This old house is one of few of its kind downtown

Jamie Mambro's little piece of Boston history is on the block, something he calls "bittersweet" every time he talks of selling his home. The single-family, freestanding house at 1 Bay St. is a precious piece of the past in what is now Bay Village, the neighborhood tucked between the South End and the Theatre District. Built in the 1830s, it stands alone, along a small cobblestone way. Outside the front door, an original lamppost, one of few left in Boston, harks back to another century.

Likely built by developer Ephraim Marsh, the home was once just a modest dwelling, one among many like it, says John Neale, historian for the South End Historical Society. Neale has attempted to count the number of remaining freestanding single-family homes in downtown historic Boston and come up with just seven. "It's a rare, almost exclusive, example."

Now that example is on the market to the tune of $975,000. The 1,600-square-foot, four-level house includes two bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, a kitchen, and a living room. There is also a patio off the kitchen, a shared pocket garden in front of the house, and parking. "It gives people an idea of the size of a really modest row house," says Neale, who is also a real estate broker, but is not selling this property.

Since he bought the property 10 years ago, Mambro, 50, has updated the bathrooms and kitchen, added central air and surround sound, and installed pine floors. He also opened the fireplace and restored the exterior brick.

"I'm a history buff," says Mambro, an advertising executive in Boston. "When I restored it, it meant a lot to me. I didn't want to change certain things." He even retained the slanted pitch of the floors and the narrow staircase. He says he'd rather not sell, but wanted more space and has moved to Appleton Street in the South End.

Mambro's three sons and daughter spent part of their childhoods here. He says two adults and four children routinely shared the space, although not full time.

"You make do," says Mambro. "It's an absolutely peaceful place to live."

He tells those who ask about the house's history that the carpenter who built it may have parked his boat just out front, when Bay Street was originally on the edge of the water known as Back Bay. Neale has heard this story, too, but says it's difficult to confirm, although maps he has from the 1800s clearly show Bay Street adjacent to the water. And Neale says the neighborhood's residents were tradesmen, including painters, house builders, and factory workers.

Charmed as he is by the house's history, Mambro knows that the uneven floors and odd angles aren't for everyone.

"The right person will find it," he says, with confidence.

"It's not a condo in Back Bay. You really have to want an old house."