September, 2019 - The Cambridge Historical Commission Blog

National Preparedness Month

Posted on September 28, 2019August 17, 2020 by Brittany F.

September is National Preparedness Month so we at the CHC want to share some crucial information on emergency management and disaster planning in archival and office spaces. This year’s theme is “Prepared, Not Scared,” which highlights how active planning can facilitate ease in emergency situations.

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FEMA’s National Preparedness Month 2019 logo

A disaster plan is the foundation for a confident and successful disaster response. It has many elements that factor in the health and safety of all parties. In an archive, these include the patrons, staff, as well as the collections; human safety is always the paramount concern. Archivists have been trained in merging broader disaster plans with unique archival factors. An archival repository’s disaster plan’s various components include: an updated emergency information sheet of internal and external contacts, a communication plan, a list of delegated disaster response team members, collection salvage priorities, recovery supplies, as well as pertinent forms and inventories.

It is important to keep in mind that a disaster plan is a living document that must be updated regularly. An outdated list of bygone local help and recovery vendors is unhelpful in the here-and-now and especially tomorrow. Don’t forget that disasters and emergencies are not pre-planned; you will never know if or when you will be faced with a situation but you can guarantee your level of preparedness.

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Graphic from Cambridge Fire Department’s E.P.A.C. webpage

This preparedness is part of a larger cycle of emergency management. The first step to consider is Mitigation, which is the time when you perform risk assessment of what is most likely to happen. With that in mind, you can develop prevention practices, such as fire, water, mold, and pest prevention (the big 4 in archives). From there, archiving Preparedness becomes a long and laborious process. However, taking the time to consider plans and procedures and performing drills can help save lives and minimize damage. When you know what to do in a given situation and who to call, your Response and Recovery are much more efficient and successful.

1997 flood at the Records Centre of the Archives of Ontario. Image credit: Archives of Ontario found in “Markings: Your Archives Interchange” Vol 27 No 4, Winter 2007.

In the event of a disaster consider: Who do you call? What volunteer assistance or professional conservators are available to you? Who should you build relationships with? Who are your local emergency responders? What is the state of your insurance and financial status? How will you ensure safety of people and collections? Which items should be prioritized? How can you reinstate normal activities?

Archives are faced with many possible forms of disaster and they are particularly susceptible to irreversible damage.

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Official military personnel file damaged from National Personnel Records Center fire on July 12, 1973. Image credit: National Archives photo found in Lawrence, Kerry. “Archives Recalls Fire That Claimed Millions of Military Personnel Files.” National Archives News, July 23, 2018.

Along with institutional external concerns, such as flooding and fire, archival holdings face agents of deterioration, like pests, mold, UV rays, and pollutants. Archival holdings generally consist of unpublished unique records of human activities. Sometimes there is only a singular copy of evidence for an event or action. Due to this historic and irreplaceable tendency, once a record is lost, it may not be able to be replaced. Therefore, archives must dedicate time and effort to planning and training. You would be surprised at what can be saved or recovered when archives have evaluations and triage plans in place. There are many successful salvage options; knowing which works best in a given situation is a huge time-saving benefit. Archivists utilize many resources in this decision-making process, such as the National Park Service’s “Conserve O Grams”

conserveogram National Park Service Conserve O Gram logo

We at the CHC archives are constantly contemplating our disaster planning and response. Awareness is a key component to formulating strong preparedness in any situation in any place. Therefore, we are doing our part in distributing information about ways in which you can personally become more prepared. Check out the national and local resources we’ve compiled below:

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FEMA’s 2019 weekly themes

All this month FEMA is showcasing weekly themes to make the preparedness process easy to tackle. Check out their social media presence as well as their website to learn how you can become more prepared for any emergencies thrown your way: check them out here

In Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA), the Boston Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management, and Cambridge’s E.P.A.C. (Emergency Preparedness and Coordination)offer fantastic resources for how you can achieve your own level of preparedness. Learn about: insurance and financial planning, which natural disasters you are most susceptible to and how to sign up for area alerts, how to communicate with your family and Community Emergency Response Teams, and where to take classes on lifesaving skills. You can also learn about how to get your kids involved with #YouthPrep on Twitter.

