6 exciting homes in college towns

Ithaca, New York

Set on seven acres near Cayuga Lake, this five-bedroom Tudor is walking distance to Cornell University. The 1923 house features detailed woodwork, casual and formal dining rooms, an attic study with lake views, and a sitting room with window seats and a fireplace. 

Outside are flower and vegetable gardens, fruit trees, guest quarters, a pool, an outdoor kitchen, a stream, woods, and walking trails. $3,190,000. Havana Jorrin, Warren Real Estate, (607) 280-9032.

Berkeley, California

The University of California’s flagship campus, art museum and famed film archives are some 10 minutes’ drive from this four-bedroom Spanish Revival. The 1928 main house has beamed ceilings, arched doorways, balconies, a roomy kitchen with a banquette, a living room with an ornate fireplace and French doors, and a garden-facing primary suite.

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The 0.37-acre lot includes mature landscaping, a walled patio, a garden cottage with bedroom and bath, and a garage topped by an art studio. $3,895,000. Bebe McRae, The Grubb Co./Luxury Portfolio International, (510) 928-3912.

Boulder, Colorado 

This furnished two-bedroom home is five minutes by car from the University of Colorado. The 1901 former grocery store was redesigned in 2017 in industrial-loft style with recycled-teak floors, hot-rolled steel doors, vintage New York high-rise glass panels, and Parisian streetlamps; wood, exposed-brick, and living-moss walls; a hanging bed and love seats; and a raftered, stone-clad chef’s kitchen with a fireplace.

The Pearl Street Mall and good hiking trails are nearby. $4,200,000. Francis Hagan, Slifer Smith & Frampton Real Estate/Luxury Portfolio International, (808) 388-9318.

Ann Arbor, Michigan

Just steps from Barton Pond, this 1957 four-bedroom home is also 10 minutes’ drive from the University of Michigan. Designed by midcentury-modern architect George Brigham and built with stones from the property, the house features polished epoxy floors, a great room with floor-to-ceiling windows, a Berloni kitchen, a lower level with a sauna, and an elevated deck with water views.

The wooded 1-acre property was landscaped by Olmsted Brothers. $2,920,000. Jeffrey L. Post, Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices, (734) 476-8326.

Austin, Texas

The University of Texas is a short drive from this four-bedroom Hyde Park home. Built in 2022 in Scandinavian-modern style, on a pier-and-beam foundation with double-gabled roof, the house has 12-foot ceilings, wood floors, and built-ins; a chef’s kitchen with oak cabinets, waterfall island, and walk-in pantry; and a secluded primary suite with soaker tub and walk-in shower.

The xeriscaped lot has uplighting to accent the architecture; the driveway includes a Tesla charger. $1,950,000. Kumara Wilcoxon, Kuper Sotheby’s International Realty, (512) 423-5035.

Lexington, Kentucky

This three-bedroom home in Northside’s Jefferson Street corridor is nine minutes by car from the University of Kentucky. Built in 1900, the renovated bungalow features an open kitchen with stainless appliances, butcher block counters, and pantry; a vaulted living room; and a first-floor primary suite with two closets, double vanity, and oversize tile shower.

Out back there is a fully fenced yard with a new brick patio, deck, lawn, firepit, and mature trees. $414,900. Jimmy Turek, Bluegrass Sotheby’s International Realty, (859) 221-2575.

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