Getting to Know - The Cambridge Historical Commission Blog

Building Old Cambridge

Posted on December 14, 2025December 11, 2025 by cambridgehistoricalcommission

✨Season’s Greetings✨

Looking for the perfect holiday gift for the architecture lover, history enthusiast, urban development aficionado, or anyone who simply loves Cambridge? We’ve got you covered!

Our latest publication, Building Old Cambridge: Architecture and Development (2016), is a must-have. This beautifully illustrated volume uncovers the story of the neighborhood that grew around Newtowne—founded as the capital of Massachusetts Bay in 1630—and Harvard College, established in 1636. Authors Susan E. Maycock and Charles M. Sullivan trace Cambridge’s evolution of Old Cambridge as quaint village into suburban community and vibrant hub where academic and civic life intertwine.

Abbott Building, 1–7 Kennedy Street (1909, Newhall & Blevins,
architects). The upper floors were designed for professional offices. Photo ca.
1910.

Packed with rare historic photographs never before published, Building Old Cambridge offers a comprehensive look at the city’s offers a rich exploration of the city’s architecture, development, and history—a reference you’ll treasure for years to come.

On June 11, 1970, community members led by future city councillor
Saundra Graham (with bullhorn) invaded Harvard’s 319th commencement to
protest the university’s intrusion into the Riverside neighborhood.

To order your copy of Building Old Cambridge, click here or email us at histcomm@cambridgema.gov. If you’re in a rush and would like to pick up a copy in person, we have several in stock at our office at 831 Mass Ave in Central Square. If you’re lucky, one or both authors may be around to sign it!

2 Hemlock Road (2013, Anmahian Winton Architects). Photo 2014.

Also available locally at Porter Square Books and Harvard Book Store (check ahead to confirm stock).

🎁Wishing you Happy Holidays and joyful reading!🎁

Getting to Know Your CHC Staff: Part 9

Posted on November 5, 2019August 17, 2020 by Brittany F.

Welcome back to our ongoing series featuring the staff members who work here at the CHC! This post introduces our Archives Assistant, Brittany Fox.

Where did you grow up?

I’m a Massachusetts local, through and through. I’ve lived outside of Boston in the very small town of Hopedale for most of my life. Currently about 6,000 residents, it was originally established as a utopian commune.

Where did you go to school? What was your degree?

I got my Bachelor’s in History with a concentration in European history and two minors in English Literature and Film Studies from Salve Regina University, in Newport, R.I. After I graduated, I jumped into my current studies at Simmons University. By the Fall of 2020, I will graduate with two Master’s in History and Library Science with a concentration in archival studies from its SLIS program.

Ochre Court, Salve Regina’s first building

What are your interests or hobbies?

One of my biggest passions is advocating for environmental protection against climate change through my daily activities. I spent four years cleaning up Newport’s beaches as a member of Clean Ocean Access and my undergrad’s Protect Our Wildlife club. My concern also led me to become a vegetarian 4 years ago and I more recently became a vegan almost 2 years ago. I’m also very conscious about my energy and waste consumption– I do a lot of advocacy for proper recycling practices, the benefits of composting, and I often go home to assist my family’s bountiful garden. I bring environmental concerns into my professional roles as well. I follow ProjectARCC, a group of archivists dedicated to protecting collections from climate change, and I give support to many environmentalist efforts, both locally and nationally. Additionally, I’m dedicating my studies in history to becoming a scholar in environmental and ecological history.

The average bounty of my family’s garden on a summer day.

Name some fun facts about you.

I absolutely love to bake! I really love the challenge of making traditional recipes vegan and gluten free.

I have a very close-knit family. Back home, three generations live under one roof. Plus two dogs, Winnie and Daisy, and a cat, Ellie. It’s a full house!

Winnie, Ellie, and Daisy (a self-identifying lapdog)

I quilt and embroider in my down-time.
Once upon a time I was training to become a professional ballerina. And I could sit on my hair; it was that long!

When did you start working at the CHC?

I started as an intern at the CHC last spring as part of my SLIS studies. I had prior experience working at my undergrad’s archives for 4 years, an internship at the Naval War College in Newport, and a summer fellowship at the Newport Historical Society so I was already well-versed in the archival profession. But I fell in love with the CHC, its staff, and Cambridge and they were kind enough to keep me on as a part-time archivist assistant.

