Sold in Belmont: A Million Dollar House that SHOULD be Torn Down

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A weekly recap of residential properties bought in the past seven days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 5 Lodge Rd. A framed Colonial (1930), Sold for: $716,000. Listed at $695,000. Living area: 1,505 sq.-ft. 7 rooms; 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 47 days.

• 665 Concord Ave. “Contemporary” (1961), Sold for: $1,175,000. Listed at $1,175,000. Living area: 3,080 sq.-ft. 10 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 4 baths. On the market: 64 days.

• 53 Leslie Rd. Two-floor condominium (1929), Sold for: $457,200. Listed at $437,000. Living area: 1,339 sq.-ft. 6 rooms; 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 50 days.

Some lucky individual just bought an upper Concord Avenue house for just more than a million dollars. (Kudos to the salesperson for selling the property the town appraised in 2014 at $920,000!)

Now the buyer(s) can provide a public benefit by tearing down this out-of-place, contemporary, rabbit hutch.

If this badly-aging, low-to-the-ground substandard example of Usonia architecture was situated in Palo Alto or Boulder or any of many western/West Coast communities where this sort of building is appreciated (along with “A” frames and split-levels such as Colorado which is actually attempting to preserve this architecture) then fine. But in Belmont, the Concord Avenue house is akin to the nice person on Bright Road who places palm trees and other exotics on his lawn most of the year: it’s interesting but out of place.

Frank Lloyd Wright developed this design (it’s also called Wrightian) as a low-end Prairie School-style house in which he attempted to “integrated the house with the landscape and nature in an attempt to get away from box-like structures (1)” that were plopped onto a plot of land.

Arranged in zones, typically with three areas: living space, small bedrooms, and a kitchen-dining area, the “Usonian houses were quite unlike the boxy, stark International Style houses that appeared to be dropped onto, rather than a part of, their location.”

But the Belmont house fails because it wasn’t designed by Wright but by a lesser architect who threw up (pun intended) a building that is a mashup of Wright’s principles and suburbanites’ demands. The structure the public can glimpse around that ugly fence (what did Robert Frost say about fences in “Mending Walls“?) is the garage! Is this Belmont, California? Garages are fine but not as your “Welcome” mate. Usonia is where carports (a word Wright created) became an architectural feature. Additionally, the open floor design with a large footprint has become hopelessly old-fashioned and inefficient, like having a typewriter on your office desk.

The house is a duck out of water, a dud. In temperament and temperature, New England is bound with Scandinavia. Residencies here need compartmentalization with multiple floors and designated rooms with doors to conserve warmth and energy but also large vertical windows to capture daylight especially in fall and winter. The Concord Avenue house had to rip out portions of the roof to install skylights to bring in the light.

Additionally, Belmont is suited for the tall over the squat (I would fear my six-foot, one-inch tall son would bump his head on the low ceilings at Concord Avenue): high windows allow for a view of the canopy of evergreens and the changing leaves; the narrow slits of the Usonia – which are fine for seeing the scrub and low grass of the West and Midwest – limits you to tree trunks and pet-eating coyotes to stare inside.

With nearly half an acre of land that is adjacent to Week’s Pond and Meadow, why not envelop the ever-changing coloring provided by the Southern light onto the trees and land? You want a unique, then go with a Farnsworth House-type structure (OK, you’ll probably need $10 million to build that today … ) On the more affordable side, there are great modular houses from noted Canadian and Swedish companies that would be a great modern addition to upper Concord Avenue.

So paraphrasing Ronald Reagan: “Mr. Homeowner, tear down this house!”

(1) “Selected Post-World War II Residential Architectural Styles and Building Types” Center for Historic Preservation, Research Office of Archaeology and Historic Preservation, Colorado Historical Society, 2006.

Sold in Belmont: From High to Low, Ranch to Antique

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A weekly recap of residential properties bought in the past seven days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 191 Somerset St. A Cape-style with a huge extension/wing (1950), Sold for: $1,450,000. Listed at $1,395,000. Living area: 3,167 sq.-ft. 9 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 3 baths. On the market: 70 days.

• 31 Robinwood Rd. Multi-level raised Ranch (1956), Sold for: $960,000. Listed at $1,059,000. Living area: 2,038 sq.-ft. 9 rooms; 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 138 days.

