Together with hundreds of other Jane’s Walks simultaneously worldwide, our walk will honor Jane Jacobs, the urban visionary and author of Death and Life of Great American Cities.
Join us this Saturday May 10th from 10-11:30am as we explore “The Complex Layering of a Cambridge Neighborhood.” This walk will explore the summit and backslope of Observatory Hill, where many modest workers’ houses have been or are being transformed into luxury homes. Charles Sullivan, Executive Director of the Cambridge Historical Commission, will guide us through this fascinating tour, a “walking conversation.”
We will begin and end in front of St. Peter’s Church, at 100 Concord Ave, opposite the rear of the Harvard Observatory.
Built in 1847, as Cambridge’s second Catholic church, St. Peter’s aimed to accommodate the large influx of Irish immigrants in the 1840s. We will walk by a variety of brickyard laborers’ cottages, many of which have been dramatically altered with contemporary designs.
More recent houses now sit on long-depleted claypits. A wayward California bungalow is tucked behind a Greek Revival domicile on Garden Street, adjacent to an early 20th century planned Garden City-style neighborhood meant as a bulwark against spreading three-deckers.
Post-World War II veterans’ housing occupies Harvard’s former Botanic Garden, across the street from the home of famed botanist Asa Gray. Today, residents are concerned that these historical layers may soon disappear.
This tour is free, open to one and all, and will occur rain or shine. RSVP is appreciated but not required. Contact Glenna Lang with any questions or RSVPs: lang.glenna[at]gmail.com.