What do you like best about working at the CHC?

By far the best part of my job is working with my co-workers. We are truly a team. We both get the work done while having fun doing it. It is also really rewarding to reveal facts and stories about Cambridge that had been hidden until we delve into the topic. We encourage each other to pursue the rabbit holes we stumble upon and I love hearing what the others have found. Cambridge’s history is overflowing and I am so excited each morning to get to work knowing that I will learn something new.

Do you have other professional pursuits?

I am a member of the New England Archivists, the Society of American Archivists, and the Progressive Librarians Guild, three professional organizations that keep me in the thick of things. But I also engage in less formal pursuits– whenever I can, I volunteer at community archives and Digitization Days for repositories largely run by voluntary efforts.

“How Carter’s Ryto Cathedral Bottles can be Converted into Beautiful Electric Lamps” How-to Guide, undated. The leaflet gives detailed instructions on how to repurpose the Cathedral bottles into lamps.

Give us a glimpse into your daily work or a current project.

Currently, I am processing some really interesting collections. I just wrote a finding aid for the Carter Ink Company, now available online HERE (https://www.cambridgema.gov/~/media/Files/historicalcommission/pdf/findingaids/fa_carterink_newoct2019.pdf?la=en) . Processing a collection involves many components. I have to do background research on the history and creators of the records so that I can write a Bio Note. I also physically arrange the collection and gain intellectual control over the material. This includes performing any preservation needs and finding suitable housing. The next step is to reflect its organization in the Description of the finding aid so that the records are findable, and therefore usable. It’s a true balancing act– I have to honor the collections original order while considering how people will likely use the collection. I also make sure to take the time to consider all of the biases inherent in the collection as well as my own personal perspective. Archivists aim for complete transparency and ethical decision-making.

Photographs of local families mounted on card stock taken between 1919-1921.

What is your favorite photograph, artifact, or collection at CHC?

One of my favorite collections is actually one of the first collections I processed. Although a small collection, I love the Benedict Daniels Photograph collection. It contains scrapbook pages created by Miriam Benedict, a Cambridge nurse. The individuals in the collection are unidentified but they may be families or patients she helped during her time as a nurse in the early 1900s. The photos are really heartwarming, and I am enthralled by the mystery of the families’ identities. Maybe someday we will be able to learn their stories. Most of our records relate to the built environment so more personal collections like this one really stick out to me. Check out the collection’s photos on our Flickr page and the finding aid.

What do you like best about living or working in Cambridge?

As of right now I live in Boston proper– near the Fenway. However, it is my ultimate goal to move to Cambridge when I graduate. Fingers crossed!

Thank you, Brittany!

Getting to Know Your CHC Staff: Part 8

Posted on October 23, 2019May 13, 2020 by cambridgehistoricalcommission

Welcome back to our ongoing series featuring the staff members who work here at the CHC! This post introduces our graduate research assistant, Grace Woodward. Grace comes to us from Northeastern, and is working on researching and documenting the history of enslaved and free Blacks in Cambridge during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

Where did you grow up?

I grew up in Takoma Park, Maryland, a crunchy little city just northeast of Washington, DC.

Town rooster. Photo: https://mainstreettakoma.org/roscoe-the-rooster/

Fun fact about Takoma Park: We love our town rooster! Roscoe the Rooster lived in and wandered around the city for a decade from 1989-1999. He became a kind of mascot for the city and is now remembered fondly in the center of town.

Where did you go to school? What was your degree?

I recently received my undergraduate degree in History from Northeastern University. I also graduated with minors in Art History and Women’s, Gender, & Sexuality Studies. In my senior year at Northeastern, I started my Master’s in Public History as I was finishing up my undergrad. If everything goes as planned, I’ll finish my Master’s in the spring of 2020!

What are your interests or hobbies?

I play Ultimate Frisbee in most of my spare time! Generally, if I’m not at a museum or doing nerdy history things, I can be found tossing a disc and running around with my team (the Northeastern Valkyries – check us out https://express.northeastern.edu/valksultimate/)!!

One of many photos where I look quite silly playing frisbee, I’m #22.

