Home Buying

Right up your alley? For $1.25m, a Lancaster Tudor Revival with a bowling lane

The 8,709-square-foot mansion dates to 1883, and its woodwork does not disappoint.

By Megan Johnson -- Globe correspondent

November 18, 2022

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Practice your 7-10 split.

The Gilded Age is in full swing at 495 George Hill Road in Lancaster, where the “John E. Thayer House” just hit the market for $1,250,0000. Ready to be restored to its full glory, the Tudor Revival mansion even features a subterranean bowling alley.

Built in 1883, the 8,709-square-foot granite and brownstone mansion is set on 6.16 rolling acres that include an impeccably manicured landscape and pond views. Crafted out of the finest materials, the 15-room home welcomes guests through an intricately sculpted first floor that includes a grand staircase and a hall with quartersawn-oak flooring and intricate board-and-batten wainscoting.

“There’s walnut in the library, floor to ceiling, and there’s a lot of beautiful oak,” said John Petraglia of Petraglia Real Estate Services, who has the listing.

The first floor is home to a living room filled with curved-glass windows, walnut paneling, and a fireplace. You’ll also find significant oak features in the dining room, kitchen, and study.

In all, the home has eight bedrooms, 2.5 baths, and eight fireplaces.

On the second floor, the stairs lead to a landing with a carved-oak fireplace. On this floor, you’ll find four bedrooms, including the primary, which has a tiled fireplace, as well as curved-glass windows and a spacious walk-in cedar closet.

The third floor is home to three bedrooms, significant storage space, and an office that could function as another bedroom. The fourth-floor is the walk-up attic.

It’s the lower level where you’ll find the single-lane bowling alley and a fireplace.

Outside, the property’s space is just as grand.

“It reminds me a little bit of Edith Wharton’s Mount,” Petraglia said, “especially the terrace and the way the land sweeps away.”

If you’re wondering why the Thayer name sounds familiar, he was the son of Nathaniel Thayer Jr., who built Harvard’s Thayer Hall. John became an ornithologist and eventually donated his collection of 28,000 skins and 15,000 eggs and nests to Harvard.

The property will be sold with a covenant to prohibit further subdivision.

Take the video tour.