John Phelan, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Culture, Real Estate, Architecture & Home Remodeling Trends
If one would select one iconic town from which the United States was born — it would be Lexington.
Lexington, Massachusetts is a suburban town of roughly 33,000 located 11 miles northwest of Boston — extending over 16.5 square miles of beautiful Massachusetts countryside. Settled originally in the 1640s and originally part of Cambridge, Lexington was established as a farming community. This quintessentially beautiful part of New England flourished and was a mainstay in the provision of fresh produce to nearby Boston.
Lexington went on to be incorporated in 1713 as a town in its own right. Per some, it was named after Lord Lexington — a British Nobleman. Per other accounts it was named after a town in Nottinghamshire, England.
Lexington would rise to international renown as the stage upon which the ‘shot heard round the world’ was fired. That single legendary musket ball would unleash pent up colonial fury and light a flame bright enough to forge America. A new country — an experiment without peer.
That decisive morning of April 19, 1775, Lexington would go on to greatly impact the world. To what would later be declared the Battle of Lexington, the British had dispatched 800 soldiers on foot the night before from Boston. These men had marched with the intention of capturing and destroying caches of gunpowder and canon stored in nearby Concord. This British troop marched from Boston intent on the destruction of these supplies and the capture of John Hancock and Samuel Adams — two prominent leaders of the Sons of Liberty considered primary insurgents against the indomitable British Empire. Emerging on the Lexington Common as a cold dawn broke over the town, this British troop found themselves confronted by 77 armed Colonials on Battle Green led by one Captain John Parker.
This readiness was due to the now famous midnight ride of Paul Revere — an action immortalized by the words of legendary poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow which every New England child learns in school (I did). It was the actions of these three messengers — Paul Revere, William Dawes, and Samuel Prescott which passed the word in time of British movements and bought time for the Colonials to assemble.
Captain Parker himself was born in Lexington and was originally a smith (and farmer) by background. A man after my own heart — he had come from the trades and had risen to colonial military leadership and prominence through his experience in the French & Indian War and the siege of Quebec. Very much worth noting, Parker’s grandson Theodore (also a Lexington native) would impact the world as a prominent abolitionist and reformer in the anti-slavery movement whose words would go on to inspire the speeches of Abraham Lincoln and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
To this day no one knows which individual actually fired the shot that began the exchange on Lexington Common that morning. Captain Parker was literally dying that morning — terminally ill with tuberculosis, he would pass away less than half a year later. His words at the time were later recounted as:
“Stand your ground. Don’t fire unless fired upon, but if they mean to have a war, let it begin here.”
And begin there it did. This moment marked the distinct start of hostilities between the Colonies and Britain and defined the beginning of the American Revolution.
As a sign of legacy and respect, Parker’s musket would hang in a senate chamber of the Massachusetts State House until its 2018 renovation.
This Battle of Lexington is historically and accurately reenacted every year on Patriots Day at the actual time of the battle, in full costume and dress complete with proper uniforms, gunpowder, and musket fire. I vividly remember waking up in the early morning dark as a child to attend the reenactment with my mother. Standing there in the cold Lexington dark on Lexington Battle Green and hearing the shrill rap of a snare drum with a trilling flute cut through the chill as the sun rose and a full British Regiment marched into view is something I will never forget. As a child I found this intensely exhilarating and this display left a mark on me to this day — a permanent impression on my mind of Lexington’s impact on the world and its role as a birthplace of independence and freedom. It made me very proud to be a part of Boston and New England’s history and culture.
This heritage and spirit are very much alive in modern-day Lexington. It’s evident by observation — the historical sites are clearly kept up and imbued with interest and life — and there is a clear ethos of pride and respect for the town’s legacy.
Historical Properties in Lexington
Buckman Tavern. Constructed in 1709, this was the venue where Captain Parker’s militiamen waited throughout the night prior to the Battle of Lexington, awaiting his orders and in anticipation of the ensuing confrontation. It stands as a museum today operated by the Lexington History Society and can be toured.
Monroe Tavern: Constructed in 1735, Monroe tavern was also a gathering spot for Colonials during the night prior to the Battle of Lexington. After the initial hostilities, it was taken over by the British and used as a field hospital. George Washington would later dine here in 1789 when he visited the Lexington Battlefield. It’s a beautiful historical museum today — depicting the narrative and events of the day from a British perspective.