Name some fun facts about you.

I do a lot of biking and hiking, I think astrology is super interesting, and I love the Washington Mystics.

When did you start working at the CHC?

I started working at CHC in September 2019.

What do you like best about working at the CHC?

I’ve loved the opportunity to focus on and prioritize research at CHC. I’ve always loved doing research, but in a lot of my previous jobs I’ve gotten bogged down in what feels like everything but historical research. It’s been really interesting to wade in to and try to piece together early histories of black communities in Cambridge while I’ve been here. It’s been important and rewarding to learn more about Cambridge’s difficult histories.

Do you have other professional pursuits?

Right now, I am also working at Northern Light Productions, a production company in Allston that creates all kinds of cool interactives and films for various museums and historical sites. I am also a writing tutor at Northeastern, mainly working with multilingual learners!

Give us a glimpse into your daily work or a current project.

At CHC, I’m researching and documenting the history of enslaved and free Blacks in Cambridge during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. I’m hoping to compile a narrative of this history that I can pair with a useful collection of various resources and documentation on the topic.

What do you like best about living or working in Cambridge?

I love my commute! That’s something not everyone can say, but I live in Roxbury Crossing and I love biking across the Mass Ave bridge on my way to and from Cambridge. Another Cambridge favorite of mine is Punjabi Dhaba in Inman Square, I think it’s the best Indian food in Boston and I can not get enough.

Okay, I must admit, this is not actually from my commute – it’s from a run much earlier in the morning – but it is a picture from the bridge I cross every day!

Thank you, Grace!

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.

npm19_logo_eng_final

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.

emergency-mgmt-image-camb-fire-dep

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.

1973-fire

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

Guest Post from our summer Mayor’s Youth

Posted on August 14, 2019May 13, 2020 by cambridgehistoricalcommission

Today we have a special guest post from our summer Mayor’s Youth, Janelle Townes. Janelle is a student at Cambridge Rindge & Latin. Find out more about the Mayor’s Youth program (MYSEP) here.

Hi, my name is Janelle Townes and I am working at the Cambridge Historical Commission for part of the summer. I have lived in Cambridge my whole life and my family has owned/lived in the same house since the late 1940s. I have 2 pets, a(n) 11-year-old cat named Midnight and a 5-year-old dog named Nugget.

MIDNIGHT

SLEEPY NUGGET

One of my favorite parts of working at CHC is no day is the same as the other. For example, someone could come in asking about the history of their home or they could be bringing in unidentified china that they dug up in their backyard. I had a slight interest in history before working here, but after a few days it spiked.

One of my favorite projects this summer was typing up all the names, term dates, and other information of the Cambridge city councilors from 1915-2016. I enjoyed the project because I was able to see which year the first women were on the city council and the year when the first women of color were on the city council. One of my favorite collections here is the Historical Objects Collection. The objects are one of my favorite collections because I enjoy looking at old everyday objects. I think it’s cool to take a peek into the past.

Object images photographed by John Dalterio

One of my biggest interests is traveling. It’s so much fun! And my favorite place to go is Cancun, Mexico which I go to every other year.

Thanks, Janelle!

Cambridge Open Archives Recap

Posted on July 12, 2019May 14, 2020 by cambridgehistoricalcommission

Thank you to all who attended this year’s Cambridge Open Archives! From June 24-28, eight different archives and collecting repositories opened their doors to the public, showcasing collections items and sharing the stories behind objects, documents, and photographs. This year’s Open Archives theme was Politics and Activism in Cambridge (and Beyond).

Below, take a look at some of the photos taken by a few of this year’s participating archives and attendees. If you have photos from the event, feel free to share them with us! chcarchives@cambridgema.gov.

Thank you to all of the archives and archives fans! We’ll see you next year.

00100lPORTRAIT_00100_BURST20190627151833797_COVER — Cambridge Historical Society

IMG_20190625_145840 — Cambridge Historical Society

Getting to Know Your CHC Staff: Part 7

Posted on June 11, 2019May 14, 2020 by cambridgehistoricalcommission

Welcome back to our ongoing series featuring the staff and volunteer who work here at the CHC! This post introduces our photography consultant/photograph archives assistant, John Dalterio.

