COMMUNITY SNAPSHOT
Charlestown
May 15, 2005
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Charlestown is a place older than Boston itself. It was founded in 1629, one year before the city of which it is such an integral part was settled.
The Freedom Trail winds its way through here and with good reason. History is entwined into the fabric of this neighborhood, which serves as the homeport of the oldest active naval vessel in the world, the USS Constitution. It is also the site of a crucial battle of the American Revolution, fought on Breed's Hill, but memorialized with the Bunker Hill Monument.
The Americans lost to the British, who burned Charlestown to the ground in 1775. Rebuilding began that year, and Charlestown has been reinventing itself ever since, with projects such as the overhaul of the Charlestown Navy Yard. Shuttered in 1974, it's since become a thriving residential/commercial development perched on Boston Harbor.
According to the Boston Redevelopment Authority, Charlestown today is ''a neighborhood of working families, including many longtime residents and young professionals, many new to the city." The Big Dig has revived City Square, the neighborhood's entry point across the Charlestown Bridge from Boston proper, with the removal of massive highway decks that once hung over the area.
According to the Charlestown Preservation Society, the housing stock is comprised of a variety of architectural styles, including Georgian, built after the British burned the town, and Colonial Revival, favored by builders in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
On a recent week, Realtor.com listed 31 single-family homes, ranging from $420,000 for a four-bedroom, one-bath, 1,964-square-foot home to $2.5 million for a three-bedroom, 3Æ-bath, 3,500-square-foot home.
Condo prices ranged from $125,000 to $5.25 million, and more than 130 were listed on Realtor.com.
JOHN ELLEMENT
197 8th St., Unit 720 Condominium, built in 1989, 1,118 square feet, 5 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths. $635,000
270 Bunker Hill St., Unit 4 Condominium, built in 1900, 940 square feet, 5 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath. $346,000
261-261A Main St., Unit 3 Condominium, built in 1900, 832 square feet, 5 rooms, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath. $158,279
28 Monument St. Three-family, built in 1920, 5,045 square feet, 17 rooms, 6 bedrooms, 3 baths, on 2,040-square-foot lot. $950,000
30 Mystic St. Two-family, built in 1860, 2,015 square feet, 8 rooms, 4 bedrooms, 2½ baths, on 1,210-square-foot lot. $635,000
79 School St. One-family, built in 1870, 1,013 square feet, 6 rooms, 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, on 1,063-square-foot lot. $555,000
