Willowgate is an 1883 seaside estate positioned at the entrance to a North Shore harbor, with water on three sides. Originally built by the family of author Henry James for his sister Alice, the house had acquired two additions over time that obscured its character and left the rooms feeling disconnected. The restoration and addition kept the basic placement of the principal spaces while rebuilding the house from its foundations to its roofline.
The entry hall was widened to establish a clear view from the front door through the house to the harbor beyond. An original staircase, too steep for comfortable use, was completely rebuilt and extended, with storage concealed behind molded wall panels. Throughout the interior, new millwork and cabinetry give the rooms a shared architectural language while respecting the period of the original cottage.
In the dining room, wood paneling and a coffered ceiling frame French doors on either side of the fireplace. A custom four-foot-wide, 16-foot-long table made from century-old reclaimed wood gives the room an unmistakable center. Nearby, a dark-stained sycamore study is concealed behind the wall of a small telephone room; a hidden pedal releases the panel, while a control within the bookcase operates the door.
Outside, a steeply gabled slate roof, dormers, eyebrow windows, and two copper-clad bell towers replace the fragmented rooflines of the earlier additions. White clapboard siding and new stonework draw from the house’s late-19th-century character and echo the seawall at the edge of the property. Structural work required to support the slate roof also made possible broader changes to the upper floors.
The house now opens more fully toward its setting. Enlarged bow windows bring light and beach views into the living room, folding doors connect the family room to a new waterfront deck, and a former attic becomes a third-floor office and roof terrace with panoramic harbor views. A granite path and bluestone terrace carry the architecture into the landscape, completing a house that feels composed as one place rather than built in separate stages.
