This spring, the staff of the Cambridge Historical Commission will offer walking tours exploring the history, development, and uses of neighborhood conservation districts. What is an NCD? How are they created and by whom? What makes a neighborhood special and worth preserving?
The four-part series will begin on May 14 with a walk through the Half Crown-Marsh NCD in Old Cambridge. Tours on June 4, 11, and 16 will explore the proposed East Cambridge NCD. Each tour will take about 90 minutes.
Saturday, May 14: Half Crown-Marsh Neighborhood Conservation District at 11:00am. Meet on Mt. Auburn Street at the corner of Brewer Street (in front of Darwin’s).
Tour leaders Eric Hill, the CHC’s survey director, and Jim Van Sickle, a longtime member of the district commission, will provide an overview of the Half Crown-Marsh NCD and highlight some of the area’s history and architecture. This NCD of approximately 200 buildings represents a blending of what were once two separate NCDS. The district is west of Harvard Square between Brattle Street and the river; it is bounded by Hilliard Street on the east and Lowell Street on the west and bisected by Longfellow Park.
Saturday June 4: East Cambridge History and Architecture at 11:00 AM. Meet at Centanni Park, Third Street at Otis Street.
East Cambridge is one of the city’s oldest neighborhoods. It was developed in the late 18th century by Andrew Craigie, a land speculator, who convinced Middlesex County to build its new courthouse not in Old Cambridge but in East Cambridge. The tour will be led by the architectural historian Susan Maycock, the author of Survey of Architectural History: East Cambridge (1988) and co-author of Building Old Cambridge (2016).
Saturday, June 11: East Cambridge Preservation and Development at 11:00 AM. Meet at 11:00 AM at Gold Star Mothers Park, corner of Winter and Fifth streets.
East Cambridge is one of the oldest and most densely settled neighborhoods in the city, with a rich mixture of early- to mid-19th century architectural styles, traversed by a traditional neighborhood shopping street. It is also a source of naturally occurring affordable housing. Trends in Cambridge real estate often increase the pressure for development, which can lead to inappropriate alterations or destruction of significant buildings. Charles Sullivan and Eric Hill of the Cambridge Historical Commission will discuss the current proposal to establish a neighborhood conservation district in the area.
Thursday, June 16: East Cambridge Preservation and Development. Meet at 6:00 PM at Timothy Toomey Park, Third and Bent streets.
A repeat of the June 11 tour.