• 57 Elm St. (upper). Two-level condominium (1925), Sold for: $719,900. Listed at $$719,900. Living area: 1,741 sq.-ft. 7 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 77 days.

• 41 Waverley St. Antique farmhouse-style (1880), Sold for: $690,000. Listed at $$750,000. Living area: 2,439 sq.-ft. 11 rooms; 5 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 49 days.

 

Sold in Belmont: Big Ranch by Little Pond (and the Uplands) Brings Seven Figures

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A weekly recap of residential properties bought in the past seven days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 75-77 Grove St. Two-family (1900), Sold for: $705,000. Listed at $699,000. Living area: 2,112 sq.-ft. 11 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 61 days.

• 127 Oliver Rd. Early Ranch (1945), Sold for: $1,020,000. Listed at $1,150,000. Living area: 2,911 sq.-ft. 9 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 3 baths. On the market: 76 days.

• 12 Hurley St. Ranch (1952), Sold for: $690,000. Listed at $699,000. Living area: 1,704 sq.-ft. 7 rooms; 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 76 days.

While most of the million-dollar Belmont homes sold are those “with a view” – a glimpse of Boston through a grove of trees, overlooking parkland, etc. – there is a type of homes that many potential buyers may not realize are hiding in the Town of Homes: waterfront property. 

While surrounding towns have greater availability of “beach homes” – Spy Pond in Arlington, Winchester’s Upper Mystic Lake, along the Charles River – Belmont’s Little Pond provides houses for those partial being close to the water.

The Oliver Road property is interesting in that it’s one of the earliest examples of the ranch house in New England, being built as World War II ended. It’s big for a style built as being a starter house in mind, with nearly 3,000 square feet. But what really sells the property is the HUGE backyard, most of a half an acre that leads to the pond’s edge. That’s the sort of expanse you see in places out in the hinterland such as Arkansas or Minnesota where folks take the bass boat after work. (Do NOT eat the fish from Small Pond.) As you would expect, there is a large deck that overlooks the water. For their million dollars, the new owners will also get the opportunity to see the development of the 299-apartment unit Belmont Uplands housing project from their backyard. 

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Sold in Belmont: For One Week, ‘Affordability’ the Buzzword

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A weekly recap of residential properties bought in the past seven days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 2-4 Exeter St. Victorian two-family (1897), Sold for: $746,000. Listed at $750,000. Living area: 2,900 sq.-ft. 13 rooms; 6 bedrooms, 3 baths. On the market: 70 days.

• 4 Ripley Rd. Condominum (1890), Sold for: $610,000. Listed at $575,000. Living area: 2,358 sq.-ft. 8 rooms; 5 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 53 days.

• 35-37 Harvard Rd. Two-family (1928), Sold for: $847,500. Listed at $849,900. Living area: 2,574 sq.-ft. 12 rooms; 6 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 112 days.

• 178 Waverley St. Side-entrance Colonial (1920), Sold for: $751,000. Listed at $699,000. Living area: 2,076 sq.-ft. 8 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 50 days.

• 134 Mill St. Colonial (1926), Sold for: $480,000. Listed at $499,900. Living area: 1,248 sq.-ft. 6 rooms; 3 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 64 days.

• 7 Harvard Rd. Condominum (1920), Sold for: $435,000. Listed at $430,000. Living area: 1,293 sq.-ft. 7 rooms; 3 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 58 days.

• 59 Edgemoor Rd. English-style Colonial (1935), Sold for: $1,060,000. Listed at $975,000. Living area: 2,372 sq.-ft. 9 rooms; 3 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 49 days.

Nothing best describes a mature housing stock than when the “youngest” home sold in the past week is a mere 79 years old. That home, the “English-style” Colonial (what the salesperson should have said is that it has Tudor characteristics; the English-style actually goes back to the 1700s) on Edgemoor is the outlier this week, selling for seven figures as most of the residential properties sold for less than the medium home value in Belmont which last year was around $777,000.

The most interesting sale was the one on Mill Street in which the Colonial sold for under $500,000. Yet on closer look, the price discount is due to the location of the house: feet from a busy roadway and on the “wrong” side of the byway, adjacent to the McLean property and away from the Kendall Gardens neighborhood. In addition, the living area at 1,250 square-feet, was less than the condominiums sold this week. 

