Historic New England Peninsula Up For Sale

Luxist reader Chris led me to a Boston Globe story on a prime piece of Massachusetts land for sale. Codman Point is a private waterfront compound located at the head of Buzzards Bay. It is on the market for the first time in 137 years. Back in 1872 the Codman family bought the 25-acre peninsula for just $800. They are making quite a return on their investment since it is now listed for $7.7 million.

The property has four homes, a deepwater dock, tennis court and boathouse. When the Codman family bought in 1872 the peninsula had a small hotel that provided shelter to fishermen. Two of the houses were designed at the turn of the 20th century by architect Guy Lowell. The Point House has eight bedrooms and faces the ocean but has no heat because it was to be used as a summer home. The other Lowell house is the Bungalow, another unheated home which features a wraparound porch.

The peninsula includes five beaches and in the past the extended Codman clan would spend entire summers there. But times have changed, the family is spread out and most people don't summer like that anymore. While the property could remain intact as private compound it is more likely that it will be bought by someone who could divide it into seven or eight different lots which is a bit of a shame. Having grown up on Cape Cod, I know just how little relatively unspoiled land remains in southeastern Massachusetts.