1891 Victorian Home Near Harvard

See all properties

Save

Entire home

Overview
Amenities
Policies
Location
Host

9.4

Exceptional

4 bedrooms2+ bathroomsSleeps 8260.1 sq m

Popular amenities

Washer

Barbecue grill

Outdoor space

Air conditioning

Fireplace

Dryer

Explore the area

Cambridge, MA

Harvard University9 min walk
Harvard Square18 min walk
Fenway Park8 min drive
Boston, MA (BNH-Boston Harbor Seaplane Base)30 min drive

Rooms & beds

4 bedrooms (sleeps 8)

Bedroom 1

1 King Bed

Bedroom 2

1 King Bed

Bedroom 3

1 Single Bed and 1 Queen Bed

Bedroom 4

2 Single Beds

2 bathrooms, 1 half bathroom

Bathroom 1

Toilet · Shower only

Bathroom 2

Bathtub · Toilet

Bathroom 3

Toilet

Spaces

Deck or patio

Dining Area

About this property

Charming 1891 Victorian in exclusive Avon Hill neighborhood, 10-min walk to Harvard Sq, 5-min walk to Porter Sq. subway stop.

Four bedrooms on the second floor, including a master suite w/ king size bed and ensuite bath, a second large bedroom with a Calif. king, and two smaller bedrooms, one with a queen bed and the other with a twin bed and second twin mattress. There is a separate full bath on the second floor and a half bath on the first floor.There is also a couch in that living room that opens into a double bed. Open kitchen, dining, living area on first floor, wonderful for entertaining.
There is a 110' driveway for parking. Rear deck with table, patio with grille and 150 yr-old beech tree in a shaded back yard. It's a great retreat for a family gathering at graduation time, or for a family visiting the Boston area in July or August. Wifi and cable included.

We do not do long term rentals (e.g. month-long), particularly in the fall when my wife is teaching at her university.

Property manager

Dean and Vida Johnson

Languages

English, Russian

Amenities

Washer

Dryer

Free WiFi

Air conditioning

Outdoor space

Barbecue grill

Kitchen

Washer

Dryer

Free WiFi

House Rules

Check in after 4:00 PM

Check out before 10:00 AM

Children

Children allowed: ages 0–17

Events

No events allowed

Pets

No pets allowed

Smoking

Smoking is not permitted

Important information

You need to know

Extra-person charges may apply and vary depending on property policy

Government-issued photo identification and a credit card, debit card or cash deposit may be required at check-in for incidental charges

Special requests are subject to availability upon check-in and may incur additional charges; special requests cannot be guaranteed

On-site parties or group events are strictly prohibited

Host has indicated that there is a carbon monoxide detector on the property

Host has indicated that there is a smoke detector on the property

Safety features at this property include a fire extinguisher, a first aid kit and a deadlock

Property Registration Number C0136630491

We should mention

A car is not required for transport to and from this property

About the area

Cambridge

This holiday home is located in Neighborhood Nine, a neighbourhood in Cambridge. Tufts University and Fenway Park are notable landmarks, and travellers looking to shop may want to visit Harvard Square and Faneuil Hall Marketplace. Check out an event or a game at TD Garden, and consider making time for New England Aquarium, a top attraction not to be missed.

View more Holiday homes in Boston

Cambridge, MA

What's nearby

Harvard University - 9 min walk
Harvard Square - 18 min walk
Tufts University - 3 min drive
Massachusetts Institute of Technology - 6 min drive
Fenway Park - 8 min drive

Getting around

Ball Square Station - 4 min drive
Porter Square Station - 7 min walk
Boston, MA (BNH-Boston Harbor Seaplane Base) - 31 min drive

Restaurants

‪Cambridge Common - ‬7 min walk
‪Cafe Rustica - ‬8 min walk
‪Moëca - ‬6 min walk
‪Stoked Pizza Company-Cambridge - ‬8 min walk
‪Panera Bread - ‬8 min walk

Frequently asked questions

Is 1891 Victorian Home Near Harvard pet-friendly?