My name is Louis Dalterio, but everyone calls me by my middle name, John. I grew up in between Massachusetts and Connecticut with my mother, who was raising me on her own at the time. I was trained as an electrician in trade school, but upon graduating I discovered that I found no passion in that line of work. Instead, I wanted to be a film director.

All throughout high school I made skateboarding videos with my friends and consumed every film that the local Blockbuster sold as it went out of business. When I turned twenty I decided to attend community college to study film-making. A few months after enrolling, I attempted to make my first film with some Kickstarter funding and a small cast and crew from my local area. We discovered then that a Hollywood vision without Hollywood’s resources was nearly impossible to produce. After much deliberation, I decided to take the pragmatic route and shift my focus to a more simple and solitary art practice – photography.

In the Spring of 2012 I transferred to the Art Institute of Boston to fully pursue my interest in photography. The cityscape, chaotic and congested, could not be more different from the environment of my backwoods New England upbringing. For all its chaos, though, the city was rife with subject matter for the camera lens. Immediately I began wandering through side streets and back allies, searching for great moments to capture or interesting people to meet and make portraits of. After a few years of doing this while earning my bachelor’s degree, I had produced three photo series and two photobooks, which I am still fond of today: “Almagest,” and “Nayara.” Flipping through the pages of the image laden books, I recalled the excitement I felt when I first watched the dailies from the failed indie film. For a time, making and consuming photobooks became not only my hobby, but my sole obsession.

After the completion of my first photobook, I began working for the Cambridge Historical Commission as a photo restoration specialist. I was brought in to restore over 1,000 historical images that were to be used in the book, “Building Old Cambridge,” which was published by the MIT Press in 2016. The process of preparing the images took nearly a year and a half, which was a time of great perseverance and learning for me as I strived to produce high quality images on tight deadlines while balancing my school work. At the end of the book’s preparation process I left the commission to complete my bachelor’s degree at Lesley University, which had absorbed the Art Institute of Boston in the time since I had first enrolled. The move from Kenmore Square to Porter Square in Cambridge turned out to be a much-needed break from the hustle and bustle of Downtown Boston, allowing me to think more clearly and focus on the thing that I cared about most, my art.

As I neared the completion of my bachelor’s degree, I applied for and won an artist residency in Sweden, which was a magical experience that eventually led me to enroll in Lesley’s Master’s in Photography and Integrated Media program. This path would lead me away from photography for two years to focus on interactive installation art. Now, however, approximately one year after graduating from the master’s program, I find myself coming back to photography, and, thankfully, back to the Cambridge Historical Commission. This time, however, I am making the photos instead of restoring them.

ampmeter

Gilt Edge_Merged_1 copy

Mornings at the Historical Commission are very special to me. As a slow riser, I am grateful for the ability to settle in with my coffee and pastry from the shop across the street and watch the light as it pours in through the windows, pouring over the loose documents that were left out from the previous day’s studies, the various busts of noble figures that sit atop the surrounding filing cabinets and shelving units, and, eventually, the historical objects that I place in its path. I am fond of the Historical Objects Collection at the CHC, with my favorite part not being a single object, but the subtle character that each object contains, and the stories they tell when illuminated.

rubbershoes

In my time outside of the commission, I am a(n) freelance video producer, digital media specialist, art teacher, and artist. On a more personal level, I am a dog father to this sweet lady named Layla:

And step-dog father to this special lady named Lulu:

lulu

Thank you, John!

Focus On: CHC Volunteers

Posted on November 5, 2018May 14, 2020 by cambridgehistoricalcommission

We are back with the latest installment of our blog series on the wonderful CHC volunteers. Today we would like you to meet volunteer (and former staff and Commission member) Allison Crump.

allison2

How long have you been with the Cambridge Historical Commission?

I came to the Commission as an Audubon summer intern in 1975, while attending the Columbia Preservation program. After graduation, I joined the staff for several years. Later I was an appointed member of the Commission for 20 years. Now I’m retired, I’m back to my roots!

What collection have you been working on? Tell us more about it.

The City Clerk’s archives include several boxes of applications to the Cambridge City Council for permission to move structures, which was once a common practice. The applications I am working with date from 1870 – 1910; these are the ones we have found, but there may well be more. [Editor’s note: We are calling this the Building Removals Collection. Allison has been going through the applications in search of the original and subsequent – post-move – locations of these structures.]

