Cambridge caught in middle of neighborhood dispute over architecture

Spot on. I'm no fan of most contemporary architecture, but the house in question is actually rather striking - executed with craftsmanship and care, and displaying high-quality materials.

Does it stick out like a sore thumb in the neighborhood? Sure it does. But that's because it's a neighborhood of stultifyingly bland postwar homes. They're modest in street-front appearance, but not in either price or scale, since many have been renovated. The developer followed the rules. No one is claiming that the home he knocked down had historical or architectural merit.

So what this boils down to is a bunch of neighbors who believe that purchasing their own homes conferred the right to enforce conformity on their neighbors, squaring off against a developer who'd like to add a little bit of contemporary diversity to the streetscape. It's not even a close call.

this modern house is hideous... it looks like a crappy office building in a strip mall. Regardless, that owner had the right to build the house he wanted. AND, the neighbors have the right to do what they want which is attempt to keep future 'office building' residences out of their neighborhood. Ranches aren't all that bad -- I grew up in one and most people I know in the the suburbs still live in them. We can't all have oodles of cash to buy McMansions, modernist glass boxes or expensive capes, which is what I'd like to be able to afford!

Boy, no kidding. I've read of many instances where a city person buys their nice VT farmhouse, then starts complaining when they realize there is a dairy farm nearby that starts operations at 4 AM. The whining continues because there's no Starbucks, Wal-Mart, etc. Tell me, why did you move here again?

Historical Commissions (a.k.a. Hysterical commissions) around here can get way out of hand. I would never buy a house if it were under the control of a historical commission. Basically, they say "No" and keep saying it. Kind of like waterboarding by "No".

Seriously, it's awesome.

Was surprised to see your name (but so true about Brattleboro & you're right, totally the same yuppie idiocy here) - say hi to your Dad! scollaysq (aka Bonney/former Reformer)

PS awesome house, and I'd live next door to that (or, more preferably, in it) over any opulent d*ck-swinging 'look at me' McMansion in a heartbeat.

A water view can compensate for a lot of other deficiencies.

Sometimes it makes sense to have a historic area preserved, like parts of the South End or Sumner Hill in JP for example, but the neighborhood in question is not one of those neighborhoods. Surely they won't be allowed to use what is usually a good thing to promote their low-brow architectural tastes.

Whit