No, pets are not allowed at this property.

What time is check-in at 1891 Victorian Home Near Harvard?

Check-in begins at 4:00 PM.

What time is check-out at 1891 Victorian Home Near Harvard?

Checkout is at 10:00 AM.

Where is 1891 Victorian Home Near Harvard located?

Located in Neighborhood Nine, this holiday home is within 1 mile (2 km) of Harvard Law School, Harvard University and Harvard Square. Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Boston University are also within 3 miles (5 km). Porter Square Station is 7 minutes by foot and Harvard Square Station is 18 minutes.

9.4

Exceptional

Reviews are presented in chronological order, subject to a moderation process, and verified unless otherwise labelled.

Learn more

9.4/10

Cleanliness

9.4/10

Check-in

9.4/10

Communication

10/10

Location

9.0/10

Listing accuracy

10/10 Excellent

Al T.

20 May 2024

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Graduation visit

So wonderful spaces to gather and socialize. Plenty of sleeping accommodations. Hosts were very gracious and flexible and welcoming. A fantastic experience overall, completely worth the price!

Stayed 5 nights in May 2024

10/10 Excellent

deborah b.

10 Oct 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Wonderful Property

I was part of a group of 7 and we had a fabulous time. The house itself was loaded with dishes and silverware and household items and we all had room to unpack as well. Even though the owners live in the house when they’re not renting we all had plenty of room for our own things. Location was the other issue and it was amazing. We were in the Porter Square area and there was a grocery store, hardware store, etc. and then so many restaurants. Totally positive experience. Thank you Dean & Veda.

Stayed 7 nights in Oct 2023

10/10 Excellent

Lucinda S.

14 Sept 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

wonderful visit in Cambridge

Beautiful family home with very pleasant kitchen/dining/living area on ground floor and 4 comfortable bedrooms on second floor. Historic home with lots of books, atmosphere and relaxed setting with gracious hosts and spacious front and back porches for relaxing and enjoying the flowers and lawn views. Perfect location a couple of blocks from bikeshare and transit and restaurants, great residential neighborhood.

Stayed 4 nights in Aug 2023

6/10 Okay

Verified traveller

13 Aug 2023

Liked: Check-in, location

Disliked: Listing accuracy

Misleading Information

The house itself is beautiful, if a little worn. And our stay was fine, but the property description is very misleading. This is NOT a true VRBO. Not at all what I was expecting from the listing. The owners live in the house and move down to a basement studio when they rent the house. The closets, drawers, shelves and bathrooms are filled with their personal effects. They cleared off a shelf in the bedroom and moved clothes to either side of the closet, leaving a very small space for our clothes right in the middle of theirs. Personal products handing in the shower. Owner was frequently present. Just be prepared.

Stayed 5 nights in Aug 2023

8/10 Good

Russ R.

12 Aug 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Wedding

It’s a nice neighborhood, older home that needs some updates but it was fine for our Boston wedding stay

Stayed 5 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Kathy F.

23 July 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great location, cozy home with character

Loved our stay. Was convenient to Harvard Square with parking for 3 vehicles. Home had lots of character and great for hosting large families.

Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2023

10/10 Excellent

Lee H., Corning

30 June 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great place to stay in Cambridge!

We loved the house, wonderful historic building with lots of character. (my bedroom was in a round room). The living and bedroom accommodations were very comfortable. The location is very convenient -near restaurants, grocery shopping, other stores etc, and bus and subway stops.

Stayed 5 nights in Jun 2023

10/10 Excellent

Mark M.

29 May 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Week in Cambridge

We had a group of four adults staying in Cambridge as part of a pre-graduation trip. The location of the house was amazing and had everything we needed for a great stay. The host was communicative throughout and we did not have any issues.

Stayed 6 nights in May 2023

10/10 Excellent

Jonathan L.

