FALL RIVER — Inside Lizzie Borden’s Maplecroft, an old victrola belted out a jazzy tune from the 1920s in the corner of the front parlor.
It was a nice bit of mood music to welcome visitors to Lizzie’s home, where floral wallpapers and lace curtains are a reminder of the luxury that surrounded the city’s most infamous woman, and a hint of murder mingles in the air with fresh roasted coffee wafting from the kitchen.
Soon to be a bed & breakfast, manager Ryan Woods is already occupying the house, sleeping in the maids’ quarters on the third floor and using the kitchen as operation central, as he makes his way through home improvements and the city permitting process.
“It needs electrical and plumbing work,” Woods said. “The radiators work when they like.”
But, those are details easily ironed out. The real work will begin when Maplecroft, 306 French St., opens to the public, hopefully by April 1.
“The sooner we can open to the public, the better,” Woods said. “There is a large demand from the public to get here.”
Woods’ father Donald Woods purchased Maplecroft earlier this month for $500,000, plus $100,000 for furnishings, with partner Lee-ann Wilber, owners of the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Museum where the gruesome unsolved hatchet murders of Lizzie Borden’s father and step-mother played out in 1892.
The partners now own the murder house and Maplecroft, where Lizzie lived after she was acquitted of the domestic double homicide and until her death in 1927.
The plan is to open Maplecroft as a bed & breakfast and for daily tours — just like the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Museum.
“This is the second part of the story, the second part of her life,” Woods said.
Part of Lizzie’s second half included her sister Emma, who also resided at Maplecroft until 1905 when she left for unknown reasons. It was also where Lizzie held lavish parties for her actor and actress friends, and became a philanthropist, giving funds to organizations she cherished.
Around 1909, Lizzie had the name “Maplecroft” carved into the top step of the house, which has long been highly photographed, and only teased passersby who were denied admittance.
Those details and more will likely be part of a script, to be told to visitors when they are finally allowed to tour the house.
Maplecroft has never been open for regular tours or guest stays, though a former owner did make a start of it some years ago.
Woods said bundle packages may be offered for stays at both houses, giving visitors a real look into the crime and aftermath of Lizzie’s life.
In order to open, they will need to install a sprinkler system, and may need to appear before city Planning or Zoning boards to get the required approvals.
Previous owner Kristee Bates, after spending some $400,000 on restoration and furnishings, did not receive a majority vote from the Zoning Board of Appeals in 2016 and was unable to open Maplecroft, leading to her decision to sell.
Woods said they have so far received support from the city in opening the historic mansion.
If all goes as planned, guests will be able to spend the night in one of four Victorian-era bedrooms on the second floor and wake to breakfast in Lizzie’s dining room. In the evenings, they can listen to the victrola in the front parlor, perhaps in front of a fire — once the fireplace is cleared for use.
In the summer, guests can sit out on the back porch and have mocktails passed to them through a cubby door in the kitchen wall where Lizzie’s ice was delivered in the early part of the 20th century.
Visitors can choose their accommodations: Lizzie’s summer bedroom, Lizzie’s winter bedroom, sister Emma’s room, or the guest room where actresses like Lizzie’s friend Nance O’Neil likely laid their heads.
They can also bathe in Lizzie’s claw foot tub and look into the same bathroom mirror that once reflected Lizzie’s image.
Woods is planning to purchase a new cooking stove and refrigerator, both made to look like period pieces. After all, he’ll need to fulfill the latter half of the bed & breakfast promise.
And Woods is a pretty good cook — and can’t wait to get his new stove.
“I’ve been eating out every day,” Woods said.
A former Marine, Woods grew up helping his mom with her catering business, Love at First Bite. “I grew up in the food business,” he said.
Woods said Maplecroft will be all about “hospitality,” and he’ll contact guests beforehand to ask what they’d like to eat, such as eggs Benedict, omelets or other brunch style dishes.
“There won’t be a set menu,” said Woods, 38, whose palate, he admitted, is partial to Mexican food.
Woods, who has worked at the Lizzie Borden Bed & Breakfast Museum in the past, graduated from Edison College, now Florida SouthWestern State College, in 2005. He said he planned to be a history teacher — and in a way is these days.
Since Woods is living in Maplecroft, the question as to its ghostly activity had to be asked.
“Personally, I think Lizzie is here,” Woods said.
But, he isn’t worried after having slept under the roof of the murder house in the past.
“I was always respectful to Mr. and Mrs. Borden, and I love Lizzie,” Woods said. “She was a rock star.”
He said he didn’t believe Lizzie Borden murdered Andrew and Abby Borden, but he didn’t say she was innocent either.
“I think she was involved,” Woods said. “But, I don’t think she did it.”
Email Deborah Allard at dallard@heraldnews.com