#BeReady

#PreparedNotScared

#PrepareNow

Torn Down Tuesday: The Shoe and Leather Exposition Building

Posted on September 24, 2019May 13, 2020 by cambridgehistoricalcommission

In 1907, shoe and leather interests in Boston and Cambridge, began to envision a trade exhibition building for the marketing and sale of goods made in the area. Led by Oran McCormick, the group canvassed the two cities, looking for prime real estate on which to construct a venue worthy of the world’s first Shoe and Leather Exposition. McCormick purchased land from property owners along the under-developed Charles River Road (now Memorial Drive). At the time of the sale, Cambridge restricted heights of buildings along the river. Fearing that the deal would fall through and the building and its revenue would be lost to Boston, the Board of Aldermen called a special meeting with the Common Council and removed the restriction, and permitted the exposition building for construction.

Memorial Dr 100_Construction — Shoe and Leather Expo Building during construction. CHC Archives photo from Chamber of Commerce.

Plans for the development — already in the works — were drawn by Edward T. P. Graham, a prominent local architect best known for his many Roman Catholic church designs in and around Cambridge. The white building was constructed of wood, concrete and steel, measured 500 feet long and was Classical Revival in the grandest sense, evoking memories of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair.

Memorial Drive 100_Exterior1 — Shoe and Leather Expo Building, circa 1909. CHC Archives photo from Chamber of Commerce.

Memorial Drive 100_Exterior — Shoe and Leather Expo Building. CHC Archives photo from Chamber of Commerce.

The building featured five domes: a large central dome to represent America capped with an American flag, and four smaller ones to represent Africa, Asia, Australia and Europe with respective labeled flags. The main dome measured 125 feet from the ground floor. Under the large dome, a circular theater, an entirely new concept for exhibition buildings, with seating for upwards of 3,000 people on the upper tier anchored the two exhibition wings. A round bandstand on the ground floor was arranged for a large band, which performed every hour while the fair was open.

Memorial Drive 100_Interior dome_Cambridge Room CPL — 1909 photo of interior showing performance arena under central dome, courtesy of Cambridge Public Library-Cambridge Room.

Two interior corridors ran the length of the building and were lined with mahogany and glass display cases that were electrically lit to display exhibitor’s leather shoes and goods. Flanking the exhibits, 6’x14′ sample rooms showcased the finest products, and dealers staffed pop-up shops and fittings for patrons where they could be measured and order directly from the companies.

Memorial Drive 100_Interior booths_Cambridge Room CPL — 1909 photo of interior showing displays and sample rooms, courtesy of Cambridge Public Library-Cambridge Room.

On the ground floor at one end, a 10,000 square foot working exhibit served as a functioning shoe factory and was sponsored by the United Shoe Machinery Company, which educated visitors on every step in the manufacture of leather shoes from assembling of materials to the finishing shine.

Balconies on the building’s upper level overlooked the displays on the ground floor as well and housed displays for retailers’ exhibits which showed local and international dealers just what styles are in demand in other parts of the country, the displays were organized by state. A promenade on the roof of the building encircled the entirety of the structure and offered views of landmark buildings in Cambridge and Boston, as well as a front-row seat to the booming industrial development along the Charles River and nearby Kendall Square.

Memorial Dr 100_Roof dome detail — Shoe and Leather Expo Building central dome, before 1920. CHC Archives Photo from Chamber of Commerce.

The World’s First Shoe and Leather Exposition was held the entire month of July 1909 and an estimated 30,000 visitors attended the opening night. Attendance later dwindled due to the closing of the Harvard Bridge for repairs coupled with limited places to stay in Cambridge. By the end of the month, fair organizers were over $150,000 in debt. They failed to recruit other industries for trade shows and the building’s future was uncertain. The group, which had feared bankruptcy and demolition of the building were saved when Frederic Fisk, the man who initially owned the land, and his business parner William S. Youngman purchased the complex for redevelopment.

