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!
Building Old Cambridge: Architecture and Development (2016)
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!
We thought it would be fun to report on something on the lighter side as we enter the holiday season. With the close of the first semester and Christmas vacation looming, it’s noticeable that college students have decamped for home. Apropos of students, we found this letter in the Ellis/Andrews files in 1903, dated September 10:
Dear Sir:
Last spring the authorities of Harvard University caused to be removed from all their buildings occupied by students the signs, notices, and other objects which had obviously been taken from the streets, shops, cars, or other grounds or buildings not belonging to the students who displayed these objects in their rooms, and gave notice to all the occupants of College rooms that no such objects Could hereafter be displayed in buildings belonging to the University. I hereby request you to enforce a similar regulation in the buildings which are under your management, and are occupied by students of the University. Will you kindly acknowledge the receipt of this request? It is desirable that notice of this measure should be given to students who occupy rooms under your control, and their co-operation procured in the abandonment of a practice which is not creditable to the intelligence and good feeling of University students.
Very Truly Yours,
Charles W. Eliot
President Harvard University
Why was President Eliot writing to Ellis & Melledge? Because the firm was in the business of renting rooms to students. William R. Ellis had been advertising his “Registry of Student’s Rooms” from the start—as seen in this advertisement:
Cambridge Chronicle May 4, 1889
In 1893, Robert J. Melledge had joined the firm, which now became “Ellis & Melledge.” Melledge owned a piece of property with a house at the corner of Prescott St and Broadway. In 1893, Ellis was renting the house—listed variously over the years in maps and directories as #22 Prescott Street or #472 Broadway—even up until 1927. Ellis and Melledge planned to erect a new apartment building facing the Broadway side of the property in front of the house, aimed solely at the Harvard student population. By the time the apartments opened in 1896, the building was referred to as “the latest new college dormitory,” even though it was not (yet) owned by Harvard. This was “Prescott Hall” at 472-474 Broadway, corner of Prescott St, which was named for Prescott William Hickling (1798-1859)[i], an historian who specialized in the history of Spain and its empire.
Exterior view of Prescott Hall at 472-474 Broadway in Mid-Cambridge, photographed on August 16, 1987
On May 4, 1896, the Cambridge Chronicle ran two separate columns on the building, designed by architect Arthur H. Bowditch. One stated that “it will not be gorgeous, but architecturally it will be the most attractive dormitory in Cambridge.” The article went on to describe the rooms:
“…all the suites will be precisely alike, a large study and two bed rooms, but the building is to be modern and with modern comforts. The studies fact south and west and will be sunny all day; the bed rooms face north and east; each suite has its private hall with coat closet; each room has a closet. The studies…all have bay windows the entire width of the room, with the deep-armed window seats so popular with students. The rooms are heated by steam, and in the studies are large open fireplaces for wood fires. Each suite is to have a perfectly appointed bathroom with the best of modern open plumbing…every bathroom has an outside sunny window. The building will be piped for gas and wired for electric light….”
Talk about having all the “mod/cons!” Not only that, but:
“…There will be a large room [in the basement] …for the storage of bicycles, also storage fortrunks; telephone room, boot blacking stand, ample rooms for janitor and wife, and for the “goodies” who take care of the rooms: also a large room…with open -fireplace; this room forthe use of the tenants for boxing, fencing or light exercise; some simple gymnastic apparatuswill be supplied, also lockers and adjoining will be dressing room and shower bath.”
Rents for a three-room suite were described as “moderate” with most suites renting for around $450.
The second article emphasized the quality of students expected to rent. The rental agents (Ellis & Melledge) “are instructed, in leasing suites, to endeavor to avoid discordant elements, and the location and arrangements will no doubt attract students of a studious turn of mind.” Harrumph.
Atlas of the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts by G.W. Bromley and Co. (1894)
Atlas of the City of Cambridge, Massachusetts by G.W. Bromley and Co. (1903)
It wasn’t unusual to have private dormitories for students built by private investors[ii] rather than the university itself. At the turn of the century, Harvard provided housing only for seniors in Harvard Yard. Hence the housing needs for students (and faculty and staff) were drivers in the real estate market. As stated in Building Old Cambridge, “Investors…constructed about twenty-five private dormitories around the Square between 1876 and 1904.”[iii] Undergrads had to fend for themselves finding housing. It wasn’t until Harvard required undergrads to live on campus (in 1914) that the private dormitories were either converted to apartment houses, as was the case with Prescott Hall, or bought outright by the University.
“One of the more luxurious rooms” in Claverly Hall from Scribner’s Magazine 21, no. 5 (May 1897)
In 1898, The Cambridge Tribune ran an article about these private dormitories, citing one unnamed project in progress, and five others that existed between Mt. Auburn St and Mass Ave alone.
