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.
Gardening In Cambridge – Work With What You’ve Got
Gardening in Cambridge is sometimes a challenge. We often have only limited outdoor space. Sometimes window boxes on the deck will have to do. Some will be lucky enough to score a plot at a community garden. Or perhaps a windowsill herb garden might fill the greenthumb’s urge.
Gardening In The City
I spotted this creative solution outside a townhouse off Chauncy Street near Harvard Square. It looks like most of the flower pots didn’t get filled this year – gardening requires a commitment of time and effort we can’t always make. Even empty the pots are an eye catching sight – almost an airborne sculpture.
Howard Dean Lecture in Cambridge – Prescription for Real Healthcare Reform
One of the things I love about living in a college town like Cambridge is that there are so many opportunities to attend lectures on a myriad of topics.
Now that I’ve bought my tickets I can post about an exciting upcoming lecture. Former Vermont governor and Chairman of the Democratic National Committee Howard Dean will be in Cambridge next month for a timely discussion about his new book Prescription for Real Healthcare Reform.
The appearance is sponsored by the Harvard Book Store and takes place at the First Parish Church Meetinghouse in Harvard Square on the corner of Mass Ave and Church Street on Tuesday, September 8, 2009 at 7:00 pm.
Tickets are $5 and went on sale today. Order Howard Dean’s book, buy tickets and get more info at the Harvard Book Store’s website.
Hazardous Waste Disposal in Cambridge
What to do with all these household chemicals?
Several times a year the Cambridge DPW holds Hazardous Waste Days where Cambridge residents can bring household hazardous waste for disposal.
I’m always impressed with the job the Public Works Department does during these collections. Hazardous Waste Days are held at the National Guard Armory near Fresh Pond rotary on Concord Ave and are very well attended.
The last collection was held in June and there isn’t another one scheduled until October 3, 2009. What to do in the meantime? If you’re moving and need to get rid of those old paint cans, the discarded tires in the garage, or the propane tank from the barbecue what’s the answer?
Well, luckily there is another option if you can’t wait until October. The Minuteman Hazardous Products Regional Facility at 60 Hartwell Avenue in Lexington MA is open to residents from other towns for a fee. In fact, some local towns have arrangements for residents’ use of the Lexington facility without charge. Check the website for details.
Time to rethink our dependence on chemicals
Future collection days in Lexington:
- Sunday, September 20, 2009
- Saturday, October 17, 2009
- Saturday, November 7, 2009
Be sure to check out both websites for directions on what to bring, how to bring it, and what not to bring. Hazardous waste disposal is tricky – the more hoops you jump through the more you realize that the sign on the right sums it up – it’s a lot easier to not accumulate these hazardous chemicals to begin with.
16 Chauncy Street – Cambridge Condos
Entrance to 16 Chauncy in Cambridge Mass
16 Chauncy Street in Cambridge Massachusetts is located just blocks from Harvard Square, close to Lesley College, Harvard University, the Law School and Longy School of Music.
History of 16 Chauncy Street
16 Chauncy Street was built in 1929 as a residential hotel called the Continental Hotel Apartments. A 1963 Time magazine article about the difficulties facing the hotel industry quoted the Continental’s owner, Chauncey Depew Steele, “‘It’s going to be a survival of the fittest. A lot of old hotels are going to end up as old ladies’ and old men’s homes.”” Instead, the hotel is today a condominium building with 53 condos.
A plaque outside the building commemorates Vladimor Nabokov’s residency in the building. He and his wife lived in Apt. 10 at the Continental Hotel in 1956 while he completed research at Harvard for his translation of Alexander Pushkin’s Eugene Onegin.
16 Chauncy Street Cambridge Condos
There are studios, one-bedrooms, and two-bedroom condos in the building. Some units have been renovated over the years, others will be found in close to original condition. Heat and hot water are included in the condo fee. Features include:
- Hardwood floors
- Fireplaces in some units
- An elevator
- A shared patio and large backyard
Units range in size from 199 to 916 square feet. Recently one-bedrooms have sold in the $330,000s and small studios have sold in the low $200,000s. Sales price per square foot ranged from $568 to $631.
Click here to check for available units.
Check out these other condos in Cambridge
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If you’d like more information about 16 Chauncy Street or other Cambridge real estate options call Liz Bolton at 617-504-1737.
Ice Cream Places Near Cambridge
Ice Cream Places Near Cambridge Hot weather’s on the way – and hot weather means ice cream. Hot and humid weather is the only excuse you need to satisfy your craving for a nice, big ice cream cone.
