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.
Fire in Teele Square Somerville
I couldn’t figure out what was holding up traffic in Teele Square this afternoon. Turns out it was people gawking at the damage left by last night’s fire in Teele Square Somerville. What a sight!
The fire was discovered at about 11 pm last night, Saturday. That must have been a challenge – fighting the fire in the middle of the bizarre October snowstorm.
Fire damage in Teele Square Somerville
The damage is extreme – hard to believe actually given the block’s proximity to the fire station around the corner. The damage extends for almost the entire block in the center of Teele Square between Clarendon Ave and the intersection of Elm Street and Broadway.
Hawk Cleaners at the corner was destroyed – you can still see some of the blackened dry cleaning hanging on the rack amid the rubble. The space holding the nail salon next door was also destroyed. The next few storefronts, including the Chinese restaurant Kee Kar Lau and the Somerville police substation are boarded up. At the end of the block a hair salon and Rudy’s restaurant seemed to be intact though Rudy’s was closed for the day because of the fire with signs posted that they hope to be able to open by Monday evening.
It’s a sobering sight – the devastation that fire can cause so quickly no matter how close the firefighters may be.
Somerville fire reduces businesses to rubble
Open Houses – Somerville and Medford
Hopefully we won’t have to do any shoveling tomorrow. Even if we do get snow we should be able to get cleared out by midday – just in time for some open houses in Somerville and Medford. Looking for houses for sale, condos for sale, or investment properties? We’ve got something for everyone on Sunday.
Open Houses in Somerville and Medford – October 30, 2011
237 Willow Ave Somerville
237 Willow Ave in Somerville will be open from noon to 1:30. You’ll love the top quality renovation of this multi-level three-bedroom, 2.5 bath condo. This stylish condo has a bright and open layout and all the features you’re looking for: central air conditioning, a fireplace in the living room, parking, two decks, a laundry room, a family room, gorgeous kitchen and baths, and much more.
281 Alewife Brook Pkwy Somerville
281 Alewife Brook Pkwy in Somerville will be open from noon to 1 pm. This move-in ready two-family is near Tufts and Teele Square. You would be hard pressed to find a multi-family property in better condition. All the hard work has been done. The two apartments feature exceptional original architectural features with modern upgrades and renovations. Whether you’re looking for room for extended family or want an investment property you don’t want to miss this house.
36 Jerome St Medford
36 Jerome Street in West Medford will be open from noon to 1 pm. This three-bedroom, two-bath house features an open floor plan, spacious updated kitchen with adjacent deck, gleaming hardwood floors, new furnace and central air conditioning, enclosed yard, and more. Super location close to the commuter rail, bus to Davis Square. public tennis courts, shops and playground.
Furniture Drive for the Homeless
Massachusetts Furniture Drive
Do you have unwanted furniture that you want to get rid of? You can clean out and do a good deed at the same time. The Greater Boston Association of Realtors is holding a furniture drive from November 7 – 10, 2011.
Items collected in the furniture drive will be donated to Massachusetts families transitioning from homelessness to permanent housing. The furniture drive will be conducted in conjunction with Olympia Moving and Storage of Watertown.
To schedule a furniture pickup contact Olympia Moving and Storage by emailing [email protected] or calling Mark McEwen at 617-231-1204.
The deadline for scheduling a pickup is Friday, November 4, 2011.
Donated furniture must be in clean, usable condition, free of any rips or tears. GBAR reserves the right to refuse unsuitable items.
Questions about the furniture drive? Contact Anastasia Prapas at [email protected] or 774-264-0155.
Antique Shops In and Near Cambridge
Discover antique shops in and near Cambridge
Do you ever get the bug to go antiquing? You don’t need to head to Western Mass or to NH – there are a variety of antique shops in or within an hour or so of Cambridge. Most of these are group shops – antique stores where dealers rent booth space which means inventory is always changing and you can often find a deal or two. Here are some of my favorites:
Cambridge has a large group shop in East Cambridge, the Cambridge Antique Market. Booths are spread out over five floors. I tend to have so-so luck here but there are deals to be found and it’s an easy way to get your antiques / vintage fix without leaving the city. Cambridge Antiques Market, 617-868-9655, is located at 201 Monsignor O’Brien Highway. The shop is open every day but Monday from 11 am to 6 pm. It’s right by the Lechmere T or if you’re driving there’s a parking lot.
Waltham‘s not far and I tend to always pick up something when I visit Downstairs at Felton Antiques. It’s a group shop with a combination of open booths and locked display cases. The shop is having its annual sale November 11 – 28, 2011. Downstairs at Felton Antiques is open every day but Tuesday from 10 am to 5 pm and stays open until 8 pm on Thursdays. You’ll find the shop at 100 Felton Street in Waltham. 781-894-2223.
Head out to Concord where you’ll find three group antique shops on Walden Street in the center of town. I’ve always loved Upstairs Antiques at 23 Walden. It’s got a really nice ever changing array of antiques and collectibles. Thoreauly Antiques at 25 Walden Street has fun smalls, linens, ephemera, Concord themed books and plenty more. Across the street at 28 Walden you’ll want to stop in at North Bridge Antiques. By my estimation it has the highest priced stock of the three shops. It also has, in a booth tucked in the back, used and antiquarian books from the former Books With a Past, a long time favorite bookstore that closed after many years on Walden Street. All three of these shops are open open daily from 10 am to 5 pm, Sundays noon to 5 pm.
Concord’s shops can easily fill a day. If you want to peruse an excellent selection of old books be sure to stop in at the Barrow Bookstore at 79 Main Street. I always leave with a full bag or two. Another delightful shop – mixing vintage items with new, creative and unique pieces – is Nesting on Main, on the second floor at 44 Main Street across from Walden Street.