Cambridge Tribune March 5, 1898
We find an interesting side fact in The Cambridge Tribune of August 24, 1901. A column extolling the virtues of an up and coming 26-year-old real estate and insurance whipper snapper named George Carrick. Apparently, an astonishing number of these private dormitories were managed by him. “He is the one real estateman [sic] in Cambridge today who stands in touch with the students of Harvard University and the business interests of the city, thus uniting the town and the gown. Mr. Carrick has under his charge some of the choicest suites in the choicest dormitories at Harvard, and he is the only man in town who makes a special business of that work…. the students were glad to find a man who could appreciate their needs and give them what they desired.” Wonder what Ellis and Melledge thought about that statement!
Cambridge Tribune January 9, 1897
Other Housing and Dining Accommodations for Students
Ellis & Melledge received many requests from parents looking for houses positioned close by Harvard, suitable for the entire family, or for use as a student rooming houses. The dormitory-building boom in the late 1890s and early 1900s caused a financial squeeze on those families whose main source of income was renting rooms to Harvard students. Many of these were single or widowed women.
In 1894, an interested party wrote to Ellis & Melledge: “I desire to locate in Cambridge this Fall, to be located before the opening of college with the idea of conducting a first class house for the accommodation of students (with meals) also nice families…”
The 1900 City Directory listed 97 “Boarding and Lodging Houses”—approximately 79 of them run by women.
The Samuel Flagg Sawyer house at 24–26 Holyoke Street (built 1798–99; left section added 1867; top story added ca. 1887). The Sawyer house was remodeled several times to accommodate student rooms. The building was razed in 1927 for the Manter Hall School. Photo 1926. (Caption: Building Old Cambridge)
Lucretia W. Ball was another fell into this category. She already owned a rooming house on 26 Holyoke Street, (run by Mrs. E. G. Brandon) when she wrote in 1915 inquiring about taking over another house that “has a bad name on account of being used for a cheap boarding house but I have 30 or 40 boys that come for rooms at 26 Holyoke St. and not being able to accomodate [sic] them there thought I might take them over there. The house on Holyoke St is an awful old house but the boys seem to like the location.” Or this woman, also writing in 1915: “It is my intention, if I can find a suitable location, to open a tea-room…I intend to run a high grade place which will appeal to the better class of students, where they can entertain their friends in a sort of semi-privacy and more comfortably than in their rooms.”
From Dormitory to Apartment Building
After the 1910s, ownership of Prescott Hall changed hands several times and perhaps as early as 1923, had been converted to an apartment building.
Cambridge Tribune June 23, 1923
It was sold again in 1928, and by 1930 the extensive renovations made the news:
Excerpt from the Cambridge Chronicle March 28, 1930
But let’s close this piece the way it started: on the subject of student pranks. President Eliot’s letter of 1903 was not the first time students’ antics had received attention. As we saw at the beginning of this installment, stolen street signs were a favorite choice for room décor as far back as 1883. And then there was the description of this epic episode from 1891 (this excerpt is long, but it’s so cheeky we couldn’t resist clipping out most of the article):
Cambridge Chronicle February 14, 1891
Today’s post was written by CHC volunteer Kathleen Fox.
Today marks the birthday of a locally influential architect, Benjamin Thompson (1918-2002) who was a founding member of The Architects Collaborative (TAC). In operation from 1945 to 1995, TAC was an architectural firm of eight architects who specialized in post-war modernism design. Thompson left TAC in 1966 due to creative differences and he established Benjamin Thompson and Associates (BTA) a year later. He also embarked on an interior design company, Design Research (D/R), which he owned from 1953 to 1970 when it then changed ownership. Thompson’s original store was located at 57 Brattle Street.
Thompson, Benjamin. “Let’s Make it Real.” Architectural Record. January 1966.
To celebrate Thompson’s birthday, we want to highlight one of his many projects. We’ve chosen his renovation work on a historic building here in Cambridge since it marks his efforts to combine his modernist sentiments with a conscious effort to retain older architectural design. The choice was further bolstered by Thompson’s personal connection with his client, Harvard University. Thompson was an instructor for the Harvard Graduate School of Design and from 1964 to 1968 he presided as Chair of the Architectural Department. Furthermore, the CHC possesses the Benjamin Thompson Associates Collection (CHC051), which contains booklets, images, and other formats concerning the work of the architecture firm and Thompson’s designs.
So what is the building? Boylston Hall, located at the southwest side of the Harvard Yard. But before we get into Thompson’s renovation, we’d like to give some historical background of the building.