Sold in Belmont: Is the Hill Losing Some Luster to ‘Friendlier’ Homes?

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Photo: A classic Colonial on Benton Road that sold for seven figures. 

A weekly recap of residential properties bought in the past seven days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 14 Frederick St. Two-family (1930), Sold for: $690,000. Listed at $699,000. Living area: 2,459 sq.-ft. 11 rooms; 5 bedrooms, 3 baths. On the market: 47 days.

• 95 Bow Rd. Classic Colonial (1928), Sold for: $1,265,000. Listed at $1,250,000. Living area: 2,874 sq.-ft. 11 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 47 days.

• 10 Cutter St. Colonial “box” (1905), Sold for: $710,000. Listed at $689,000. Living area: 1,646 sq.-ft. 7 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 34 days. (A former House of the Week.)

• 80 Somerset St. Custom European-style home [the town calls it a colonial] (1924), Sold for: $1,500,000. Listed at $2,100,000. Living area: 3,116 sq.-ft. 7 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 179 days.

• 19 Benton Rd. Classic Colonial (1925), Sold for: $1,194,000. Listed at $1,149,000. Living area: 3,040 sq.-ft. 8 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 57 days.

• 26 Clifton St. English-brick Tudor (1920), Sold for: $1,085,000. Listed at $1,190,000. Living area: 2,675 sq.-ft. 9 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 86 days.

It’s good to be friendly.

And last week, that notable attribute was evident in real estate with the four Belmont homes that sold for seven figures. 

Up on Belmont Hill, a pair of houses hidden from public view (long-driveways and heavy vegetation) on large lots a distance from nearby residences took a couple of haircuts from their original list prices after spending some time sitting on the market.

Down in the hinterlands, two classic Colonials sitting steps from the street in typical neighborhoods located near bus lines and the town’s business center and other amenities were bought up for a premium after being listed for less than two months. 

Coincidence? Maybe. Or is the latest generation of homebuyers who can make the financial leap into high-end homes seeking a more communal living arrangement, wanting to be close to schools, libraries, pools and fellow residents. A recent report shows that many up-market buyers are no longer seeking celebrity-like seclusion but rather a lifestyle that allows the kids to walk down to school or the Benton Library and foregoing the second/third vehicle for public transportation.

A decade ago, the houses on Benton and Bow roads would never have been considered the equal of the duo on the Hill. Today, they are, and more.

Sold in Belmont: To the Manor Born, a Monster Colonial

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A weekly recap of residential properties bought in the past seven days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 2 Radcliffe Rd. Colonial with Cape-design features (1938), Sold for: $756,625. Listed at $775,000. Living area: 1,887 sq.-ft. 8 rooms; 3 bedrooms, 1.5 baths. On the market: 61 days.

• 20 Wellington Ln. New construction/Colonial inspired (2014), Sold for: $2,350,000. Listed at $2,475,000. Living area: 5,701 sq.-ft. 18 rooms; 5 bedrooms, 4.5 baths. On the market: 52 days.

• 26 Alma Ave. #A1. Condominium (1923), Sold for: $356,000. Listed at $379,999. Living area: 970 sq.-ft. 5 rooms; 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 90 days.

• 11 Frederick St. Newly-renovated townhouse condo (1927/2013), Sold for: $699,000. Listed at $729,000. Living area: 1,909 sq.-ft. 7 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 98 days.

Sold in Belmont: Inexpensive on Belmont Hill, But to What End?

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A weekly recap of residential properties bought in the past seven days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 44 Scott Rd. Brick English Cottage (1930), Sold for: $860,000. Listed at $929,000. Living area: 2,368 sq.-ft. 8 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 104 days.

• 667 Belmont St. Up-and-down two family (1923), Sold for: $678,000. Listed at $699,000. Living area: 2,667 sq.-ft. 12 rooms; 5 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 59 days.

• 20 Wilson Ave. #2 First-floor Condominium, Sold for: $402,850. Listed at $392,500. Living area: 1,060 sq.-ft. 5 rooms; 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 48 days.

• 56 Davis Rd. #1 First-floor Condominium, Sold for: $440,000. Listed at $469,000. Living area: 1,600 sq.-ft. 7 rooms; 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 83 days.

