Either-Or: A Sophisticated Wellesley Manse vs. an Airy Cambridge Victorian
It’s amazing what a few miles will do to the market. This month, we compare a roomy estate near the Natick border with an Avon Hill single-family.
Sam Gray Photography (Wellesley); Michael J. Lee (Cambridge)
| 150 Pond Road, Wellesley | Sale Price: $2,900,000 | 44 Avon Hill Street, Cambridge |
| $2,995,000 54 7,741 square feet 5 5.5 | Asking Price Days on Market Size Bedrooms Bathrooms | $3,495,000 140 4,484 square feet 5 5 |
At a moment when we’re all spending more time at home, having a gorgeous kitchen to cook in certainly makes life more cheerful—as the new owners of these roomy dwellings can attest. Inspired by a Tuscan villa, the Wellesley manor’s culinary space boasts a river-rock fireplace and a colossal island, perfect for whipping up batches of fresh lemonade or prepping burgers for the grill. Should the owners need a change of scenery, they’ll likely retire to the sunny conservatory, equipped with an in-ground hot tub.
Natural light also floods this Queen Anne Victorian in Cambridge’s Avon Hill neighborhood. Inside the serene abode, the kitchen’s wooden banquette is framed by wide windows facing one of two gardens. The living room’s leaded bay window is another bright spot, complete with views of old-growth trees. The house may have a loftier price per square foot than its not-too-distant neighbor in Wellesley, but peace, quiet, and a sprawling kitchen in the city, it seems, will always be worth top dollar.
