Photo: A two-family on Gilbert.
18 Trowbridge St. (1929). Sold: $525,000.
31 Gilbert Rd. 5+5 Two family (1925). Sold: $868,000.
A weekly recap of residential properties sold in the past seven-plus days in the “Town of Homes.”
• 18 Trowbridge St. “Old Style” house (1929). Sold: $525,000. Listed at $669,000. Living area: 1,700 sq.-ft. 7 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 98 days
• 31 Gilbert Rd. 5+5 Two family (1925). Sold: $868,000. Listed at $830,000. Living area: 2,600 sq.-ft. 12 rooms, 5 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 87 days.
There are many beautiful homes in Belmont (and some that are downright ghastly) that are made up of many styles and design features: Victorians, Classic Colonials, Tudors, Arts and Craft and, in some incidences, modern construction.
One which I love for both its aesthetics and functionality is the early 20th-century two-family. Built to accommodate the rapidly growing population in town from the late-1890s to about 1930, they were constructed simply on single-family lots; but they were built solid with good workmanship and material. Many are in great shape today without significant repairs or reconstruction required. Nothing flashy but they now hold its own stylistically with other notable designs in town.
In addition, it allows many potential home buyers with modest income – teachers, middle managers, public safety personnel – who just can not breach the $845,000 medium price barrier for a single-family house, allowing them a way to reside in the Town of Homes.
When the Planning Board gets around to reviewing and rewriting the zoning code for much of the town’s residential neighborhoods, it should consider favoring the construction of two familys.