What was a settled, beautifully designed area has apparently lost its way and is now reeling in what looks like a drunken stupor of too much money; too little design sense; no historical thoughts, no room at all for the being true to the educational reasons which brought it into being – etc. etc. etc..
Is it trying to “upgrade”? “Upscale”? We don’t know what to call it that is happening to the “Square”, but what we do know is that we won’t call it “elegant”, “historically apprised”, “settled beauty”. It looks like it is becoming the home for the very nouveau-nouveau-riche; for the design challenged class; for the territory where there is more money than anyone knows how to use for the benefit of all and so it is squandered on monstrosities like 4 Willard Street. (We won’t even try to comment on what is happening within the intensely commercial areas of Harvard Square. There aren’t enough painkillers in the universe to spread around to subdue what you feel when you realize a quietly elegant part of harvard square is going and will probably continue to sink into the abyss of too much money, too little aesthetic/design sense………………….
We went for a walk to see some of our favorite places in Harvard Square and to look again at some of our favorite houses. We regret the walk. We are now stuck with the images in our minds of this unbelievable change that has happened to 4 Willard Street. It was an elegant house on a side street which reflected a similarly designed house on Brattle Street. The two houses were wonderful reflections of one another and you could see both as you walked along the sidewalk. One on a large lot and the other on a much smaller one, but both reflecting a similar architectural point of view.
4 Willard Street was sold about one to two years ago for approximately $4,000,000.00. Quite reasonable at the time for its location, size, etc. etc. It is back on the market today for approximately $9,900,000.00. That price more than doubles the sales price and the reasoning, we assume, to justify such a major leap in price is the work which has been done to the house to bring it out of its slumber into the sharp, ugly, almost Levittown light of its current incarnation. A monument to the “New Towns” of the 1950’s – but, of course, on a much grander scale. Look at what you are leaving as your legacy to future generations, Harvard Square. Who is in charge of maintaining the historicity of the area? They should be fired immediately.
We don’t know who is guarding the history of Harvard Square, but we do wonder if money changed hands for such an outrageously obscene, sharply and permanently ugly redesign of what was once an elegant house. “Caricature” is too weak a word to describe this.
There are people homeless on the street who could use the money being spent on such obscenities. There is affordable housing which needs to be addressed so many more don’t wind up on the streets. To waste money on such a really awful ‘renovation’ is on the door step of architectural criminality.
Wonder who is going to buy this house? We could speculate on their background; education; world exposure; etc., but why bother. Someone will gloriously revel in their new home, its location and all that surrounds it. Will they then try to “upscale” and “upgrade” more in this neighborhood to match their design sense!!!! (or lack thereof)????
Buy, bye Historical Harvard Square. We feel blessed to have been able to see you at a time before this obscene expenditure of money destroyed all that you were about.
