Health & Fitness
Conantum = Community!
Our new listing at 40 Martha’s Point Road is a bright, renovated mid-century modern home located in the wooded Conantum neighborhood of Concord. Today we wanted to tell you more about this historically significant “community within a community” and let you know why it is such a desirable place to reside!
Conantum, properly known as the Kalmia Woods Corporation, is a small neighborhood in the southeast corner of Concord. One hundred and four houses were built here in the early 1950’s on old farmland along the Sudbury River. The neighborhood was started by graduate students and young faculty families from MIT and Harvard who were looking for homes in the suburbs. The community was designed to be affordable, attractive, and appreciative of the natural setting. The original homes were designed by Techbuilt and Snake Hill architect, Carl Koch.
Conantum today is not as homogenous as it was when it was first built for young families, but it still feels like a neighborhood of people who know each other and share experiences! The community has a monthly newsletter created by volunteers, there is an annual potluck dinner and a 4th of July barbecue – usually with a softball game and parade of the younger children. To further connect residents to the outdoors and each other, there are walking trails to a canoe launch on the Sudbury River, a ball field, tennis courts and a community garden. Word has it there are even quite a few neighborhood book groups! People who live here feel a special sense of belonging that is not often found in our busy modern lives.
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On a more practical level, there is a neighborhood Board of Directors that oversees the Common Land and is responsible for safeguarding and managing it for the benefit of the whole community. Each original house is by deed a member of the corporation and obliged to pay annual dues.
Like many towns near Boston, Concord has little buildable land available, and now that the real estate market has rebounded, developers are looking for potential building sites. Residents of the neighborhood agreed that they wanted to encourage the preservation of Conantum houses to whatever degree feasible. To this end, local realtors Bill Janovitz and John Tse in Lexington, specialists in what is now known as “mid-century modern” architecture, were invited to tour the neighborhood. They have a very informative blog post that provides further in depth information about this truly special neighborhood within Concord. It’s linked below so you can learn why Conantum might just be the place you want to call home! For more information, contact us at 978-341-5400.