19 Apr 2023

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Beautiful Home in a Wonderful Neighborhood

This house was the perfect "home away from home" for both my family and another family traveling with us. The hosts were wonderful and helped us get situated before leaving the property to us for our stay. The neighborhood was beautiful, with easy access to many great restaurants and public transportation. We all enjoyed our stay and would highly recommend.

Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2023

8/10 Good

Shel

20 Oct 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, communication, location

Clean, furnished, good location / Hard bed, noisy old house

Dean & Vida are very sweet and gave a welcoming tour when we arrived. The house is clean, and they are very generous with their supplies. Spices, coffee, tea, paper towels, etc. Great for saving on groceries and restaurants while traveling. Lots of space, so it was awesome for spending time with family. Cheaper than a hotel (but not by much) and nice to have the communal space for a group. Beautiful back yard and a relatively short walk to the subway. The only downside for me was the master bed — wildly uncomfortable. I honestly have no idea how they sleep like that. Hard mattress and the slightest movement makes the frame creak. If you’re a light sleeper you will wake yourself up adjusting. I have EDS and a ton of joint pain/sleep issues, so I ended up sleeping on a blanket on the floor most of the stay. I also don’t recall if the listing said this, but there is a downstairs and upstairs neighbor. We did hear the upstairs one, which woke my partner up more than once. I knew it was an old home, so the info about neighbors would have been good to know ahead of time. All that said, as long as your group is made of low maintenance sleepers, you will love this home!

Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2022

10/10 Excellent

Paul K.

18 Oct 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Perfect house for reunion friends

Very good location to the local colleges for an October reunion basecamp. The kitchen and living room are large, as are the bedrooms. We used all 4 bedrooms on the upper level. The house was easy to operate, sufficiently comfortable and convenient for our purpose. The owners provided good communication and this was an overall 'low-hassle' rental -- Thank you!

Stayed 4 nights in Oct 2022

10/10 Excellent

Sheila L.

5 Sept 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Lovely home

We enjoyed this property. Comfortable beds, plenty of bedding and linens. Lots of common space and a nice porch and back deck. Driveway parking. Dean and Vida welcomed us. Safe, beautiful neighborhood

Stayed 4 nights in Sep 2022

10/10 Excellent

Sarah V.

2 Aug 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great home for extended family in Cambridge

We rented this home for a gathering of my extended family in the Boston area. This beautiful home had plenty of space for everyone to stay comfortably and kept us cool during an especially hot week in Boston. The neighborhood was great and there were many good restaurants and grocery options within walking distance. Communication with the hosts was easy and we enjoyed meeting them.

Stayed 4 nights in Jul 2022

10/10 Excellent

Kevin K., St Peters, MO

20 June 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Cardinals vs Red Sox

What a wonderfule home. We spent the weekend going to baseball games and tourist attractions and the home was close to everything. Especially access to stores out on Mass Ave.

Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2022

10/10 Excellent

Zach M.

13 June 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Comfortable, convenient, great location

The owners were very warm and welcoming when we arrived, gave us a quick tour and then handed us the key. We stayed for a week and by the second day it felt like our second home. Our teenage kids loved the access to the T with plenty to do. We would definitely stay here again.

Stayed 7 nights in Jun 2022

10/10 Excellent

Jingfei G.

6 June 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great summer Boston trip

We had a great experience with this rental of 3 days for a party of 7-two families. The house is a perfect choice for two families. It has two bedrooms with king size beds. The location is super convenient, to the subway stations and restaurants. We love the great selection of herb tea that Dean and Vida provided! Overall we had a great time.

Stayed 4 nights in Jun 2022

6/10 Okay

Alissa K.

2 June 2022

Liked: Location

Disliked: Check-in, communication

Several issues but location and size are good

Big, old Victorian full of knick-knacks with little room to unpack except on couches. Location is wonderful. Front door is in disrepair and required detailed directions on how to wiggle open. I felt like the owners were doing us a personal favor letting us stay there as she started asking me to leave by 10 AM to accomodate cleaners when checkout is by 11 AM and sending multiple texts and calling. We left by 10 AM and they were on site as we packed up. Not run like a vacation rental but when options are few in Boston, may do just fine….

