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.
88 Hancock St Cambridge MA
Condos at 88 Hancock Street Cambridge MA
88 Hancock Street Cambridge MA Condos This handsome Colonial Revival style building was designed by architect John A. Hasty in 1894. Hasty designed many Cambridge buildings of the period including the Newport Road condos and the Washingtonian on Washington and Linnaean. Originally designed as eight units, the building was reconfigured as 16 units in 1914. Today it houses 16 one and two-bedroom condos.
The building sits on Hancock Street near the intersection with Mass Ave, just around the corner from shops, bookstores, cafes, restaurants, stores and pubs. Midway between Harvard and Central Square, this is a convenient location for students at the Business School.
Renovated in the early 1980s, some condos have subsequently been updated.
The common entry and staircase is memorable – the wood wainscoting continues up the stairhall and the mosaic tile floor is unusual and beautiful.
88 Hancock Street Cambridge MA Features
- One and two-bedroom condos
- Ranging in size from 499 to 804 sq.ft.
- High ceilings
- Exposed brick wall
- Fireplace in some units
- Common laundry
- Basement storage
- On street parking
Recent Real Estate Sales at 88 Hancock St Cambridge MA
- A 4th floor two-bedroom condo sold for $402,500 in 2008
- A 4th floor one-bedroom condominium sold for $270,000 in 2009
If condos are available in the building they’ll appear below. Click on the small photo for additional photos and more information.
Info about sales at 88 Hancock Street, Cambridge Mass 02139 is from MLSpin
What Do Condo Fees Cover?
What Do Condo Fees Cover? Many first time real estate buyers tend to think of condo fees as an “extra cost” of owning a condo. I know I did. Then I bought a house as my first home and quickly came to realize that home ownership inevitably had expenses associated with it. Condo fees started looking a lot more reasonable to me.
So what are the typical things that condo fees cover for condos in Cambridge and nearby towns?
The two expenses most often included in the fees:
Master insurance – this is the insurance policy that covers the building structure and common areas. Typically you’re responsible for insuring the interior of your unit and, if so, banks have started requiring you to purchase additional coverage, called HO-6 insurance, prior to your closing.
Water and sewer bills – Typically in Cambridge you’ll find just one water and sewer meter in the building. If that’s the case then those bills will be paid via the condo fees. Some condo docs will spell out a formula that prorates cost by number of residents per condo but more often, the bills are simply paid from the condo fees collected.
Other Expenses That May Be Paid Through Condo Fees
- Heat and / or hot water
- Snow removal
- Landscaping
- Exterior maintenance
- Professional management
- Elevator
- Concierge or security desk
- Swimming pool
- Common area cleaning
- Contribution to reserves
- Common utilities
Many of the expenses covered by condo fees are simply the cost of home ownership that’s shared by you and other members of the condo association. Some expenses may cover things that are less important to you – a pool, an elevator, a health club. Others are costs in lieu of doing it yourself – snow removal, professional management, etc. You have to decide if the benefits provided are worth the expense of higher fees.
High condo fees are not necessarily bad – they may be an indication that the condo association is budgeting with the long view in mind. Buildings cost money to maintain and an association that fails to budget for inevitable repairs and upgrades will suffer from deferred maintenance and the possibility of large assessments to cover overdue projects.
On the other hand, some associations prefer to keep fees on the low side while each association member banks their own money until such time the association decides to pay for a project by divvying up the cost among the members.
As a part of the homebuying process you’ll have the chance to review the condominium association’s financial documents. You’ll want to decide if you’re comfortable with the finances and the association’s financial style.
52 Garden St – Cambridge Condos
Condominums at 52 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA
52 Garden Street Cambridge MA – Cambridge Condos Cambridge real estate buyers looking for a condo in one of the city’s classic brick buildings will want to check out 52 Garden Street.
Located near Harvard Square, 52 Garden Street is what’s referred to as a “Harlow Building” in Cambridge and was designed by architect Hamilton Harlow in 1924. These handsome brick apartment buildings have classic layouts, nice detail, multiple exposures, and better closets than you’d expect in buildings of this period.
The 42-unit elevator building was converted to condos in 2002. There are two large basement units. The other units are studios, one bedrooms, and one bedrooms with study ranging in size from 359 to 1083 sq.ft.
52 Garden Street Cambridge MA Features
- Fireplace
- Hardwood floors
- Common laundry
- Common landscaped patio
- Pets with permission
- Basement storage and bike storage
- Heat and hot water included in the condo fee
Recent Real Estate Sales at 52 Garden St Cambridge MA
- A 3rd floor studio sold for $298,500 in 2008
- A 1422 sq.ft. basement condo sold for $410,000 in 2008
- A 921 sq.ft. one-bedroom with study sold for $$415,000 in 2009
If condos are available in the building they’ll appear below. Click on the small photo for additional pictures and more information.
Click on the Cambridge Condos link below to read about other condominium buildings or Search The MLS for Cambridge Condos For Sale.
52 Garden Street Cambridge MA condo sales info is from MLSpin.
Decorative Window Trim on Cambridge Houses
Bracketed window trim on a mansard on Avon Hill in Cambridge
Decorative Window Trim
Window crowns – curved trim, bracketed or pedimented window tops – became popular on houses during the Italianate period. Second Empire mansards often had trimmed window tops like the one at right and window-top ornamentation can be found on Queen Anne Victorians as well.