CHC digital image. Ca. 1870
Boylston Hall was designed and built by Paul Schulze (1828-1897) in 1858. Schulze was a German immigrant who moved to America in 1849. He had previously planned and constructed Appleton Chapel (built 1858) for Harvard University and the success of that venture motivated members of the Harvard faculty to advocate for his continued employment. One spokesperson was Erving Professor Josiah P. Cooke, Jr. who wrote a letter of encouragement to Harvard’s President Rev. James Walker. As part of the Chemistry Department, Cooke’s letter explained how his department was being inadequately serviced in the University Hall.
Items from CHC051 collection. Featuring Boylston Hall and Design Research building
For some time, the Chemistry Department was held in University Hall’s basement. Conversations had begun the spring and summer of 1856 to search for alternative accommodations and it was decided that a purpose-built chemistry laboratory facility was the solution. It would be the first building of its kind in America whose construction was specifically dedicated to chemistry. Schulze completed and submitted his description of Boylston Hall on January 15, 1857.
Boylston Hall received financial patronage from Ward Nicholas Boylston (1747-1828) who posthumously donated a large sum to the University under the agreement that the new construction would adhere to his stipulations. Boylston required that the building would house an Anatomical Museum, a Mineralogical Cabinet, a Cabinet of Apparatus, lecture rooms, and a chemistry lab — the final component aligning smoothly with the University’s needs. To speed up the construction process, a subscription was raised to increase the building fund to $40,000.
Schulze, as part of Schulze & Schoen, constructed the 117’ x 70’ Boylston Hall. Designed in the Renaissance style, Boylston Hall has been labeled as part of the Boston Granite Style and this style became highly influential in Boston’s mercantile buildings and wharf structures, such as Mercantile Wharf, the Custom House Block, and Quincy Market. Boylston Hall has likewise been equated to Schulze’s contemporary and prolific Bostonian architect, Gridley J.F. Bryant, by architectural historians due to their similar material use.
Items from CHC051 collection. Featuring Benjamin Thompson’s interior designs
Nonetheless, Boylston Hall exterior was of Rockport granite set in rough large blocks almost 2 feet thick. The building held curved windows with Italianate tracery and its entrance was centered. Contracted skilled workers included Ebenezer Johnson, master mason; Jonas Fitch, carpentry; Smith and Felton, ironwork; Thomas Haviland, plastering; and John Bates, painting and glazing. The interior was lined with brick and plaster and it was split into two stories of 17ft and 23ft tall. The first floor held the Public Laboratory, the library, the Anatomical Laboratory, and lecture and recitation rooms, which were connected by a central hall. The Anatomical Museum, the Mineralogical Cabinet, the Cabinet of Apparatus, and more lecture rooms were located on the second floor. At the time, the items in these exhibits were under the stewardship of Professor Jeffries Wyman but presently some are now housed at the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.
Boylston Hall was part of a Harvard trend where buildings were situated in relation to the Yard. The front facade faced inwardly instead of toward Massachusetts Avenue or even University Hall, which was once the center of a campus design plan. Douglas Shand-Tucci states in Harvard University: An Architectural Tour, “Boylston Hall’s original role as one of the heralds of the New Yard” helped bolster this variant campus nucleus that countered the Old Yard” (151). It also became the site of great expansion to the Chemistry Department under the direction of Erving Professor Josiah P. Cooke, Jr., Professor Charles Loring Jackson, and Professor Henry Barker Hill.
Notman & Son image. 1874
By 1870, the Chemistry Department required more space, and so a mansard roof, incorporating a new third story, was added to accommodate a new laboratory. Peabody and Stearns facilitated the extension and the work was completed in 1871. However, after another twenty years, in 1895 there were again remarks about the space being too cramped for the department’s growing needs. In 1902, a 85’ x 35’ laboratory was adjoined to the basement. According to a Harvard Crimson article, the addition included 8 double benches, 2 single benches, and 14 sinks. Boylston Hall served the Chemistry Department for another twenty years.
In 1929, the Hall was remodeled to house the Harvard-Yenching Institute, an independent public charitable trust founded in 1928 by the Charles M. Hall estate. Still active today, the institute is committed to advancing higher education in Asia in the humanities and social sciences. However, it is no longer headquartered in Boylston Hall; the Institute left in 1958 before another renovation.
CHC survey image. 1976
1959 Renovation. Interior views. Image from CHC Thompson collection
1959 Renovation. Interior Elevation. Image from CHC Thompson collection.
The 1959 renovation to Boylston Hall has been lauded repeatedly. It was the work of the TAC with Benjamin Thompson as principal-in-charge. As mentioned earlier, Thompson was concerned with “adapting spaces to conserve the best qualities of traditional architecture,” as quoted from a booklet available in our CHC051 collection. Coined as “recycling” and cited as the first of its kind in the area, Thompson’s design took great pains to retain the original Boylston Hall. For instance, the new arrangement placed fixed glass sheets in the curved windows. This was intended to improve the visual appeal priorly inhibited by wooden mullions. The new version of glass set in bronze would offset the granite and impose fewer interruptions. Additionally, Bainbridge Bunting stated in Harvard : an architectural history that “the detailing of other new elements, such as the arched metal vestibule at the main entrance, enhances the sense of strength conveyed by the granite masonry” (51). However, the fixity of the windows would prove to be a problem in the future.