Cultural Hotspots in Lexington
Lexington City Center – Located directly off the Common, Lexington City Center has an array of fine dining, shopping boutiques, and art galleries, as well as a small cinema and a library.
Minuteman Bike Trail – The 10 mile long Minuteman biking trail is a popular hotspot pretty much year around. The paved, multi-use track originates in Bedford and runs through Lexington all the way to the Alewife T stop in North Cambridge.
Wilson Farm
10 Pleasant Street, Lexington
Founded by Irish immigrants and operating since 1884, Wilson Farm is a vibrant and colorful family owned and operated 33-acre farm. It’s affordable, fresh, and local. They’ve been operating out of this location for 136 years after three brothers arrived from Enniskillen, Ireland and launched the enterprise. It’s everything you could want and more from such a family affair. Wilson offers an array of fine foods, artisan and farmhouse cheeses, local produce, and delicious meats and seafood. Wilson now also offers home delivery in these times through the Mercato App, as well as curbside pick up for their Holiday Dinners.
Town Meeting Bistro & Inn at Hastings Park
2027 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington
www.innathastingspark.com/dining/town-meeting-bistro
Not your average New England bed and breakfast…the Inn at Hastings Park is a beautiful boutique four-star Inn owned and run by Trisha Perez Keannely, an entrepreneur with training at Harvard Business School and Chef experience at Le Cordon Bleu in London. The 22 room Relais & Chateaux boutique Inn is located steps away from Lexington Battle Green and has a lovely restaurant and bistro. Each room is lovely and the care factor and quality of service is extremely high, which includes vegan fine dining. Trisha grew up in Lexington and takes pride in imbuing the property with the heritage of the area — each room is unique in design and much of the furniture is local artisan.
Il Casale Cuccina Campana
1727 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington
Il Casale is family Italian at its very finest. The entire experience has been crafted with authenticity, love, and true Italian flair by the de Magistris family of three Italian brothers — Filippo, Damian, and Chef and co-owner Dante de Magistris, who also oversees Il Casale in Belmont and his namesake Restaurant Dante which is located in Cambridge. The menu is composed of family recipes that are over a century old and have origins in their family’s hometown village of Candida in the mountainous region of Irpinia, in southern Italy. They’ve won Boston’s Best and have been critically acclaimed by Food & Wine, O Magazine, and a host of others. To know them is to love them and when you step through the door you’ll be welcomed as family and will be a customer for life. The pumpkin-filled ravioli is absolutely amazing, and there’s a street food aspect of the menu dedicated to Napoli that will make you feel as if you are there. Il Casale also has a wonderful traditional Italian Christmas feast which they are making available for home order in these times.
And for Coffee….?
Ride Studio Cafe
1720 Massachusetts Avenue, Lexington
https://www.ridestudiocafe.com/
This is a hidden gem. A beautiful combination of a high-end bike shop and espresso/coffee bar that sources its ingredients locally and has a vibrant and lovely energy. The bikes are amazing and there is something for everyone. The gourmet coffee and espresso are exceptionally well made and it’s one of those places where it’s simply a joy to be — with a hometown feel and a warm, welcoming ethos.
Schools in Lexington
Lexington is home to a public education system consisting of 6 Elementary Schools, 2 Middle Schools, and Lexington High Schools. There are additionally four private schools in Lexington and the Lexington school district is thought to be one of the best in Massachusetts and the nation: www.lexingtonma.org
Private Schools available in Lexington are as follows:
- Lexington Christian Academy www.lca.edu
- Lexington Montessori School www.lexmontessori.org
- Shishu Bharati School of Languages and Culture of India www.shishubharati.net
- The Waldorf School of Lexington www.thewaldorfschool.org
Biotech & Life Sciences in Lexington
The High Tech, Biotech, and Life Sciences industries are expansive in Lexington, with a significant number of firms expanding from or moving from Cambridge to Lexington over the last decade due to lower costs and need of expansion space. Lexington has been accommodating and 27 drug development companies now call Lexington home, including Takeda Pharmaceuticals — a Japanese based pharma giant with a 500 million dollar biotech campus in Lexington after its purchase of British firm Shire Inc. last year.
