Centers And Squares
Welcome to Centers and Squares
As a Cambridge real estate agent, the city squares of Cambridge, Somerville and Medford and the town centers of Arlington, Watertown and Belmont, Massachusetts are my home turf. And as a lifelong New Englander who’s lived within twenty miles of Boston most of my life, I can introduce you to other nearby towns as we search for your new home. If you’re planning to sell your home in Cambridge, MA or nearby you’ll find plenty of info about the home selling process here too. Questions? Send me an email or call me at 617-504-1737.
Arlington Neighborhoods – Kelwyn Manor
History of Kelwyn Manor
Kelwyn Manor is one of Arlington’s most distinctive neighborhoods. Kelwyn Manor is sited on land that sits between Lake Street and Spy Pond in Arlington, Massachusetts.
Neighborhood development began in 1938 when the Kelly Coal Company began building the first of 194 houses on the 39 acre former Wyman farm. The name “Kelwyn” is a contraction of the two names: “Kelly” and “Wyman”. Houses in the development originally were priced between $6,000 and $8,000.
The Arlington Historical Commission, in minutes from a 2003 meeting, notes that “the unprecedented scale of this subdivision, and the nearly uniform use of period Colonial Revival style, make Kelwyn Manor unique in Arlington’s emergence as a suburban community.”
Living in Kelwyn Manor
Kelwyn Manor is close to the Minuteman Bike Path, the Capital Theatre, and of course Spy Pond. The neighborhood has a private beach on Spy Pond and a park with playground. Route 2 is nearby and provides quick and easy access to Boston and Cambridge or to routes 95 and 128.
Voluntary annual dues for membership in the Kelwyn Manor Association are $25 for each member of the household 18 years of age or older.
Kelwyn Manor Real Estate
A waterfront ranch was recently listed for sale in Kelwyn Manor for $599,000.
Information about recent sales in Kelwyn Manor follows and includes date sold, days on market (DOM), asking price, sale price, number of rooms, bedrooms and baths, architectural style, year built, interior size, and lot size. Included sales info is from sales in the multiple listing service, MLSpin. Waterfront properties are marked with an asterisk (*) in the Style column.
Recent Real Estate Sales in Kelwyn Manor, Arlington MA
Would you like more information about real estate in Kelwyn Manor and other Arlington, MA neighborhoods? I’m only a phone call or email away – and I’d love to help!
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My family moved to 46 Colonial Dr. in 1945, imagine my delight at finding your information on the internet. A good friend of mine was Priscilla Blaisdell and I discovered by reading minutes of the Arlington Historical Association that her dad designed many of the homes. I never knew that.
Hi Cynthia, I’m glad you found the post! Kelwyn Manor is such a sweet neighborhood. It’s always interesting to see how neighborhoods change over time, as kids grow up, houses turn over or don’t. etc. My parents’ first house was in a two-block development that was new when we moved in. I just recently went back for a visit and keep meaning to write a post about it. A number of our old neighbors are still there – and lots of new ones. Thanks so much for commenting.
Liz
Cynthia-My family presently LIVES at 46 Colonial Drive. We moved here in 2006! I found this post by googling our address to get a Google map. How long did you live at 46 Colonial Drive?
Emily–so great to hear from you, who would believe that 57 years after leaving 46 I’d be corresponding with the owner on the internet. We moved there when I was 2 in 1945. I think that my parents paid about $6,000 for the house and then in 1952 they sold it for about $12,000. My dad took a job in NYC so we moved to NJ and I never quite got over 46 as I had such wonderful friends there and it just wasn’t the same. I guess for some kids 10 is a hard age especially if you are moving.
My husband and I have retired to Williamsburg, VA, and just love it. But I think often of life in Kelwyn Manor and going to Hardy School.
My best regards, Cynthia
Cynthia–I can’t access your email address via your link here or I would email you some pictures of the home you once loved. Was it blue when your family owned it or green? I’ve seen photos of it as both and it’s currently a light green.
46 Colonial Drive is a wonderful place. We bought it from the man who likely bought it from your family (Joseph Fahey)–though I will have to ask the woman we bought it from what year Joe bought it as there may have been an owner in between. Joe was a patient of my husband’s (my husband is a physical therapist) who passed away in 2006. He and his wife never had children and left the home to their trust, which included their neighbor across the street (on the sort of kitty korner lot on Colonial and Cheswick). We purchased the home from her–multiply your parents’ purchase price by A LOT.