Nevertheless, Thompson’s main task for the renovation was to accommodate more office spaces. Over the course of the project, Boylston Hall went from 39,206 sq ft to 53,300 sq ft, allotting 40% more floor space. This was achieved by remodeling the interior by adding a mezzanine between the first and second floors and another floor, making 5 levels total. The project cost about $880,000. Additional interior images can be seen in the items of the CHC051 collection.
Years later, in 1992 upgrades were issued to the exterior granite and six years after, a major renovation occurred. The 1998 project cost $8.3 million and was completed by Robert Olson and Associates, who were tasked with updating Boylston Hall for its current inhabitants.
Dan Reiff photo. CHC files
The space was now occupied by humanities departments as part of a larger strategic plan that made a Humanities Arc from Quincy Street to the Yard. Departments included Classics, Literature, Comparative Literature, Linguistics, and Romance Languages. Robert Olson and Associates addressed many of their particular concerns, including making the windows functional to improve air quality.
Hollis image. Exterior. North Side [Ralph Lieberman photograph, 2012). Photographer: Ralph Lieberman, 2012. Image ID: olvsurrogate991681
Hollis image. Interior view of lecture hall (2013). Photographer: Ralph Lieberman, 2013. Image ID: olvsurrogate1032227
Hollis image. Interior view of reading room (2013). Photographer: Ralph Lieberman, 2013. Image ID: olvsurrogate1032221
The firm also achieved brighter, more open corridors by installing glass partitions. One of the most notable themes of the renovation was the emphasis on social spaces. Boylston Hall now sported a mezzanine cafeteria (C’est Bon cafe), common spaces and meeting rooms (Ticknor Lounge), and a 144 seat stadium-style auditorium (Fong Auditorium).
On the first floor, two prior large classrooms were split into three more usable classroom sizes. Although the redesign was applauded by most, not everyone praised the changes. News articles quoted people remarking on inferior workmanship and the loss of office space– it seems Ebenezer Johnson and the other contracted skilled workers of the first build were greatly missed! Additionally, as we’ve moved to the twenty-first century, the glass partitions between classrooms have caused logistical problems with audiovisual equipment due to the presence of glare. Nonetheless, Boylston Hall’s exterior has retained most of its visual integrity. Today, the building still serves the Departments of Classics and Linguistics but also Women, Gender & Sexuality.
Sources:
Bunting, Bainbridge. Harvard: An Architectural History. Cambridge, Mass.: Belknap Press of Harvard University Press, 1985.
Cambridge Chronicle. 24 August 1895.
Eliot, Charles W. Harvard Memories.Cambridge, 1923.
Henry, Stephen G. “A Brand New Boylston.” Harvard Crimson.30 October 1998.
Powell, Alvin. “Boylston Hall Gets a Facelift.” Harvard University Gazette.17 September 1998.
Shand-Tucci, Douglas. Harvard University: An Architectural Tour (The Campus Guide). Princeton Architectural Press, 2001.
Thirty-Second Annual Report of the President of Harvard College to the Overseers, Exhibiting the State of the Institution for the Academical Year 1856-1857. “Letter of Professor Cooke to Rev. James Walker. December 24, 1857.” Cambridge: Metcalf and Co, 1856.
Image from Thompson, Benjamin. “Let’s Make it Real.” Available in CHC051 Collection.
It is hard to name an architecture style more identifiable with Harvard than the Georgian style. The oldest extant buildings in Harvard Yard include Massachusetts Hall (1720), the Wadsworth House (1726) and Holden Chapel (1744), just some of a larger group of Georgian buildings constructed before the American Revolution. The Georgian style is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I, George II, George III, and George IV—who reigned in continuous succession from 1714 to 1830. It is in this time that Harvard, the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States, created its now iconic architectural identity. By the 19th century, other buildings in various styles were designed in the Yard, from University Hall (1815) in the Federal style, to Matthews Hall (1872) a Victorian Gothic dormitory, to Sever Hall (1880) one of the greatest examples of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in the world; Harvard would later return to the Colonial-era Georgian style. Two great and lesser-known examples are Lionel Hall and Mower Hall.
1930 Bromley map showing recently completed Lionel and Mower Halls enclosing the two small quadrangles.
Current aerial of Lionel (yellow) and Mower (blue) Halls, facing west. Holden Chapel at center.
Abbott Lawrence Lowell, Harvard University President (1909-1933) is responsible for the wide-scale revival of the Georgian style at Harvard through his massive building programs for the Harvard River Houses, dormitories in the Yard, and the new President’s House. Two of the smallest being Lionel Hall and Mower Hall.