• 27 Dorset Rd. Historic Royal Barry Wills designed Cottage Cape (1937), Sold for: $742,000. Listed at $859,000. Living area: 1,805 sq.-ft. 8 rooms; 5 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 208 days.

It’s a beautiful Belmont house once the pentacle of residential design when it was built in 1937; a Cape Cod-style cottage lying in the then out-of-the-way section of “the Hill.”

The house at 27 Dorset Rd. was designed by one of the most influential modern residential architects, Royal Barry Wills – whose firm continues today – famous for building the quintessential New England home: solid, classic, refined.

The style was so popular that the year after the Dorset Road house was built, a Wills Cape was selected by winners in a national contest over a modern design by Frank Lloyd Wright! (In retrospect, not the correct choice.)

The Belmont Hill house is modernized with a new chef’s kitchen with maple cabinets and granite (ugh!) counter tops, a new gas furnace, central air and the garage has been heated.

But many of Wills’ quality remains; the square rooms, the bay in the living room, the well-proportioned “wing” which houses two bedrooms and a full bath, the small dormers (so they don’t look “clumsy”), a low roof line, narrow hallways to allow for great space for the rooms.

But the sale of this historic house gives me a bad feeling. I truly hope the buyers – who got the house on “the cheap” for $100,000 below the list – have fallen in love with the beauty of fine architecture and will care for it.

But the house, with a “mere” 1,805 sq.-ft. of livable space – less room than the million dollar condos on Boston’s Waterfront – sits on a third of an acre on the top of sought after Belmont Hill. I fear the sale might be for the land rather than the pretty Cape that sits on it.

Sold in Belmont: An ‘As-Is’ Two-Family Takes Its Time Selling

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A weekly recap of residential properties bought in the past seven days in the “Town of Homes.”

For the second week running, only a single house sold in Belmont, according to the MLS.

• 132 Bartlett Ave. Two-family (1925), Sold for: $670,000. Listed at $715,000. Living area: 2,800 sq.-ft. 14 rooms; 5 bedrooms, 2 baths. On the market: 92 days.

The house on Bartlett Avenue – the street was originally named Ripley Road – is a style well known in this area just north of Trapelo Road, the two-family. Second only to the colonial in sheer numbers, two-families were popularized by developers at the turn of the century who subdivided former estates and farmland into smaller, less costly parcels close to the trolley cars that traveled along Trapelo, according to Belmont historian Richard Betts.

Bartlett Avenue was laid out in 1906 by Everett Benton (as in the Benton Library and the former Benton Estate) who divided four existing lots into 13, one of which is the location of 132 Bartlett. The two-family allowed a new generation of middle-class workers to enjoy a suburban lifestyle.

 

Sold in Belmont: Only One House Sold This Week … But What A House

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A weekly recap of residential properties bought in the past seven days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 25 Rockmont Rd. Colonial “reminiscent of an English country cottage” (1928), Sold for: $2,272,500. Listed at $2,500,000. Living area: 4,499 sq.-ft. 10 rooms; 5 bedrooms, 3.5 baths. On the market: 166 days.

This Belmont Hill house sold for $795,000 in May, 1996 but there has been several major changes: remodel kitchen master suite and bathroom for $100,000 (1996); replace ten windows, three doors and the foundation of the bay window (1998); remodel a bathroom (1999);  finish the existing attic (2000); remodel the full bathroom on the second floor (2010); and add a study in the attic (2011).  

Sold in Belmont: Condos, a Cape and Tudor Taken Off the Block

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A weekly recap of residential properties bought in the past seven days in the “Town of Homes.”

• 59 Vernon Rd. Expanded Cape (1934), Sold for: $760,000. Listed at $785,000. Living area: 1,684 sq.-ft. 7 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 75 days.

• 58 Channing Rd., #2. Two-level (attic) condominium, Sold for: $464,000. Listed at $419,000. Living area: 1,248 sq.-ft. 6 rooms; 3 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 44 days.

• 61 Dartmouth St., #1. Single-floor condominium, Sold for: $380,000. Listed at $385,000. Living area: 906 sq.-ft. 5 rooms; 2 bedrooms, 1 baths. On the market: 63 days.

• 202 Goden St. Brick and shingle Tudor-inspired Colonial (1930), Sold for: $1,000,000. Listed at $959,000. Living area: 2,443 sq.-ft. 9 rooms; 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths. On the market: 55 days.