Here are some of my favorites spotted on houses in Cambridge. For the life of me I can’t get larger versions of the photos to show in the slideshow. If you click on it you’ll get the larger views.
It’s often a certain special feature that makes us fall for a house. Here are some more house parts we love:
And for more favorites, click on the House Parts tag link below.
329 Harvard St Cambridge – Dana Hill Condos
Dana Hill Condos - 329 Harvard St Cambridge MA
329 Harvard Street, Cambridge MA – Dana Hill Condos In 2005 this 1964 apartment building was renovated and converted to condominiums. The 32 one and two-bedroom condos on four floors range in size from 530 to 685 sq.ft.
During the renovation the building was upgraded and refurbished. Units have renovated kitchens and baths.
Cambridge real estate buyers who are looking for a one or two-bedroom condo with parking that’s close to Harvard and Central Square will want to check out the Dana Hill Condominiums.
329 Harvard St Cambridge MA Features
- Elevator building
- Storage bin and bike storage
- Parking space in the parking lot out back
- Open living / dining room
- Heat and hot water included in the condo fee
329 Harvard Street – Recent Real Estate Sales
- A third-floor one-bedroom sold in 2008 for $295,000
- A first floor two-bedroom sold in 2008 for $387,500
- A fourth-floor two-bedroom sold in 2008 for $409,000
If there are available units at 329 Harvard Street they will appear below. Click on the small photo for additional info and more pictures.
CAMBRIDGE CONDOS – $$250,00 – $500,000
Dana Hill Condos are located at 329 Harvard St Cambridge MA 02139
Dutch Colonial House Style
Dutch Colonial Revival House in Arlington MA
When you skim through the American architectural guides looking for info on the Dutch Colonial style you’ll see pages about the houses built by Dutch settlers in the earliest years of our country. From 1625 to the 1830s Dutch immigrants built houses in the mid-Atlantic states with steeply pitched gambrel or gable roof lines.
In Massachusetts, what we think of as a Dutch Colonial is better described as Dutch Colonial Revival. These charming houses are common in the towns and cities around Cambridge and were built in the early decades of the 1900s. A Dutch Colonial in Arlington is pictured above.
The defining feature of the Dutch Colonial Revival is the gambrel roof with a continuous dormer. Federal or Georgian style entryways were common.
While the Dutch Colonial in the photograph is a center entrance, the side entrance became quite popular in the 1920s and ’30s. Typically you’ll find in the side entrance version that the living room runs across the front of the house to the side of the entry.
More Posts About Local Building Styles:
Concrete Buildings In Cambridge
And for even more click on the Architecture tag link below.
Caring for the Modern House – Historic New England Workshop
Modernist House for Sale - 119 Park Ave, Arlington
Caring for the Modern House – Historic New England Workshop Owners of mid-century modern houses – or those who love them – will want to attend an upcoming workshop in Lexington, MA.
Ask The Experts – Caring For The Modern House is scheduled for January 31, 2010.
A panel of experts will discuss the special challenges presented by caring for modernist houses. Come with your questions and issues about preserving, restoring, updating, and maintaining your home.
Panelists include:
- Brent A. Gabby, Simpson, Gumpertz and Heger
- Katherine Mierzwa, Friends of Modern Architecture
- Sally Zimmerman, preservation specialist at Historic New England
Sponsored by the Lexington Historical Society, the Friends of Modern Architecture, Lincoln and Historic New England.
The workshop will take place Sunday, January 31, 2010 from 2:00 to 5:00 pm at the Lexington Historical Society, 13 Depot Square, Lexington, MA.
Registration is required. Call 781-862-1703
Admission: $40 for nonmembers. Reduced admission for members of Historic New England, the Historic Homeowner program, Lexington Historical Society or Friends of Modern Architecture.
Don’t own a modernist house but would like to? The mid-century modern house above is my new listing in Arlington. It’s open this Sunday, the 24th, from 1 to 2:30 or call me to schedule an appointment.
Blue Towns
It was Martha Coakley by a landslide in Centers and Squares territory. While we’re all in denial today, the votes were counted and statewide Brown won yesterday’s election 51.9% – 47.1% or 1,168,107 to 1,058,682 votes.
But the picture was very different in Cambridge and nearby. Here’s how we voted:
- Arlington: Coakley 65%, Brown 34%
- Belmont: Coakley 59%, Brown 40%
- Boston: Coakley 69%, Brown 30%
- Brookline: Coakley 74%, Brown 25%
- Cambridge: Coakley 84%, Brown 15%
- Concord: Coakley 62%, Brown 37%
- Lexington: Coakley 65%, Brown 34%
- Lincoln: Coakley 68%, Brown 34%
- Medford: Coakley 57%, Brown 42%
- Newton: Coakley 67%, Brown 32%
- Somerville: Coakley 75%, Brown 24%
- Watertown: Coakley 61%, Brown 38%
I was happy to see that Belmont, former hometown of Mitt Romney, was firmly in Coakley’s camp. Medford’s numbers are appalling given that it’s Martha Coakley’s hometown. Boston’s, Somerville’s and especially Cambridge’s results – woohoo!
My mother was ready to move to western Mass after seeing the Globe’s red/blue map – solid blue from Northampton to New York – until I told her about the vote in Cambridge. But we’re keeping the map posted on the fridge – we know where our friends live.
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