Circa 1925 image of Mower (left) and Lionel (right) Halls during construction from Peabody Street. Courtesy of Harvard Property Information Resource Center.
Plans of Lionel Hall (identical to Mower Hall) published in Architectural Forum, Dec. 1925.
Lionel and Mower Halls were built in 1925 in the Georgian Revival style and sited to frame the Holden Chapel and enclose the western edge of the Yard. Appropriately nicknamed “The Holden Twins”, the two dormitory buildings were designed by the firm of Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch, and Abbott, who went on to design many later buildings for Harvard, including the River Houses (both the Georgian style and later Modern Houses). Both Lionel and Mower Halls were funded by a building campaign by President Lowell to expand the university and house additional students. They are constructed of red brick with stone trim. Both buildings are near-identical and rise 2 1/2 stories into a gambrel roof. Symmetrical facades and stone entries with fluted pilasters capped with Corinthian capitals over rusticated stone complete the Georgian Revival motif.
Lionel Hall quadrangle facade. Photo by Ralph Lieberman (2012).
Lionel Hall entry detail. Photo by Ralph Lieberman (2012).
Lionel Hall is named after Lionel de Jersey Harvard (class of 1915), an English descendent of John Harvard who was killed in World War I in France. Lionel was the first known relative of John Harvard to attend his namesake’s University. He descended from Thomas Harvard (1609–1637), brother of Harvard University founder John Harvard (1607–1638), who had died childless. Lionel Harvard in 1918 served as Commander of Number One Company, in the British Army and died from mortar fire in March of 1918, during the German Spring Offensive, leaving behind a widow and infant son.
Undated photo of Lionel de Jersey Harvard, Creative Commons.
Mower Hall is named in honor of Thomas G. Mower, by a gift valued over $18,000 from Miss Sarah E. Mower as a memorial to her late father. Thomas Gardner Mower (1790-1853) graduated from Harvard College in 1810 and immediately began to study medicine, later enlisting in the army as a surgeon in the War of 1812. After the war, Mower settled in New York and became a head Surgeon and examiner for the US Army until his death.
While these two modest dormitories do not stand out for their size nor architectural grandeur among the iconic buildings in Harvard Yard, they together showcase how proper design, massing and siting can truly enhance the character of an area without diminishing the significance of nearby buildings.
The Willard Phillips House formerly at 58 Linnaean Street was constructed in 1841 in the then fashionable Gothic Revival architectural style. Willard Phillips was born in 1784 in Bridgewater, MA and graduated Harvard University in 1810. After graduating, Phillips studied law and by 1826, was a member of the legislature and during this time, he was an editor of multiple law review journals which were distributed all over the country. By 1839, he was made judge of probate for Suffolk County and built his home shortly after in Cambridge. He retired from legal practice in 1845 to become the president of the New England Mutual Life Insurance Company, where he remained until 1865 when he retired.
Circa 1930 image of the Willard Phillips House (58 Linnaean Street) courtesy of HOLLIS Images.
After his death, the property remained in the Phillips family who rented the home to Professor John Trowbridge, who was the Director of the Jefferson Physical Laboratory at Harvard. By 1900, 58 Linnaean Street, land which extended from Linnaean Street to Shepard Street and all buildings thereon were conveyed to Radcliffe College, who also purchased the land of Dr. Bemis next door to develop what is known now as the Radcliffe Quad.
1873 Hopkins Map
1916 Bromley Map
Current Condition Map
The Phillips House became known as the Trowbridge House, a dormitory for students at Radcliffe while the larger brick dormitories along Shepard Street were being constructed. As the Radcliffe Quad developed into the 1920s, open space became a challenge, and many wood-frame dwellings and outbuildings were demolished or moved. The Phillips House eventually was razed in 1951 for Holmes Hall, a wing of Moors Hall.
Detail of Phillips House and barn at rear, undated photo in CHC Archives.
The original Gothic style barn as part of the Phillips estate was moved in 1926 to the rear of 61 Garden Street and redesigned by Mary Almy, a Radcliffe Graduate and principal architect of the firm of Howe, Manning & Almy which was started in 1900 by Lois Lilley Howe. Radcliffe hired the firm to convert the former barn structure into a field house for athletics on the Radcliffe Quad.
Photograph of Phillips Estate barn at second location behind 61 Garden Street. Image part of MIT Special Collections. Circa 1926.Photograph of Phillips Estate barn at second location behind 61 Garden Street. Image part of MIT Special Collections. Circa 1926.Location of former Phillips estate barn after renovation to Radcliffe Field House behind 61 Garden Street (Edmands House, dormitory). 1950s Sanborn Map.
