Sparks Street residence in West Cambridge.

More specifically, West Cambridge is generally understood to be the neighborhood broadly described by the boundaries of Garden Street to the north, Mt. Auburn Street to the south, Fresh Pond to the West and Harvard Square itself to the east.

West Cambridge includes Huron Village, which gets its name from Huron Avenue. On or near Huron Avenue are a number of shops and services which create a village-like atmosphere for the heart of West Cambridge. These places include

Hi-Rise Bakery and Cafe

Formaggio Kitchen

Marimekko

Mobilia Gallery

Village Kitchen

Magic Beans (toy store for kids)

William Henry Furniture

West Cambridge residential real estate offerings include everything from condos under $400,000  to single family homes for as much as $4,000,000+.

If you are considering buying or selling real estate in West Cambridge or elsewhere in Cambridge, I am here to help. I can be reached at ccherney@hammondre.com or 617-733-8937. I am a Harvard graduate, a Cambridge resident and a top broker in the city since 1999. I have listed and sold properties in West Cambridge over the years, and I have also lived in West Cambridge.

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I had a dental appointment recently at Restorative Dental Group of Cambridge at 181 Concord Avenue. Lo and behold, when I came out of the dental office I discovered that there was an open house going on upstairs in the same building! I decided to check things out.

According to the open house host I chatted with, there are twelve residential units on the second and third floors of this three-story mixed-use building, with the dental group occupying the entire first floor.

For sure, a buyer could live in these units in as-is condition as the plain-jane and rather predictable equations they are. However, as I looked out the living room window from the top floor unit onto Concord Avenue at the front facade of Didrik’s, I found myself fantasizing about what these units would be like as renovated residences designed with panache and style. How much fun would it be for these twelve units to be showpieces for twelve designers? And what if – to underline the imagined interesting and compelling contemporary condos found inside – the building itself received a new skin? Wishing it were so! Cambridge deserves a few more modern renovations. That being said, the seller reports that some exterior enhancements are in the works and that condo buyers can renovate units here.

If you are interested in learning more about 195 Concord Avenue, I am here to help. I can be reached at ccherney@hammondre.com or 617-733-8937.  I am a Harvard graduate, a Cambridge resident and a top broker in the city since 1999. I would be delighted to serve you as a buyer’s agent.

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Most recently a top floor unit SOLD for $549,000 in April 2010 This top floor residence is reported to feature 1,447 sf. I had a chance to see it myself.

If you are considering buying or selling at 159 Concord Avenue or elsewhere in Cambridge, I would be delighted to be of assistance. I am a Harvard graduate, Cambridge resident and a top broker in Cambridge since 1999. I can be reached at ccherney@hammondre.com or at 617-733-8937.

I sold a unit at 159 Concord Avenue in the year 2000. That unit resold in 2007. There have been only four other sales reported in MLS in the last ten years, the most recent in April 2010 – the second sale in the building to cross the $500,000 threshold. There is a high owner-occupancy rate and professional management.

159 Concord Avenue is one of the few elevator buildings in Cambridge. This is an appealing feature. There are other Cambridge condominiums with elevators. However, 159 Concord Avenue is one of only a few small buildings in West Cambridge with an elevator.

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44 Grozier Road was the home of Eduardo Catalano, (1917 – 2010).  Eduardo Catalano was a Professor Emeritus of Architecture at MIT. An Argentinian architect who designed MIT’s Stratton Student Center as well as a North Carolina home (Raleigh House)  praised by Frank Lloyd Wright and lost in 2001: “The three-bedroom house, set on a wooded lot at the end of a quiet street, featured a 4,000 square-foot hyperbolic paraboloid as its roof. Sheltered beneath the shoehorn-shaped roof was a square interior enclosed entirely in glass. The undulation of the roof provided openness in some areas and privacy in others.” MIT NEWS.

According to the online assessor’s database for Cambridge, Eduardo Catalono’s own home in West Cambridge at 44 Grozier Road was built in 1982.  I had a chance to see the house during the brief time it was on the market earlier this year. Built on a slab, this modern classic is unlike any other home I have ever seen in Cambridge. The tree growing in the living room is a sight to behold, as is the back “yard” – a true outdoor living room with decking and and fencing in place of grass and shrubbery.

Let’s hope that the new owner undertakes a thoughtful updating of this classic home.

If you are considering buying or selling in Cambridge, I am here to help. I can be reached at ccherney@hammondre.com or 617-733-8937. I am a Harvard graduate, a Cambridge resident and a top broker in the city since 1999.

To gain instant access to photos and descriptions of all MLS properties now for sale in Cambridge, MA log in as as new visitor at Cambridge Real Estate.

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