We’ve made a ton of updates and improvements to the home, including a new kitchen. We welcomed our son into our lives (and our home) in September 2007 and I look forward to the day when he starts at the Hardy School.
How lovely to make contact with you!
Emily Logan
Wow, does this take me back! I was looking for Priscilla Blaisdell on FaceBook and saw your posting. She was such a close friend when we lived diagonally across the street on Colonial Drive (I think my parents bought the house in 1942 after I was born). I think every child should be able to grow up in a development like Kelwyn Manor – we were like one big happy family. The last time I saw Priscilla was in the late 50’s I think. If you can put me in touch with her I would be forever grateful. I remember falling in Spy Pond while taking a forbidden short cut to the Hardy School. Thank you for the trip down memory lane.
I came across this website by accident after viewing a very old photo of Kelwyn Manor. I was born into 50 Colonial and then made the big move to Spy Pond Pkwy at age 3.75 waay back in 1960. My mother still lives there although my brother now owns the family home. Coincidentally, a woman with whom I was acquainted in my adopted New Hampshire town recently passed (Nov. 2011). While reading her obit I discovered she was born in Arlington and had graduated from AHS. I got to talking with my mother and she remembered some of the other family members so when I saw your posting and the name, I Googled her obituary and sure enough she had a sister Priscilla Blaisdell who was listed as Priscilla Nason of Derry, NH. Sorry but that’s all the info that I have. Also, my first home on Colonial Drive was next door to the Fahey’s although they didn’t live there while I was on Colonial Drive. I was friendly with them growing up however and Joe always took the dog for a walk several times a day along with his wife and her sister who they cared for as she was mentally disabled. There wasn’t a day that went by that you couldn’t set your clock to their daily walks. Growing up in KM was a treat. One you didn’t quite appreciate until later in life. Such good memories of all the fun and the parties at the park and the parades! Oh my gosh the parades we had! My Dad would take our ‘beachwagon’ and put the old wind-up Victrola on the tailgate and someone would wind it up and put on a John Phillips Sousa March and away every kid in the neighborhood would go in full costume, bikes and doll carriages decorated to the 9’s. Then off to the park for hamburgers and hot dogs and games and pony rides every 4th of July and Labor Day. So much fun! Swimming every day in the summer. And water skiing too. Bike riding was also a top priority and playing with the dozens of kids that managed to converge without benefit of cell phone or text notification. We had our own internal radar to find one another. The walk to Hardy School every day seemed a little bit of a challenge, especially when we had to go home for lunch and back again. We were always the last kids to arrive on the playground. I think we had 45 minutes for lunch break and it took us about 15 minutes to walk home, 15 minutes back and if my mom didn’t have lunch on the table we were grabbing a sandwich and turning around to go back with it in our hands. And we had to do it in the rain too. No one had that 2nd car to pick us up! Imagine having a 1st grader walking home alone today! Although one of my older siblings was usually around, at least until I got into 4th grade. Then I was on my own. It’s fun when I go home now and see how all the houses have grown and expanded. I wonder how we all managed back in the day with just one full bathroom and very few closets. Guess we just didn’t need as many ‘things’ as we do now. Don’t know if you get notified when someone posts here and I notice no one has posted since last November but I hope the info about Priscilla Blaisdell/Nason turns out to be accurate.
Hi Deb,
Thanks so much for sharing your memories of growing up in Kelwyn Manor. Your memories certainly rang bells for me – I grew up in another suburb at about the same time and often think of it as the Golden Age of childhood – we were free to walk and roam and play on our own.
Looks like I’ve got some connecting to do here – I will see if I can give a heads up to others who’ve commented here in the past.
Thanks again!
Liz
6 forest Rd
Hi Deb O’Neil
This is so weird, my Cousin Christopher and I were just talking about us down at the beach every summer. Sneaking over to the rope swing. I’ve been trying to find pictures from back then but having a hard time. Making an album for Chris, He just moved back to the US 3 months ago “finally” I’ve missed him.
Hope all is well, Helen
Hi Cynthia my Grandmother and Grandfather house was #56. My cousin Chris and I spent our Summer’s there even though I only live in Arlington Hights. It was a vacation place for us. Shiela Kelly lived across the street. The O’Neils etc. didn’t know if you remembered us. Miss the Kelwyn Manor! Best childhood memories