Everyone thinks Boston's famed skinny house, sold for $1.25 million, was built out of spite — but that might be a century-old myth.

Maria Noyen,Joey HaddenSep 14, 2024, 17:14 IST

Boston legend has it that the skinny house at 44 Hull Street was built out of spite, but old photographs and maps say otherwise.CL Properties<ul class="summary-list"><li>In 2021, a Boston home just 10 feet wide sold for a whopping $1.25 million.</li><li>Chatter around the origins of the skinny house has centered on it being built out of spite.</li></ul>There's a tiny sliver of a house on <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boston-travel-guide-hotels-activities-restaurants-and-more-2021-10">Boston's Freedom Trail</a>.The 10-foot-wide home is sandwiched between the two regular-sized properties, with a narrow private alley separating it from the building next door.Behind the slender facade of 44 Hull Street sits a modern home with two bedrooms and one bathroom over 1,000 square feet.According to <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/44-Hull-St-Boston-MA-02113/59181015_zpid/">the Zillow listing</a> the last time it was for sale, the ground level of the skinny house has a full-size kitchen, two bedrooms, a dining room, a living space, and a private garden.The two upper floors contain several sitting areas, a guest bedroom, a bathroom, and a laundry room. It sold for $1.25 million in 2021.There's no shortage of <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/stay-tiny-home-remote-lazarus-island-singapore-2024-8">unique homes</a> in the US and abroad. But an <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/urban-legends-us-2018-1">urban legend</a> that <a target="_blank" class href="https://www.businessinsider.com/boston-skinniest-home-built-out-of-spite-for-sale-photos-2021-8">Boston's skinny house</a> was built out of spite — from a feud between two brothers — has made the property a viral phenomenon.Still, the story about the skinny house's spiteful origins may not be true.

One oft-repeated story says the skinny house was built out of spite by an angry brother in the 1800s.

A sign that says the home is a "spite house" hangs from the front facade.CL Properties

A slightly different version of that origin story dates back to a 1920 newspaper article.

In 1920, the Boston Globe published an article with a version of the skinny house's origin story.The Boston Globe

The land was empty until multiple properties were built there in the late 1800s, old maps show.

The house sold to its latest owner in 2021.CL Properties

One theory is that 46 Hull Street was split up into two structures in the late 19th century to create the skinny house.

Boston legend has it that the skinny house at 44 Hull Street was built out of spite, but old photographs and maps say otherwise.CL Properties

A photo taken of Hull Street in the late 1800s appears to support the theory, indicating the current facade of the skinny house was once part of a larger structure.

The facade of Hull Street in a photograph taken in the late 1800s, right, appears to directly contrast the "spite" myth.CL Properties, Boston Public Library

Many tourists who flock to 44 Hull Street hear the popular stories, centered on spite, from tour guides.

The funky-looking house was probably not built out of spite in 1862, contrary to its sign.CL Properties

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Everyone thinks Boston's famed skinny house, sold for $1.25 million, was built out of spite &mdash; but that might be a century-old myth.