The Field House was redesigned in the Colonial Revival style and was nearly indistinguishable from the former barn besides the bargeboards at the side gable of the roof which were retained to showcase the history of the structure.
1968 Photo of Radcliffe Field House taken by CHC.
Ca. 1930s view of Radcliffe Field House, courtesy of HOLLIS Images.
Ca. 1930s view of Radcliffe Field House, courtesy of HOLLIS Images.
Plans and documents which are in the Howe, Manning & Almy Special Collection at the MIT Special Archives showcase the drawings and floor plans of the space even down to the large wooden beam at the mantle on the interior which reads “In Memory of Rosamond Claire Esty 1925”. Ms. Esty, 22, was a recent Radcliffe graduate who was swept from a ledge in Rockport by rogue waves in and despite her brothers attempts to save her, died in the surf.
1930s interior of Radcliffe Field House and carved wooden mantle reading “In Memory of Rosamond Claire Esty 1925”.
Photo of Radcliffe Field House proposed front elevation, original at MIT Libraries.
Photo of Radcliffe Field House proposed first floor plan, original at MIT Libraries.
Photo of Radcliffe Field House proposed second floor plan, original at MIT Libraries.
The Field House was a success and saw heavy use until the 1960s when the building became known by the College as a “necking hangout”. Radcliffe allowed its female students to study in the Field House with a male companion until midnight by requiring students to sign out a key held at nearby Holmes Hall; this made the Field House the only building at Radcliffe legally available to Radcliffe students and their dates every night. Articles explained that the key was often signed out under assumed names and would go missing and unauthorized duplicates later would proliferate through the Quad.
Radcliffe and Harvard Students posing at recently completed Radcliffe Field House, ca. 1930. Image courtesy of HOLLIS Images.
The Field House was razed by 1970 for the construction of the Currier House.
1976 image included in Architectural Record 09-1976. Edward Jacoby photographer.
Pusey Library as seen from Widener Library steps.
The Pusey Library in Harvard Yard was conceived from a 1960 report by Harvard, which outlined the needs for future expansion and growth for the university. The potential for expansion of facilities within Harvard Yard was surveyed between 1968 and 1970 by Hugh Stubbins, who examined the 22-acre area for circulation and the possibility for additional structures. Three years later, Stubbins was commissioned to design a new library in Harvard Yard.
Harvard University: An Inventory for Planning, 1960. Copy in CHC Library.
Pusey Library viewed from Harvard Yard.
The new library was to be named after Nathan Pusey, president of Harvard University from 1953-1971. President Pusey oversaw one of the largest building programs in Harvard’s history (second only to President Lowell). In 1957, Pusey announced the start of a program for Harvard College, a $82.5 million effort that raised $20 million more and resulted in three additions to the undergraduate House system: Quincy House (1959), Leverett Towers (1960), and Mather House (1970). During the 1960s, the Program for Harvard Medicine raised $58 million. In April 1965, the Harvard endowment exceeded $1 billion for the first time. Pusey left Harvard in June 1971 to become the second president of New York’s Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.
1964 portrait of President Pusey. Courtesy of Radcliffe College Archives.
Hugh Stubbins believed that an above-ground library would be too constricted in the Yard and he began plans for a subterranean structure. From the beginning, the proposed library was envisioned as an interconnecting link among three existing libraries – Widener, Houghton and Lamont, all within close proximity. Its roof serves as a link as well, with paths and landscaping reinforcing the existing circulation network in the yard. From the exterior, the Pusey Library is a slanting grass-covered embankment only visible from some areas in Harvard Yard. Its roof is a stone-rimmed platform of earth containing a lawn, trees and shrubs.
Plan of Pusey Library.
Site plan and level one plan of Pusey Library.
The main entrance to the library is built into the slope of the hill with a broad band of brick paving at the ground level which forms a moat between the berm and the window wall. The moat allows for light to reach the interior on the perimeter walls without completely disrupting the landscape. Alexander Calder’s “The Onion” sculpture marks the main entry to the library.
Current view of “The Onion” by Alexander Calder.
1976 image included in Architectural Record 09-1976. Edward Jacoby photographer.
Construction of Pusey Library. Courtesy of Radcliffe Archives.
Construction of Pusey Library. Courtesy of Radcliffe Archives.
At the center, a two-story light well between Houghton and Lamont is apparent seemingly to only those who look for it. Sunk down two floors into the ground, the well is home to a Japanese Maple tree, which just peaks out from its subterranean home providing a clear statement of presence for the library.
Interior sunken courtyard with large maple tree.
Stubbins even designed the interior spaces, using a very 70’s design aesthetic. Nylon carpeting was used throughout except in bookstack areas. Most of the furniture was made of oak, as was the trim work. Walls were covered with a textured vinyl fabric with a flat off-white, non-reflective surface to reduce sound reverberation and create a sense of warmth in the otherwise bunker-like building. The interior spaces have since been modernized to meet current needs for the library.