BAE Systems (British multinational defence, security, and aerospace giant) is also a large employer in the region with a facility of significant size based in Lexington.
Transportation in Lexington
Popular ridesharing platforms Uber and Lyft both operate in Lexington. It will take you about 27 minutes by car to access Logan International Airport from Lexington. Logan Airport is New England’s largest airport and the 16th busiest in the United States, offering non-stop service to Canada, Mexico, Latin America, Europe, Africa, Asia, the Carribean, and pretty much anywhere you might wish to go.
Real Estate in Lexington
There are currently 70 homes on the market in Lexington, Mass. with a range of architectural styles from Colonial, Victorian, and Craftsman, to Colonial Revival, Farmhouses, and others.
The current home median listing price in Lexington is 1.5 million usd.
“In the past 12 months, the price of homes sold in Lexington ranged between $195,000 and $2,426,000. Last year, 383 homes were sold while median home prices decreased by 2.04%. Lexington properties typically sell for 99.59% of the list price. The average Lexington house stays on the market for 69 days.”
www.realestate.usnews.com/agents/massachusetts/lexington
Experienced Real Estate Advisors we Recommend in Lexington
Joyce Murphy – William Raveis Real Estate
www.raveis.com/teammember/JoyceMurphy/4159
Mobile: 781 771 5146
Landscape Architects we Recommend in Lexington
David Jay – Weinmayr/Jay Associates Inc.
www.weinmayrjay.com/about_us.html
Architectural & Home Remodeling Trends in Lexington, Mass
Design Build is proving to be the sought-after approach for those seeking maximum creativity, efficiency, value, and quality for their investments in home, mansion, or estate renovation projects in Lexington. Here are the two contrasting approaches:
Design-Bid-Build is the process which has been introduced over the past 150 years or so whereby you hire an architect to draft plans and design your project — to then have it bid out to contractors seeking to perform the project. This approach has many liabilities for the client due in no small part to the fragmented spheres of responsibilities which exist. There is no single person or entity fully accountable to the client for the entire project’s success. Thus you can have impractical and expensive design work, impractical planning, numerous change orders, shoddy craftsmanship, and projects which are off timeline and over budget. In the end the client can be left damaged. You may have experienced this in the past.
Architectural Design-Build has become popular for homeowners interested in saving time and money, reducing stress, and eliminating a fragmented sense of project responsibility in the people executing it. Design-Build is a model which stresses single-source accountability with the creative design, planning, and remodel executed start to finish by one firm.
Design-Build is turned to by professionals, families, and individuals as the cutting edge of efficiency, aesthetics, practicality, and accountability when it comes to designing and remodeling a home. This approach packages architectural design and interior design services with highly-skilled and artisan-level building and remodeling services. This natural synthesis makes for a simple, efficient, and accountable creative process followed by a streamlined and responsible execution process — reducing cost, time of execution, and client stress throughout. In the Design-Build modality, the client is dealing solely with one fully accountable firm.
New England Design and Construction does Architectural Design Build with an emphasis on creative sustainable design. Here are several examples of beautiful design build remodels we have done in Lexington, Massachusetts, Chestnut Hill and the Boston area.
Lexington: https://www.nedesignbuild.com/portfolio/lexington-first-floor-remodel/
Chestnut Hill – Dr. David & Sandra Sinclair: https://www.nedesignbuild.com/portfolio/master-bathroom-chestnut-hill/
We began design work on another lovely Lexington home last week for a client and are happy to work in this area. Lexington is a truly lovely town and one of my favorites in all of Boston — I cannot think of a more beautiful area in which to live and raise a family.
Love,
Dave
Refs:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lexington,_Massachusetts
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Parker_(captain)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xou2ClVNhAk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9qhXIkIFCqg
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Munroe_Tavern_(Lexington,_Massachusetts)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Logan_International_Airport
https://realestate.usnews.com/agents/massachusetts/lexington/
https://www.realtor.com/realestateandhomes-search/Lexington_MA/overview
https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/blog/bioflash/2013/10/biotechs-head-to-lexington.html
https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2019/01/07/takeda-closes-62b-purchase-of-shire-creating.html
https://www.lexingtonma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif3351/f/uploads/2014biobrochure11.pdf
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minuteman_Bikeway
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