Stayed 5 nights in May 2022

10/10 Excellent

Trent H.

30 May 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Perfect for MIT graduation weekend!

The property was spacious, clean and well laid out for a multi-generation family trip to MIT's graduation. It is conveniently located by the T and is about a 5 min ride to Kendall Square. Great restaurants and ice cream shops are located within walking distance. We reserved for MIT's graduation weekend and the house did not disappoint. It was clean, the AC worked well, and there was enough space for those who wanted to take a nap or go to bed early to do so, while others could play cards and hang out.

Stayed 5 nights in May 2022

10/10 Excellent

Nancy V., Fort Wayne

30 Apr 2022

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Close to subway line

Was spacious enough for all 7 of us. We were very busy and subway was convienent. About a 30 min jaunt to the start of the Boston Marathon .

Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2022

10/10 Excellent

Derrick & Susan V., Madison, WI

24 May 2021

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Comfortable

The hosts are very welcoming, so we felt like we were staying at a friend's house. Six adults stayed here very comfortably for a graduation celebration. We loved walking around the neighborhood and the homey feel of the house with many pieces of artwork and books. Our only disappointment was that while this house is located near Elizabeth Warren's Massachusetts home, we did not see her one single time our whole stay. Despite this, we would still highly recommend this stay.

Stayed 4 nights in May 2021

10/10 Excellent

Kenneth P.

3 Sept 2019

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Boston trip

Excellent

Stayed 6 nights in Jul 2019

8/10 Good

Catherine G.

24 July 2019

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Great location

We enjoyed staying at this house. I wish there had been some space to put clothes- the closets were all full with owners things. It felt more like staying at a friend’s house than at a house that is rented.

Stayed 7 nights in Jul 2019

10/10 Excellent

David R.

3 July 2019

Liked: Cleanliness, check-in, communication, location, listing accuracy

Wonderful Cambridge rental

Dean and Vida’s house was perfect for our family get together. Three families, from different parts of the country, gathered for a ‘celebration of life’ for my mother-in-law who had passed away. The house accommodated all of us (4 adults; 4 children) very well. The kitchen was well equipped, the bedrooms comfortable, and there was space for us to gather around the dining table or on the outside porch for meals and socializing. The younger children will have great memories of playing in the yard, and trying to sneak up on the wild rabbits that inhabit the area. Dean is a very friendly and gracious host. We enjoyed talking to him about the house, the neighbourhood and Cambridge. Highly recommended.

Stayed 6 nights in Jun 2019

10/10 Excellent

Ann O.

4 May 2019

Lovely home, lovely owners

This house worked well for a three-day residential meeting of our small working group. It has everything you would need and is in a great location convenient to public transportation and shops.

Stayed 4 nights in Apr 2019

6/10 Okay

Corinne J.

13 Mar 2019

Very good

We were at the home for a family event in the area near by so the location was great. However, I did feel like I was staying with "family" with the host on location for the almost entire stay. This was new to our family having stayed at other VRBO over the last 15 years. He was a excellent host, just not what we were used too with the host.

Stayed 4 nights in Mar 2019

About the host

Hosted by Dean and Vida Johnson

I am a retired environmental/urban planner who now manages several real estate properties. My wife teaches Russian at Tufts University (about 2 miles from our place) and goes to the Moscow Film Festival every year. Our children our grown, we visit them in San Francisco and New Orleans, and we have two grandsons in New Orleans. We ski 25 to 30 days a year in Colorado (mostly Breckenridge) and enjoy travel to see kids and friends. We both graduated from Harvard (Radcliffe at the time for my wife) and have several graduate degrees between us (she has the PhD.) I am actively interested in environmental issues. I worked in water resources management for the Mass General Court in the late 70's and helped to pioneer low flow toilets in MA.

Why they chose this property

Three primary reasons: location, location, location. And you can add the comfort of a beautiful Victorian with plenty of space and a beautiful Copper Beech in the back yard.