Interior design by Hugh Stubbins’ office. Photographed by Edward Jacoby, 1976.
While underground construction is not needed or desirable in every location, it was brilliantly executed at the Pusey Library. Former Director of the Cambridge Historical Commission and historian, Bainbridge Bunting has said, “No other building has added so much to Harvard Yard yet disturbed its integrity so little”. We could not agree more!
Sources:
Architectural Record. September 1976, pages 97-102.
Katharine Lane Weems, circa 1915 / unidentified photographer.
Sculptor Katharine Lane Weems was born into a wealthy Bostonian family on February 22, 1899. After studying art at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts from 1918 to 1922, Weems became one of the most highly-recognized animal sculptors of her era.
Katharine Weems with ‘Dolphins of the Sea’, ca. 1975 / unidentified photographer.
Her observations of animals, as seen through her meticulous sketches, underscore her dedication to representing an animal’s biological makeup. In doing so, she conveyed their physicality in stunning reality.
Sketchbook, 1913-1915
Weems’s work can be viewed throughout the Boston area, from the Lotta Crabtree Fountain on the Charles River Esplanade to the Dolphins of the Sea at the New England Aquarium. She donated a collection of 30 bronze animal sculptures to Boston’s Museum of Science, demonstrating the connections between sciences and the arts.
Elephant frieze on the biology lab at Harvard, not before 1933 / Paul J. Weber, photographer.
Her largest project was a commission for the Biological Laboratories at Harvard University, now the Harvard University Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology (MCB). The project included carved bronze doors at the lab entrance, a series of wildlife friezes, and two large bronze rhinoceros scultpures standing guard on either side of the doors of the lab.
Katharine Lane Weems at work on ‘Rhinoceros’, circa 1935 / unidentified photographer.
Named Bessie and Victoria, these rhinoceros sculptures were modeled after two female rhinoceri Weems studied at the Bronx Zoo. Both are composed of bronze and weigh 3 tons each. After years of work, Bessie and Victoria were unveiled on May 12, 1937. Despite this great accomplishment, Weems’s work was given little local fanfare.
Katharine Weems being introduced at the unveiling ceremony for her rhino sculptures at Harvard, 1937 May 12 / Harvard Film Service, photographer.
Weems continued to sculpt and create art throughout her long life. She later married her longtime friend Fontaine Carrington “Canny” Weems in 1947. Katharine Lane Weems died in Rockport Massachusetts on February 11, 1989.
Katharine Ward Lane Weems seated with a dog, circa 1935 / unidentified photographer.
Images and captions come from the collection Katharine Lane Weems papers, 1865-1989. Archives of American Art, Smithsonian Institution.
Completed in 1960, the Loeb Drama Center at 64 Brattle Street stands as one of Cambridge’s greatest examples of Modern Architecture. The structure is human-scaled, made of regional materials and is a sensitive addition to its residential and commercial neighbors along Brattle Street. The scale of the building was reduced to blend in with adjacent heights and the use of New England waterstruck brick is a nod to the Harvard and Radcliffe buildings nearby. Exposed concrete serves as a sort of frame to the delicate ornamental grille which provides a lace-like effect, enhanced further at night when the light from inside the building shines through.
Architect Hugh Stubbins wanted the theater to be architecturally exciting, while still serving as a backdrop to the purpose of the building, the arts. Stubbins was quoted as saying, “the auditorium should please the imagination in such a way as to release it, not captivate it” and later went on to reference examples of recent museums and art galleries erected by architects to overshadow the art within them.
The building opens right off the sidewalk of Brattle Street by the way of deep setbacks off the first floor, forming a porch-like or arcade feeling. The sides of the building open to a garden court on one side and a spacious terrace on the other. The travertine flooring in the lobby extends gracefully to the brick-paved courtyard, contained by a red brick serpentine wall.
The theater was unveiled as a mechanical marvel as the first fully-automatic and flexible theatre in the United States. The audience’s position in relation to the stage, along with the position and shape of the stage itself could be altered between three main configurations: theater-in-the-round, proscenium, and arena seating, all possibly during the same performance. Yale’s noted stage technician and theater design engineer, George C. Izenour worked with Stubbins to integrate lighting, rigging and staging into an automated and hydraulic lift system, which could be altered and staged by just two people in mere minutes.
Courtesy of Architectural Forum, 10-1960.
Courtesy of Architectural Forum, 10-1960.
Courtesy of Architectural Forum, 10-1960.
The Loeb Drama Center is now home to The American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, which collaborates with artists around the world to develop and create work in new ways. To learn more about A.R.T. and their upcoming shows and events, check out their website at: https://americanrepertorytheater.org/
Color slide courtesy of CHC Staff.
