Residential buildings - The Cambridge Historical Commission Blog

Modern Monday – Continental Terrace at 29 Concord Avenue

Posted on January 27, 2020May 14, 2020 by cambridgehistoricalcommission

Constructed in 1960 and designed by Hugh Stubbins & Associates, Inc., Continental Terrace at 29 Concord Avenue is an apartment building that maximized space while providing natural light throughout. The 8-story brick building consists of 103 apartments and features distinctive white balconies for every unit.

View of Continental Terrace with central front entrance descending below grade. City of Cambridge.

The design encompassed 81,690 square feet organized around a galleried central well. Stubbins was able to add an 8^th floor by dropping the ground floor a half level below the sidewalk, providing more units while staying under the 65-foot height limit as measured from the sidewalk. The building has a single loaded system and one elevator which opens out onto a light-filled atrium furnished with couches. Since the building is single loaded, each corridor is adjacent to the open atrium, making the space feel larger and more pleasant. Stubbins provided residents with access to daylight from most parts of the building.

Architect’s rendering of 29 Concord Avenue. Francis Loeb Library, Harvard Graduate Design School.

The design of the lobby and the single elevator fostered interaction among neighbors creating a sense of community. Since the building was designed a half story below grade, to reach the vestibule one descends between two garden terraces into what feels like a private area, deterring strangers from wandering inside. This is also the location of the mailboxes, and according to one former resident people often linger there to check mail, further contributing a sense of security. Residents were also known to spend time in the lobby which has views of the upper corridors.

Article in *Architectural Forum* showing floor plans as well as a view of the atrium from above. *Architectural Forum*, June 1961.

View of atrium in *Architectural Forum*, June 1961.

Architect’s first floor plan illustrating the lobby and arrangement of units with patio/gardens. Francis Loeb Library, Harvard Graduate Design School.

In the apartments, the living room receives natural light from a floor to ceiling, wall-to-wall window while the bedroom has one narrow tall window. The interior layout is very open, and spaces flow easily with minimal doors and walls, but does reduce opportunities for privacy. Each unit has a private balcony which also makes the unit feel larger. Basement level apartments also have gardens.

Article in *Architectural Forum* with photographs of interior units. *Architectural Forum*, June 1961.

Architect: Hugh Stubbins & Associates, Inc. Landscape Architect: John L. Wacker. Structural Engineer: Goldberg & LeMessurier. Mechanical Engineer: Delbrook Engineering, Inc. Electrical Engineer: Fred S. Dubin Associates. Acoustical Consultant: Bolt, Beranek & Newman. Contractor: John F. Griffin Co.

Sources

Pierson, Caroline (former resident), “Why Design Matters: The Effect of Architecture on Living Experience.” March 2010.

“Apartments Around a Well,” Architectural Forum, June 1961.

Historic Building Highlight: 3 Bigelow Street

Posted on October 30, 2019May 14, 2020 by cambridgehistoricalcommission

Today we are highlighting the building at 3 Bigelow Street, originally 5 Bigelow, located opposite Cambridge City Hall (and our next door neighbor here at the CHC).

3 Bigelow Street today. Credit: CHC images.

Built in 1869 for William B. Craft, a commission merchant in Boston, 3 Bigelow was one of the first homes built on Bigelow Street, formerly Beacon, which was laid out the previous year. The three-story mansard was an early example of the pavilion style, and the wood exterior was rusticated to imitate ashlar (finely dressed stone) masonry. Later remodeling of the porch would significantly alter the coherence of the facade.

In 1877, Craft sold the house to D.U. Chamberlin, who in turn sold it to Judge Henry J. Wells of Arlington, later a Massachusetts Representative and Senator. Wells and his family lived at 5 Bigelow until 1913. Wells’ daughter, Henrietta Wells Livermore, helped to lead a revitalized suffrage movement in the State of New York in 1910, and founded the Women’s National Republican Club in 1921.

Henrietta Wells Livermore. Credit: Courtesy of and Copyright Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, ggbain.14915.

In 1929, 5 Bigelow resident Dr. Eugene McCarthy petitioned the City to designate his entire house as part of a business zone, in order for him to lease it to a funeral home. Four neighbors objected to this, stating that “Bigelow Street is already used as a garage by nearly all of city hall,” and that the funeral home business would only make traffic worse. (Cambridge Chronicle, 4/12/1929) McCarthy’s lawyer argued that the “quiet and dignity” of a properly run funeral home would benefit the neighborhood, and assured neighbors that no embalming would be done in the building.

Partial view of 5 Bigelow, right, opposite City Hall. Taken from Mass Ave. Credit: CHC images.

Later that year, Andrews Funeral Home opened at 5 Bigelow Street. The owner, Joseph G. Andrews, also lived at the house with his family. In 1930, Andrews died suddenly, and his son Paul Andrews took over the business. The Cambridge Chronicle wrote of Andrews: “His equipment, modern home, the dignity and beauty of his services given to those who are bereaved, have given him an enviable place in the undertaking business.” (2/6/1936)

Andrews Funeral Home advertisement, Cambridge Chronicle, 2/6/1936

Aerial view of Bigelow and Mass Ave, July 25, 1946. 5 Bigelow is directly opposite City Hall, behind the empty plot following the demolition of 823 Mass Ave in 1944 (Brusch Medical Center would be built there in 1950). Credit: Cambridge Photo Morgue, Digital Commonwealth scan.

By the 1950s, 5 Bigelow had been converted into the Bigelow Nursing Home, and in 1965, Dr. Charles Brusch (of Brusch Medical Center next door at 831 Mass Ave) filed a petition to turn the building into seven apartment units. In the 1980s, the building was owned by the Maryknoll Fathers/Catholic Foreign Mission Society of America, which also owned 831 Mass Ave.

