Hilltop Steak House family is parting ways with eclectic ’70s house

Out win

The children of Frank and Irene Giuffrida, founders of the popular restaurant on Route 1 in Saugus, are selling their Lynnfield home.

Even if you’ve never visited it Hilltop Steak House In Saugus before that Closed in 2013There’s a good chance you’re familiar with the legendary neon sign: A Giant green cactus Which still presides over Route 1. It’s a gaudy, retro piece, very similar to owners Frank and Irene Giuffrida’s home in Lynnfield for decades.

(The cow sculptures at the front of the restaurant are on public display in Linfield outside the OTTO pizza shop.)

Built in 1973, the home blends an array of cheerful design styles, from an Asian-inspired entry and jungle-style loft, to a home gym with clown motifs. Frank Giuffrida died in 2003, and Irene continued to live in the house until shortly before her death in 2025. Now, her daughters plan to sell the five-bedroom, six-and-a-half-bath home.

“[We want to sell to] Someone who will appreciate the home. “Maybe someone with a family and young kids,” said Santina (Tina) Primavera, who grew up in the house with her sister, Gina. “There are big mansions and new homes being sold in Linfield, but nothing has that character.”

Although parts of the house have been updated since its glory days, its remaining vintage appeal is part of its charm.

An eclectic time capsule of the 1970s

Before Erin met Frank, she was a window designer at RH Stearns & Company department store in Boston. There, she developed an eye for bold design, which she applied wholeheartedly to her home in Linfield.

“She had help from an interior designer, but she definitely loved color, and she loved things that were very luxurious and royal,” Tina said.

Erin’s private bathroom was a prime example of her taste, featuring Roman columns, pink patterned wallpaper, mirrored walls and a sparkling chandelier above the pink bathtub.

Frank’s crowning contribution to the house is the huge chandelier in the entryway. According to family lore, when Frank expressed interest in the light fixture, a sales representative told him that John Wayne was also looking to buy it. “So my dad said, ‘Well, if it’s good enough for John Wayne, it’s good enough for me.’ “He bought it right away,” Tina said.

The house has three kitchens: a main kitchen downstairs, a “kitchenette” where the family eats breakfast, and, conversely, a “big kitchen” off the formal living room, which was used less frequently, according to Tina.

Growing up, Tina especially loved the “green room,” a bedroom located down the hall next to hers. “I say to my mom, ‘Can I sleep there tonight?’” she said.

Unsurprisingly, Tina’s friends loved visiting them, and the house became a popular spot for prom photos, family photos, wedding photos, graduation photos, and countless parties.

“One time [my parents] He had a western themed party. “We had a luau party…an American Idol party. We had my oldest daughter’s christening outside in the backyard,” she said.

The era of TikTok

Tina’s daughter, Caterina Primavera, began posting photos of her grandparents’ very old house on Tik Tok In February. Since then, photo and video montages of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin songs have garnered more than two million views.

Among the fan-favorite features? “Nana’s famous bathroom,” “man cave” (with Tiffany pendant lamps, custom pool table, poker table, and plush red leather sofas), sunken living room and bar, numerous gilded door handles, and dozens of different wallpaper designs.

Katrina said she loves sharing home with people who appreciate its nostalgia, and recently connected with a woman who decorated her apartment with two of the same light fixtures her grandmother had.

“It’s crazy to think about the details I missed when I was growing up,” she said. “I never noticed that when they walked into their bedroom, they had a long rug. At one end of the rug, it had her initials on it, and on the other side, it had my grandfather’s initials on it.”

One of Katrina’s favorite memories is playing the game “Hotel” at home. “My sisters and cousins ​​and I would pretend we were at the front desk and all the rooms upstairs were hotel rooms,” she said, using the house’s intercom system to make it seem real.

Ice dams and ready to sell

“I hope this never falls into the hands of someone who wants to redesign it,” said a comment on one of Caterina’s TikToks, which has received 37,000 likes.

But this recent harsh winter had other plans. Ice dams caused damage On some of the home’s most stunning 1970s features. “We couldn’t salvage a lot of the curtains and wallpaper because of the way water penetrates the walls,” Tina explained.

Therefore, the family decided to make repairs that made many of the rooms look more typical. In addition, they updated the HVAC system, installed a new roof, and repainted the exterior.

“We were sad to see the wallpaper go,” she said. “But we kept some samples of it because it was unique.”

Since the house was filled with the Giuffridas’ colorful collectibles, the family also hosted an estate sale and sent some items to an auction house, such as giraffe and tiger figurines and other animal figurines. Home gym equipment currently available For sale on Facebook Market.

“Part of you wants to keep everything, but the truth is, I don’t really want a giraffe [statue]“Tina said.

On May 31, Hosted by Treadwell Auctions Selling a giraffe (starting at $100), a Murano glass chandelier (starting at $180), a 1970s glass table (starting at $100), and 183 other items.

Now, when the house hits the market in mid-June, it won’t be completely A blank slate, but it won’t have wall-to-wall orange carpeting either.

“We were able to update it enough so that it would be move-in ready,” Tina said.

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Glance back at Hilltop

The Giuffridas family opened the Hilltop Restaurant in 1961 and has enjoyed decades of success. Below is an excerpt from A 1987 Globe article:

According to an estimate in Restaurant and Business Journal, the Hilltop restaurant generated more business than any single restaurant in the country last year: $26.9 million. Hilltop managers would not confirm that number, but they say their entire operation, the restaurant plus the butcher shop, would have sales of about $45 million in 1987.

The crowds wrapping around the building, waiting an hour or more for a table, are as familiar on Route 1 as the life-size fiberglass cows grazing outside. The restaurant’s 1,400 seats routinely fill up, and during peak hours, cars roll into the 1,000-space parking lot at a rate of 10 to 12 cars per minute.

They return month after month, year after year, oblivious to the weather, the declining popularity of beef, concerns about cholesterol, and changes in taste and fashion.

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