dining room, where a Neo-Grecian theme is evident in wall- and ceiling papers from Bradbury & Bradbury, and an elaborate etched-glass chandelier incorporating a Greek-key design. To the rear is a 1950s kitchen where the owner's collection of Fiestaware is displayed. Returning to the front hall, a walnut stair with unusual paired balusters rises to the bedrooms and a home office on the second floor. Throughout the house, large-scaled High Victorian furniture and period-authentic window treatments, lavishly trimmed with fringe and tassels, perfectly complement the architecture.