A building removal form for a property at Broadway and Main, 1888

What is the importance of the Building Removals Collection?

When I am successful at determining the original and subsequent locations, it’s a view into development patterns, as demands for more modern, larger structures in high-value locations created surplus structures available for re-use in various ways, often in areas newly subdivided for development.

What’s challenging is that descriptions of the sites are not always precise, and even when street numbers are used, these have often changed over time. In some cases, approved removals appear to have never occurred, or were subject to multiple applications as proposed routes or locations shifted. Another interesting aspect is the activity of specific moving firms at different periods.

It’s most satisfying when the survey files have speculated that a building was moved to its current location, and the removal files tie it to an original site.

Example of a completed building removal research form (completed by a former CHC staff member)

What is your academic and career background?

In undergrad, I majored in history and art history, specializing in architectural history. After Columbia and working at the Commission, I gradually migrated into affordable housing and nonprofit finance as my professional focus. It’s fun to be back in the research game.

How long have you lived in Cambridge?

Over 40 years. But I’m still a newcomer, and would never presume to describe this as my hometown. My kid’s a native, though, so that gives me some standing.

What is your favorite thing about historic preservation? (or, your favorite building in Cambridge?)

I’m most interested in the flexibility of structures to adapt to changing needs over time. That makes it possible to maintain continuity and context in the built environment, even when their original purpose has been superseded. It’s also deeply satisfying to witness the extent to which preservation values have become accepted and see individual buildings, streets and neighborhoods which once seemed doomed, now in good repair and no longer threatened. The block of Broadway between Prospect and Inman Streets is a great example of this phenomenon.

Thank you, Allison!

Focus On: CHC Volunteers

Posted on October 24, 2018May 14, 2020 by cambridgehistoricalcommission

October might be almost over, but it’s still American Archives Month — and in celebration of all things archive-y, we will be highlighting some of our fabulous archives volunteers. This week we would like you to meet Kathleen Fox.

IMG_4870 (1) — Kathleen organizing correspondence from the Ellis and Andrews Real Estate Collection

Kathleen began volunteering at the Historical Commission in October 2017, and says she is “driven by curiosity.” We asked Kathleen a few questions to learn more about her volunteer work, and her life outside of the Historical Commission.

What collections have you worked on at the Commission? Tell us about them.

I began with processing a very large collection of maps and plans in the E.F. Bowker Collection, creating a spreadsheet listing each map or plan, the streets it pertained to, the owner, the surveyor, the date, etc. Bowker was a mainstream and very successful civil engineer/surveyor in Cambridge. This was interesting work because of the light it shed on real estate development in the city, and because it was the first collection I had processed.

Plan of St. Mary’s Parochial School, E.F. Bowker Collection

Bow and Arrow Streets, E.F. Bowker Collection

What is your academic and career background?

I received my B.F.A. in 1967, and went to work as a secretary in the Mabel Brady Garvan Collection of American Art at the Yale University Art Gallery. After two years in New Haven I moved to Boston where I worked briefly for an architecture firm, and then as an administrative assistant in the Department of Humanities at MIT. Following that, after two years at a private research commission I spent the remainder of my working life at the Harvard School of Government (1980-2009), ending up as Assistant Dean for Teaching Support.

At the same time as I was working in academe I was a practicing artist, and taught watercolor painting at Brookline Adult Education. In about 1970 I was co-founder of an art studio in Boston next to Symphony Hall – – the Kaji Aso Studio. The studio gave classes in watercolor and oil painting, calligraphy and ceramics. It also had a poetry program and a music program. The Studio continues to this day. I drifted away in the mid-80’s , but continued my work as an artist while I worked in academe to support myself.

Somewhere along the line in the late 1990s I drifted once again – this time away from making art as I got more and more interested in history.

Do you volunteer anywhere else?

I volunteer in the Historical Collections at the Mount Auburn Cemetery and also at the Massachusetts Historical Society. I do whatever needs doing – – mostly background research and elementary preservation work.

What do you like to do in your free time?

