Torn Down Tuesday: The Rand Estate

On June 9, 1855, the Cambridge Chronicle declared that “No part of our city is improving more rapidly at the present time than that part known as North Cambridge.” Among the citizens listed as building new structures was carriage-builder Benjamin Rand, then in the process of erecting a house on Elm Street along the Somerville border.

Early deeds show that the land was owned by David Goddard, a wheelwright, and that there was a blacksmith shop on the North Avenue (later Massachusetts Avenue) end as early as 1802. In 1810, Goddard sold a shallow lot along North Ave to Joseph Kent, a blacksmith living in Charlestown, who had earlier purchased the shop but not the land. In 1812, Kent, now listed as a blacksmith in Cambridge, sold the same lot and blacksmith shop to Benjamin Rand, chaisemaker in Cambridge. In 1821, Stephen, Benjamin, David, and Sarah Goddard sold the land behind the blacksmith shop to Benjamin Rand, stretching his land to Elm Street.

The two western portions of the blacksmith shop make up the only building that show on the 1854 Walling Map of Cambridge. In 1946, it was described as “an interesting two and a half story hip roof house…facing Massachusetts Avenue.”

In contrast to the house above, the new construction on Elm St was characteristic of the Italiante style. Here the center hall plan is emphasized by an entrance pavilion with a heavy cross gable. The most prominent feature of the composition is the massive projection of the cornice, which casts strong shadows and forms a determined break between the rook and walls. The wide front door is framed by paneled pilasters and shielded by a substantial hood carried on brackets.

The greater plasticity of massing in this house is further emphasized by bay windows on each end facade. The upright composition, set on a granite foundation and low terrace uncompromised by foundation shrubbery and set off by a trim cast iron fence, is a textbook example of American suburban dwelling at mid-century.

Benjamin Rand died in 1859, and his will probated in 1860 left his household furnishings to his wife Rebecca, all the lot with the buildings to his son Henry C. Rand, who had been born in the house, and the remainder of his property in trust for the benefit of his wife and grandson, George R. Wade. Henry was a leather dealer in Boston with a storefront at 45 Merchants Row in Boston. Cambridge-based business Curtis Davis & Co soap-makers occupied a neighboring storefront at 21 Merchants Row.

Henry’s son, Harry Seaton Rand worked as a clerk at his father’s business. Following Henry C.’s death on 29 March 1910, the property was left to Harry Seaton.

Henry Seaton married Mabel Malwhinney in 1909 and both lived the rest of their lives on the expansive estate. Harry died in August 1946, and Mabel passed away a few years later in August 1950. The couple had no children, and sought to leave the estate, its trappings, and their personal property to a party that would care for the land in perpetuity, possibly as a museum or park.

The Rand estate was known and recognized by Cantabrigians for its expansive grounds, lush gardens, and pristine landscaping. Detailing the beauty of the grounds, the 2 August 1935 issue of the Cambridge Chronicle wrote:

“…there is much to be told about the architectural landscape features of the interior which is laid out with pleasant walks, well-kept lawns, expansive flower gardens, arbors, trellises and shrubbery, while numberless stately trees of various kinds provide caverns of cool shade in hot weather. A large greenhouse supplies a wealth of flowers and plants used for decoration. A restful calm creeps over one who is privileged to inspect these premises, which also furnish a splendid sanctuary for birds. The estate is enclosed in a high wooden, slat, fence, bordered inside by a thick foliage which obscures the view of passersby except here and there a peep hole enables one to catch some of the hidden beauties of the place.”

Both the City of Cambridge and the Society for the Preservation of New England Antiquities (SPNEA), now known as Historic New England, were offered the real estate as a gift, though neither party possessed the resources to maintain the aging property, and it was passed on to the general estate. In 1952, the property was cleared to make way for what is now the Porter Square Shopping Center, which opened to customers in 1957.

For more information on the Rand Estate, please contact us at histcomm @ cambridgema[.]gov. For more information on the Porter Square Shopping Center, please see our Instagram post: https://www.instagram.com/p/B1ET72pguUu/

Sources:
The Cambridge Chronicle
Cambridge Historical Commission architecture survey files
Survey of Architectural History in Cambridge Vol. 5: Northwest Cambridge (1977)