A seemingly ordinary neighborhood in Newton holds a rich history. Garland Road is filled with houses built 100 years ago. The people who live there now hold block parties to learn about the history of their street and connect with their neighbors.
“Block parties are a great way to get to know neighbors and learn about neighborhood stories,” Larry Tianle said. “I’ve been enjoying all of them.”
But the old homes on this street come with a lot of problems. Many are built on soft ground.
“We’ve lived here pretty well for 100 years,” Sarah Luria said, who leads the tours and is a professor at Holy Cross. “But people have had to deal with a lot of pumps and flooding and cracked foundations.”
Some homes can’t be salvaged, but the goal is to rebuild in the architectural style of the original home.
“The idea is to keep the architectural style intact and then make sure it fits in and adds to the community,” Tianle said.
The rebuilds and updates aren’t just about appearance. Many homes have been updated with environmentally conscious features like solar panels. People who live in Newton say they are preparing the neighborhood for the future.
“Even though we’re old, we’re putting in new stuff so that the next people will have well-started electric help,” Amy Werthiem said.
The block parties serve as a way for neighbors to talk about keeping the neighborhood updated and its history. But they also have helped the neighborhood become a family.
It’s really changed for me the way I see and understand where I live and think about the environment, and it adds a lot of meaning to my life,” Luria said. “And now I can share it with my neighbors, and this has started to bring us together.”