Memorial Drive 100_Interior dome group posing_Cambridge Room CPL — Circa 1910 photo of interior, courtesy of Cambridge Public Library-Cambridge Room.

Half of the building was leased to the J. Frank Cutter Automobile Company. Mr. Cutter had been in the carriage and automobile business for about 25 years. His company was one of the most active builders of limousines and landaulet car bodies as well as automobile tops and slip covers. The other half of the building was occupied by the Velie Motor Vehicle Co.’s Boston factory branch.

Memorial Dr 100_Interior stairs — Shoe and Leather Expo Building interior, circa 1948. CHC Archives Photo from Chamber of Commerce.

Memorial Dr 100_Under dome — Shoe and Leather Expo Building, circa 1948. CHC Archives Photo from Chamber of Commerce.

Memorial Dr 100_East Elevation — Shoe and Leather Expo Building. CHC Archives Photo from Chamber of Commerce.

The building, with its large central dome, suffered from deferred maintenance and seemed small and inadequate compared to the Great Dome at MIT’s new campus next door. The Shoe and Leather exposition building was demolished in phases beginning in the 1920s before the site was completely cleared in 1948 for the Eastgate Apartments at 100 Memorial Drive.

Memorial Drive 100_Fire Damage_1940s (2) — Shoe and Leather Expo Building, circa 1948 photo. CHC Archives Photo from Chamber of Commerce.

1916 Sanborn Map of 100 Memorial Dr.

1947 Aerial view of 100 Memorial Dr.

Torn Down Tuesday: 91 Washington Ave

Posted on September 10, 2019 by Meta Partenheimer

Usually, once a building is demolished, it is gone forever. In today’s Torn Down Tuesday feature, the house that burned was constructed alongside a twin neighbor that still stands, allowing us to enjoy its ornate architecture today. These houses are described in Susan E. Maycock’s and Charles M. Sullivan’s book, Building Old Cambridge.

“The 1870s produced the most flamboyant Mansards in Old Cambridge, with great flexibility of plan and silhouette, a profusion of architectural ornament, and bay windows soaring into Mansard-roofed towers. Much of the greater freedom in architectural detail may be attributed to the widespread use of wood-working machinery. High wages for craftsmen after the Civil War impelled builders to use cheaper machine-made instead of hand-carved architectural decoration in all but the most opulent commissions.”

Washington Ave 91 demolished 1940 — 91 Washington Avenue, ca. late nineteenth century (demolished in 1940)

“Forms were often reduced to geometric shapes that machines could reproduce. Many of the new decorative elements were turned on a lathe or cut with a jigsaw and then nailed together, because ornamentation composed of separate parts could be more elaborate than if carved from a single piece of wood. Machines also facilitated popular details, such as chamfered edges and incised linear designs on exterior ornament and interior marble mantels.”

Washington Ave 81_1960s — 81 Washington Avenue, 1960s

“On one of the highest spots in the city, a profusion of detail enhanced opulent twin mansions built side by side in 1871 for Henry J. Melendy and D. Gilbert Dexter, partners in a boot and shoe business in Boston. Dexter’s house burned in 1939, but Melendy’s at 81 Washington Avenue remains in remarkably original condition.”

Washington Ave 81_1966-67 — 81 Washington Aveneue, 1966-67

“The projecting entrance pavilion displayed a great freedom of design in the elaborate jigsawn and routed scrollwork, bargeboard, brackets, pilasters, and recessed dormers. A dramatic concave-roof cupola crowned the patterned slate roof and offered a spectacular view of Boston. The attention to detail continued on the interior with high ceilings, ornate woodwork, and patterned wood floors.”

Washington Ave 81 DSC_0950 — 81 Washington Avenue, 2009

For more information about the development of Old Cambridge, contact us at histcomm (@) cambridgema.gov or consult Building Old Cambridge by Susan E. Maycock and Charles M. Sullivan.