Here are some of my favorite spots for a cone. And since hot weather is also a good excuse for an air conditioned road trip (especially since I don’t have air conditioning at home!) these ice cream stands are outside of Cambridge, just a short drive away:
Bedford Farms in Bedford Center is one of my family’s favorites. Delicious ice cream, a place to sit on the lawn, and a quick drive from Cambridge.
Bedford Farms Ice Cream is located at 18 North Street, Bedford MA. Open year round. Check the website for more info. Summer hours are Mon – Sat 11am – 10pm and Sunday noon to 10pm.
Kimball Farm has three locations. Carlisle is closest to Cambridge and a nice scenic drive. There are farm animals to watch while you eat. If you want to make a day of it and plan an outing for the entire family, the Westford location has a driving range, bumper boats, miniature golf, a midway with arcade games and more. The location I know best is in Jaffrey NH where Kimball’s took over longtime favorite, Silver Ranch.
Be warned – the kiddie cone at Kimball’s is most shops’ large. You’ll be overwhelmed by the small size cone. And large servings make for large crowds – the parking lot is often packed and the line long.
Check the Kimball Farm website for hours and more information.
Johnson’s Drive-in in Groton Mass was a pleasant surprise when we ended up there one night after a long day. The fried clams were great and so was the ice cream. It’s the kind of roadside joint I like – not too fancy (not at all in fact!), not expensive, and mighty tasty food.
Johnson’s is on Route 119 at 164 Boston Road, Groton MA. Call 978-448-6840 for hours.
I’m sure there are lots of fabulous ice cream places out there. What are your favorites?
Moving Houses
From my collection of vintage house moving photographs
Moving Houses
As much as I dislike overhead wires (you would think it’s still the Wild West! – why on earth do we put up with these ugly wires strung down our streets?) it hadn’t occurred to me that it was the advent of overhead wiring that put an end to the moving of houses.
Moving houses was once a fairly common undertaking. Street widening, changing neighborhoods, economizing – all were reasons to move a house. Sometimes a portion of a house was removed and moved for a family member.
Once you start digging into the history of Cambridge’s buildings you’ll discover many that were moved around town. Nowadays with those dratted wires – not to mention street lights, signs, and overpasses – moving a house or building is a much bigger undertaking. But with deep pockets almost anything is possible.
In 2007 Harvard spent something on the order of $1,000,000 to move three mansard structures down Mass Avenue close to Harvard Square. Two three story-mansard houses and a matching mansard carriage house were moved to facilitate a building project. Here’s a video of the moving houses:
Somerville Real Estate Market – July 2009
Welcome to the Somerville Real Estate Report
Here’s the last market report for July – The Somerville Real Estate Market – July 2009.
Somerville Real Estate Market – Homes for Sale
257 residential properties were on the market in Somerville on July 31, 2009, 25 fewer than a month ago. Properties were priced between $105,000 and $1,600,000. The average days on market was 124.
Somerville Real Estate Sales in July 2009
79 residential properties sold in Somerville during the month of July. The average sales price was $404,843. The median sales price was $366,800. The average days on market was 60.
6 single family homes sold in July for prices between $267,500 and $1,100,000. The median sales price was $404,000. Somerville single family homes sold in July for an average of 92% of list price. Average days on market was 92.
56 Somerville condos sold in July for sales prices between $88,200 and $667,000. The median condo sales price was $364,500. The average days on market was 57. Condos sold in July for an average of 98% of list price.
17 multi-family properties sold in July for prices ranging from $224,900 to $673,500. The median sales price in July was $476,000. Multi-unit houses sold for an average of 98% of asking price. Average days on market was 57.
Total Somerville closed residential sales volume in July was $31,982,625.
See Also:
June 2009 Somerville Real Estate Activity
Information about Somerville real estate market activity from MLSPIN
Greek Revival Door Styles
Doorway on a Brattle Street House in Cambridge
While on the What Style Is It? architecture tour during Cambridge Discovery Days we came across this excellent example of a Greek Revival door style on Brattle Street in Cambridge Massachusetts.
The Greek Revival period in American architecture dates from about 1825 to 1860. This house was built in 1852.
What appears to be the original door provides an example of some of the most common features of Greek Revival door styles:
- There is a full transom window across the top
- Sidelights flank the door
- Plain columns support the classic entablature – the overhang above the door
- The door itself has four panels
Shutters for Greek Revival Sidelights
– two longs panels above, two short panels below
- Greek Revival doors also included single panel or two panel styles
- Sometimes doors were paired
I couldn’t help but snap the photo at right of the door on this red painted Greek Revival house in Arlington. Built in 1848, with what looks like a more recent door, the door frame has the typical sidelights. I had never seen these with shutters before and I’m not certain to when these date. Nifty idea!
For a full illustration of Greek Revival door styles see Virginia and Lee McAlester’s book A Field Guide to American Houses.
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