I was thinking about houses this past weekend.
First, there is this house on the grounds of a private school near where I live. I snapped it on my walk.
Second, there is this house on a Hudson River Estate falling down around the ears of the latest, impecunious generation.
Photo of Rokeby, a 43-room house on the Hudson River, by Piotr Redlinski for The New York Times. New York Times story here.
Third, there is a tiny house that a Hampshire College student is living in as a senior project.
James Sullivan writes, “As a child, Hampshire College senior Nara Williams hated being told to pick up after herself. This semester, she’s learning to keep things tidy — very tidy.
“For her senior project, she is living in a 130-square-foot house to explore the realities and benefits of living small.
“A few weeks ago, Williams took delivery on a model home used as a showcase for the Tumbleweed Tiny House Co., a leader in the burgeoning ‘small house’ movement. …
“The housing project, Williams said, is her inquiry into ‘viable alternatives’ to the American dream. Blogging about the experience, she is raising questions about property ownership, material goods, consumption, sustainable living, and other issues in an era marked by housing and environmental concerns.”
Read about Rokeby, the Hudson River estate passed down through too many generations, and read about the tiny house, and pray that no one bequeaths you anything like the former. A tree house or a tiny house are what you want if you prefer to own property and not have property own you.
Update: Omigosh, a scathing memoir is just out on what it was like to grow up at Rokeby — reviewed in the Globe, here
Photo: Darren Durlach/Globe Staff
Boston Globe story here.
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