5 (later 3) Bigelow Street, circa 1970. Credit: CHC survey files.

In 1987, the City of Cambridge purchased 5 Bigelow and, through an arrangement with the YWCA, opened Bigelow House, a short-term emergency shelter and transitional housing for families and young adults. The building became 3 Bigelow either shortly before or during this time, and the office building next door, built in 1940, became 5 Bigelow.

In 2017, after it was determined that 3 Bigelow would need extensive renovations, the family shelter moved, and today 3 Bigelow remains unoccupied.

Sources:

Survey of Architectural History in Cambridge, Volume 2: Mid Cambridge, 1971.

Cambridge Chronicle, Cambridge Public Library’s Historic Cambridge Newspaper Collection.

Modern Monday: Charter House Motor Hotel

Posted on February 4, 2019May 14, 2020 by cambridgehistoricalcommission

Today’s Modern Monday posting is highlighting the Charter House Motor Hotel (now Royal Sonesta Boston). Completed in 1963, the first tower, with its zig-zag shape was developed by the Hotel Corporation of America, led by founder A.M. “Sonny” Sonnabend.

Charter House Survey photo

Sonnabend decided to locate the company’s first ever high-rise motor hotel in the United States in Cambridge due to its location near transportation routes, businesses, universities and proximity to the downtown Boston area. To stand out from competition, the motor hotel required high quality design, ample parking, and interior amenities including: televisions, radios, air-conditioning, and complete hotel services for all rooms. The word “Motel” was created as a blending of the words “motor” and “hotel” and has since served as a defining piece of roadside architectural history.

Viewed from boat

The Hotel Corporation of America was renamed Sonesta International Hotels Corporation in 1970. Due to the success and location of the Sonesta Hotel on Cambridge Parkway in East Cambridge, the Sonesta Corporation began planning for a renovation and addition to the hotel, doubling the amount of rooms and enhancing facilities for the modern traveler. Architect John T. Olson designed a Post-Modern tower to stand next to the 60’s Modernist hotel. Boston Globe’s architectural critic at the time, Robert Campbell called the original tower an “upended waffle” and noted that the later addition was the region’s first large-scale Post-Modern development.

East Elevation_Window detail zoomed

The Post-Modern tower addition features large expanses of brick and is distinguished by the gabled features at the roof. John Olson, the head architect explained the design and goal as wanting to make a hotel that would look house-like and more domestic than institutional. The triangular gable shape was seen as a symbol for the idea of a house and was repeated both inside and outside of the addition. The pediments over the slightly projecting wings, resemble the long expanses of rowhouses which are synonymous to Boston architecture. Besides red brick, the main cladding material on the building is a green tile, which was selected to resemble the patinaed green copper seen elsewhere in Cambridge and Beacon Hill, just over the Charles River.

Current Photo

The two towers stand proudly at the entrance of Cambridge from Boston and showcase how far architectural taste can change in a matter of 20 years. Globe writer, Campbell stated that “The new wing of the former Sonesta Hotel on the Charles River stands next to its predecessor as if the two were a pair of slides chosen by a professor of art history to illustrate just how far architectural taste can travel in a single generation”. Which wing do you prefer?

Aerial Image.png

Full view

Historic Building Feature Friday: Austin Hall, Harvard Law School

Posted on January 18, 2019May 14, 2020 by cambridgehistoricalcommission

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_circular stair tower_hollis — 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.

photo of edward austin_hollis — 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.

hastings-holmes house_austin hall in background008 — Austin Hall (left) shortly after completion with Hastings-Holmes house (right) in front before demolition.

austin hall_loc — 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.

floor plans austin hall_hollis images — Plan for Austin Hall. Courtesy of Harvard Law School Library.

exterior details_hollis — 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.

austin hall_interior_hollis

interior capital_austin hall_hollis — 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.

Modern Monday: Esplanade Condominiums

Posted on December 17, 2018May 14, 2020 by cambridgehistoricalcommission

41300_Esplanade_Condos — The Esplanade from the Charles River. Courtesy of Safdie Architects.

#ModernMonday is featuring the Esplanade Condominiums (1989) at 75-83 Cambridge Parkway in East Cambridge. Designed by architect Moshe Safdie with Safdie Architects, the building could be classified as “structuralism” with its cubist features and grid-like design. The building was the final structure completed in “The Front” which is bounded by Cambridge Parkway and Edwin Land Boulevard.

41300_Esplanade_Condos Entrance night — Edwin Land Boulevard entrance. Courtesy of Safdie Architects.

41300_Esplanade_Condos Entrance — Edwin Land Boulevard façade. Courtesy of Safdie Architects.

The building, which is comprised of 206 units, had to comply with strict urban design guidelines laid out as part of the East Cambridge Urban Design Plan. This plan limited height, required brick as the main material for construction, and required building on the street edge. Given the high water table, the parking for the structure is above-grade, and the design minimizes the impact of the parking base by encasing the riverfront (east) elevation with housing units and a community garden on the parking roof at the fourth floor.

41300_Esplanade exterior — Cambridge Parkway façade, facing north. Courtesy of Safdie Architects.

The structure takes cues from Safdie’s 1967 project, Habitat 67 in Montreal, Canada with the repetition of cube projections with terraces and use of public spaces incorporated into the building’s design. In the real estate sales brochure for the building, the building’s form was said to have been inspired by the homes on the cliffs of the Amalfi Coast in Italy. Upon its completion, The Esplanade building was known to have the highest value units in the city. The design, coupled with the sweeping views of the river and Boston skyline created a huge draw for investors and homeowners alike.

Thanks to Safdie Architects for the original photographs and floor plans.