On the Market: 3 Old Conant Rd. in Lincoln, Mass.


The sculptures in the courtyard and other outdoor areas come with the home.

The sculptures in the courtyard and other outdoor areas come with the home. Photograph by Adam Detour.

Designed by the famed architect Earl Flansburgh for his family in 1963, this midcentury Lincoln gem has a sunny West Coast sensibility nestled among New England’s oaks and firs. It was built around an open courtyard to bring natural light into every room, with floor-to-ceiling windows and sliding glass doors offering unobstructed views of the surrounding woods.

Earl’s son John, half of the popular alt-rock band They Might Be Giants, grew up in this house. “As a little kid, its 007 features rocked me,” he says. “It was the underground tunnel from the basement to the garage, the round closet literally hidden in the woodwork that was big enough to hide in, and the narrow escape doors in every room that made the house double cool.”

Now the 2,382-square-foot home is on the market for the first time, and thanks to the work of Earl’s widow, Polly, it’s protected by a historical easement to ensure the flawless design cannot be altered in any major way. Considering Earl took on only one or two handpicked residential clients every year, this property is a rare find indeed.

POLLY FLANSBURGH

POLLY FLANSBURGH SHOWS OFF THE SUNNY SPACE. PHOTOGRAPH BY ADAM DETOUR.

On the Market: 3 Old Conant Rd., Lincoln

Listing price $1,050,000

Stats Four bedrooms, two baths, two acres

Listing agents Bill Janovitz, 781-856-0992, and John Tse, 617-851-3532, William Raveis Real Estate, modernmass.com

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