After researching the history of my own 1893 house I got interested in researching the history of equally old houses on my block in Arlington. This haphazardly expanded – – and now people commission me to research the history of their homes. I am now working on my 29^th history . Most have been in Arlington, but I have done two in Cambridge and a couple in surrounding suburbs. In the spring and summer I am also in the garden as much as possible.

What is the best (or your favorite) thing you’ve found in an archive?

At the CHC right now I am processing the papers from the real estate firm of Ellis and Andrews [old finding aid here; new one in progress]. The collection spans the period from c. 1893 to c. 1935. These real estate transactions provide a very interesting and enlightening view of the cultural and financial values of the time, not to mention the growth of the city of Cambridge in the late 19^th and early 20^th century . This and the Bowker collection together have completely changed the way I view the cityscape as I walk around Cambridge.

Correspondence to Mr. Melledge, Ellis and Andrews Collection

At the Massachusetts Historical Society there have been many memorable moments – – finding a flyer for a slave auction, listing the slaves by name; holding a book printed in 1504 (the oldest thing I have ever held); and a letter from a local Massachusetts businessman to President James Garfield offering to send him the water bed he had developed for good health – – in 1881!! At Mount Auburn there have been more interesting finds than I could possibly list.

Thank you, Kathleen!

Stayed tuned for another installment of our Focus On: CHC Volunteers series.

Getting to Know Your CHC Staff: Part 5

Posted on September 20, 2018May 14, 2020 by cambridgehistoricalcommission

Welcome back to our ongoing series featuring the staff members who do wonderful work here at the CHC! This post introduces our new Survey Director, Eric Hill.

Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Amherst, New Hampshire a quaint, historic New England village with an abundance of Colonial homes.

Where did you go to school? What was your degree?

I went to the University of New Hampshire and studied Geography with a focus on urban and human geography. Immediately after graduating, I moved half way across the country to Norman, Oklahoma and attended the University of Oklahoma’s College of Architecture where I studied Regional and City Planning.

Amazing Collegiate Gothic architecture at OU.

What are your interests or hobbies?
My favorite thing to do is travel. My goal is to visit all major world regions by the time I am 30 years old (still have a couple years to go). Besides travelling, I enjoy watching documentaries, hiking, and photography.

Lourve — Photo from my most recent trip to Paris and London.

Name some fun facts about you.

I am a sports fanatic and follow all New England sports teams along with the Oklahoma Sooners Football program and Paris St. Germain for soccer.
During graduate school, I got the opportunity to spend a month in Lusaka, Zambia and worked with children, teachers and a non-profit to work on designs for new schools and it was an experience that I will never forget.

soccer, zambia — Before I got beat in soccer by kids half my age in Zambia.

When did you start working at the CHC?
I started working at the CHC in September of 2018 and previously worked for the Boston Landmarks Commission as a Preservation Planner.

Acorn Street in Beacon Hill Historic District. I was the Preservation Planner for the neighborhood while in Boston.

What do you like best about working at the CHC?
My favorite part (so far) about working at the CHC is learning about the rich history of Cambridge and the layers of development from the Native American settlements of the past to the high-rise mixed-use buildings and neighborhoods of today.
Do you have other professional pursuits?
I hope to dive deeper into the modern movement and post-war Cambridge and advocate for the preservation of the (in my opinion) underappreciated and less well-known architectural styles and typologies of the 1940s-1980s.

My favorite building (Kimbell Art Museum) by my favorite architect (Louis I. Kahn). Sadly, Louis I. Kahn did not have any projects in Cambridge.

Give us a glimpse into your daily work or a current project.
Currently, I am giving myself a crash course on the centuries of people, events and places that make Cambridge, Cambridge. I am also reading up on the district guidelines for the Half Crown-Marsh Conservation District as I will be the planner in charge of design review for it.
What is your favorite photograph, artifact, or collection at CHC?
So far, my favorite collection is the W. L. Galvin Collection due to the quality and quantity of old plans and drawings of projects built, unbuilt and demolished.

Memorial Theater_Galvin — (Cambridge Memorial Theater drawing, 1931)

What do you like best about living or working in Cambridge?
Cambridge is a melting pot of not only architectural styles and history, but of people and cultures. It is a great place to work and during my lunch breaks, I always make an effort to walk around and enjoy the various cafes, shops and neighborhoods.