Y Combinator's Original Home For Sale

by Alexis Ohanian10/22/2010

We just put our original building at 135 Garden St in Cambridge on the market. We hesitated for a long time because this is such a unique building. It’s like a loft inside, and yet within walking distance of Harvard Square. I know how rare that combination is because I remember how long I looked for this building. If I’d been able to think of any excuse for keeping it, I would have. (I’m still open to suggestions.)

The building is in a residential neighborhood and has been used as a residence for most of its life, although it was originally a candy factory. The people who lived there before I bought it were into cooking, so it has a very high quality kitchen.

We improved the place a lot, most notably by having recording studio grade soundproof doors and windows installed. Garden Street has a fair amount of traffic, but we solved the noise problem pretty thoroughly: there are 1600 pounds of glass in the windows, and the doors drop down into slots as they swing closed.

We also had larger skylights installed. Plus there was already a greenhouse set into the roof. The result is a place that surprises everyone who walks into it. In the middle of Cambridge you walk into what seems a fairly nondescript building, and inside is a huge, quiet, light space.

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  • Alexis Ohanian