Historic photos courtesy of Radcliffe College Archives and CHC slides.
Designed by Henry Hobson Richardson and completed in 1884, Austin Hall at Harvard University stands out as one of the best examples of Richardsonian Romanesque architecture in the world.
Austin Hall in 2012 showing circular stair and arched entry. Courtesy of Harvard University Fine Arts Collection.
Austin Hall was constructed thanks to Edward Austin who was born to a commercial family. He entered the shipping business at a young age and later turned to management of railroads, ending up as the Director of the Boston & Worcester (later Boston & Albany) railroad. In 1880, without ever attending Harvard University, he inquired then Harvard President Eliot on how he could provide for the greatest immediate need for the university while also erecting a memorial to his deceased brother Samuel. Eliot replied that the Law School required expanded facilities. Austin then replied to Eliot that he detested lawyers, but later offered funding for the structure.
Edward Austin circa. 1860.
In 1882, after already hiring H.H. Richardson, settling on a location for the building, and approving a design, Austin offered Harvard $135,000 to construct his building, with the stipulation that no other structure stand within 60 feet of this new Law School building. The former Harvard Branch Railroad Station and the ca. 1717 Moses Richardson house were razed immediately. The building was constructed with the Hastings-Holmes house nearby, until Austin insisted that the house be sacrificed and offered Harvard an additional $3,000 to have it removed. Holmes Place, which Austin Hall fronted, was eliminated.
Austin Hall (left) shortly after completion with Hastings-Holmes house (right) in front before demolition.
Austin Hall in early 1900s. Courtesy of Library of Congress.
The elaborate structure known as Austin Hall is planned in a T-shape with the two-story reading room serving as the shaft of the T. The main façade is dominated by a triple-arched entry porch and a circular stair tower. The checkerboard and floral patterns in the stone work are comprised of light and dark sandstone, and were not complete until after the formal opening of the new building.
Plan for Austin Hall. Courtesy of Harvard Law School Library.
Exterior sandstone detail with floral pattern. Courtesy of Harvard University Fine Arts Collection.
The interior is just as stunning as the exterior with continuation of arches and supports in the hallways to the delicate layering of brick and sandstone. The reading room (since remodeled into the Ames Courtroom in 1954), features exposed tie beams carved with the heads of dragons and boars as well as a massive fireplace with ornate detailing to match the rest of the building.
Interior detailing. Courtesy of Harvard University Fine Arts Collection.
For more information on this building, feel free to schedule a research appointment with us at histcomm@cambridgema.gov.
Today, we are highlighting a building from our Building and Structure Documentation Collection. This collection documents buildings and structures in Cambridge that were either demolished or significantly altered. In this case, the materials were compiled as a condition of approval by the Cambridge Planning Board for a proposed replacement project.
Close-up view of south facade of Gibbs Memorial Laboratory, Naito Chemistry Complex is under construction at the left of the photograph, 1999-2000.
For each building or structure, the corresponding box often includes an architectural description of the building or buildings, a narrative history, and archival photographs, negatives, photograph key(s), and/or electronic copies of the files and photographs. Today we are featuring the documentation of the Wolcott Gibbs Memorial Laboratory.
Copy photograph of Wolcott Gibbs circa 1895. Original in Harvard University Archives.
The Wolcott Gibbs Memorial Laboratory, named to honor Harvard University Rumford professor Oliver Wolcott Gibbs, was originally constructed in 1913 to address issues of limited laboratory space at Harvard.
View northwest, perspective view of Wolcott Gibbs Memorial Laboratory in 1913. Original in Harvard University Archives.
Located at the head of Frisbie Place, the building was designed by architect and 1876 Harvard graduate Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow Jr., nephew of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, for research in physical and inorganic chemistry.
View into cold storage room and laboratory, second floor, Gibbs Memorial Laboratory, 1999-2000. This room was not part of the original building plan.
View west from east side entrance into Gibbs Memorial Laboratory basement, 1999-2000. Note autoclave in center of photograph.
The laboratory cost $85,000 to build. During its construction in 1912, the Harvard Crimson noted that “The Wolcott Gibbs Laboratory will be unique in this country, and in fact will be the foremost institution of its kind in the world. The proposed group of buildings, which will cost a million dollars, would give the University an unrivaled place in the field of chemical science.”
View of vestibule from front hall, first floor of Gibbs Memorial Laboratory, 1999-2000. Note the six light transom set above the doors. An arch at the top frames the individual lights and mullions delimit them. The frame around each light resembles a pier arch.
The building was constructed with a high degree of integrity of design including elements derived from classical, Roman, medieval, late Gothic and Corinthian architecture. In the 1960s, the laboratory was remodeled for inclusion of biochemistry laboratories, and in the early 2000s, the building was demolished.
Look for more building and structure documentation in future posts!