Upton House Antiques in Littleton is a lovely antique shop. The store features a lot of country style antiques and primitives with plenty of turn of the century cookware, old blanket chests, ironware, and more. The prices are very reasonable and I’ve picked up a number of favorite pieces here. The antiques shop is located at 275 King Street in Littleton, not far from Littleton Center, and is open every day but Monday from 10 am to 4 pm. 978-486-3367.
Back in Littleton Center take Route 119 west to Townsend. In the center of town take a left on Route 13 and eventually you’ll get to Jeffrey’s Antique Co-op Mall in Lunenburg. It’s a bit of a drive from Cambridge but if you want to hit the aisles of a really large antique shop this store can be worth the trip. Like many group shops sometimes the stock seems better on some visits than on others but you’ll usually find something that strikes your fancy. Jeffrey’s Antiques is located at 54 Chase Rd in Lunenburg MA and is open daily from 10 am to 5 pm and open until 8 pm on Wednesdays. 978-582-7831.
Head back to Route 119 and continue west to West Townsend. Take a right on Route 124 and you’ll immediately be able to pull in to shops on your right or left. The Hobart Village Antique Mall has booths and cases on two floors and you’ll find everything from smalls to furniture. The antiques shop, at 445 Main Street, West Townsend, is open every day but Tuesday from 10 am to 5 pm. 978-597-0332. Across the street you’re in for a treat at Delaney Antiqe Clocks located in the carriage house behind a glorious brick colonial. Home to the country’s largest collection of tall-case clocks, aka grandfather clocks, it’s almost an out-of-body experience to be in the shop at the turn of the hour when the clocks begin to chime. This is a place to dream – the clocks are exquisite and often in the 10s of thousands of dollars. In addition to tall-clocks the shop carries wall clocks, carriage clocks and shelf clocks. The clocks are restored and in working condition. Delaney Antique Clocks at 435 Main Street is open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 5 pm.
A bit further down Route 119 you’ll find Antique Associates at West Townsend. This is a group shop that features fine antiques including furniture, art and accessories in 15 rooms. It’s in a different league than the other group shops in our mix. Open seven days a week from 10 am to 5 pm at 473 Main Street, West Townsend. 978-597-8084.
These are my regular haunts and admittedly the outer reaches of my antiques trail are probably a bit over an hour. If an hour’s drive is doable that also puts Sturbridge within reach – but that’s a day’s worth of shopping and worthy of another post.
Do you have favorite antiques shops nearby? Leave a comment to let us know!
Ellery Square Townhouses in Cambridge
Ellery Square Townhouses in Cambridge
If you’re looking for a modern townhouse near Harvard Square you’ll want to check out anything available at Ellery Square. The Ellery Square townhouses are fee simple townhouses – attached single families – and are just a few blocks from Harvard Square.
Built in 1979, the townhouses are in a courtyard setting tucked away off Broadway. The Cambridge Public Library is around the corner and a variety of restaurants and shops are within blocks.
Homeowners pay an annual fee for landscaping, snow removal, etc.
Ellery Square Townhouses Feature:
- Garage parking
- 3-4 bedrooms
- ~1800-2100 sq. ft.
- Deck and patio
- Some have a woodburning stove
- Large windows
- Soaring ceilings
Recent Sales at Ellery Square
Many of the townhouses have been renovated and upgraded over the years. A townhouse with renovated kitchen and baths sold for $976,500 in 2008. A townhouse in original condition sold in 2010 for $727,500.
If townhouses at Ellery Square are available they will appear below. Click on the small photo for more information and additonal photographs.
Home Movie Day In Cambridge
Saturday, October 15, 2011 is Home Movie Day. In Cambridge home movies will be screened at the Harvard Film Archive from noon to 3 pm.
I come from a family that only infrequently took photos, never mind movies, and have always been envious of people who have film footage from decades ago when everyone was young[er]. What a treat to have moving images of people no longer with us, or of siblings – and ourselves – when we were small. Or just to get a chance to see us all in action wearing clothes and hair styles decades out of date. I’ve subscribed to a Youtube channel where somebody’s loaded a bunch of clips of their family in the 1960s – I can watch and watch.
Home Movie Day is a celebration of amateur filmmaking and events are held at many theaters around the world.
Celebrate Home Movie Day at the Harvard Film Archive at the Carpenter Center for the Visual Arts, 24 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 in Harvard Square from noon to 3 pm on Saturday, October 15, 2011.
Medford Elm Tree
American Elm tree in West Medford
I was psyched to see this newly planted elm tree aside the West Medford fire station.
Elm trees once lined New England’s streets. I loved the canopy of green, leafy trees that I walked beneath on my way to school when I was a kid. It was years later, when I went back and found not a tree on the street, that I realized those must have been elm trees lining the street. Dutch Elm Disease wiped out 100,000s of American Elm trees.
There are efforts underway to plant DED-resistant elm trees. This tree, a Liberty Elm, from the Elm Research Institute of Keene, NH was planted by the fire station in memory of West Medford resident Laurie Cote.
I didn’t have the privilege of knowing Mr. Cote but found this tribute in a newsletter from the Piano Technicians Guild.
West Medford elm tree plaque honoring Laurie Cote
Wednesday What’s It – How Well Do You Know Cambridge?
Ok – I think this is an easy one – don’t prove me wrong!
Win a cup of coffee and a donut - tell us what it is and where it is in Cambridge
The first two people to identify the what-and-the-where of our new Wednesday What’s It will get a card for a cup of coffee+ on us.
How well do you know Cambridge? Tell us what this is.
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