Elmwood House, Boston

Elmwood, also referred to as the Oliver-Gerry-Lowell House, proudly holds the title of a registered historic abode notable for its former distinguished inhabitants. Among them, we find Andrew Oliver (1706–74), the royal Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts; Elbridge Gerry (1744–1814), a signatory of the Declaration of Independence known for his political tactics that birthed the term "gerrymandering", and even dabbling as Vice President of the U.S.; and James Russell Lowell (1819–91), the gifted writer, poet, and globe-trotting diplomat.

This Georgian beauty, built in 1767 by Thomas Oliver, briefly played host to the Lieutenant-Governor himself until he decided to make a swift exit in 1774, just as the Revolutionary War was heating up. While the outside has managed to keep its Georgian flair, complete with brick walls and a pair of trusty chimneys, it did get a dash of Victorian pizzazz from the Lowells on the inside. But fear not, traditionalists, because when Harvard University took the reins, they decided to turn back the clock to the good old Georgian style.

As for accessibility, ever since the student protests of 1969 prompted President Nathan Pusey to make a hasty exit from Harvard Yard, Elmwood has been living the VIP life as the University's official presidential residence, keeping its doors firmly shut to the general public.