National Register of Historic Places

Berkeley Street Historic District (Boundary Increase)

Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Listed
May 18, 1986
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
86001265

About this property

The Berkeley Street Historic District is a historic district on Berkeley Street and Berkeley Place in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It encompasses a neighborhood containing one of the greatest concentrations of fine Italianate and Second Empire houses in the city. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, with a substantial increase in 1986. Berkeley Street is located west of Cambridge Common in western Cambridge, running parallel to and south of Concord Avenue between Craigie Street and Garden Street. Land in this area was acquired by Harvard University professor Joseph Worcester in 1843, and laid out for subdivision in 1852. Most of the houses on Berkeley Street were built between 1852 and 1872, for people prominent in business, culture, and politics. Berkeley Place, a dead end street projecting southerly from Berkeley Street, was laid out in 1890; it was originally a back lane to the Longfellow House, which was Worcester's home in the 1840s. Most of its houses date to the period between 1892 and 1918. When the district was first listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982, it included 15 properties on Berkeley Street. Most of these houses are in the fashionable Bracketed Italianate style of that time, with a number of examples of the Second Empire style. A few later houses, built in the Queen Anne style, are sympathetic to the earlier houses in massing and style. Four years later the district was expanded to include most of the properties on Berkeley Place. Stylistically, they are a cross-section of styles fashionable at that time: Queen Anne, Shingle, and Colonial Revival. National Register of Historic Places listings in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Location

1--8 Berkeley Pl.
Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
42.37799, -71.12584

Categories

LITERATUREARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Unlimited access

Everything a full report reveals about Berkeley Street Historic District (Boundary Increase)

This page lists Berkeley Street Historic District (Boundary Increase). A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:

Overview
An interactive map of the location with historic sites, battles and Native heritage plotted, and its full story era by era.
The Land
The historic sites and place names around the location, and how this land was settled and used.
Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
Laser-scanned terrain that reveals earthworks and old features hidden in the landscape.
Conflict & War
The battles, raids and skirmishes fought near here, across every era of American conflict.
The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
How the town grew, who came, and what kind of place it became, traced through the census record.
Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
The people born, buried or genuinely tied to this exact place, with their stories.
Historical Maps
Historic maps of the location layered over how it looks today.
Finds & Access
Museum objects tied to the area, and the laws on searching, collecting and access here.
Literature
The old books, county histories and archives that mention this place, quoted with their sources.
Spotlight
A deep dive into the most remarkable, lesser-known history of the place, traced back to the record.
Points of Interest
The most significant historic sites and landmarks near the location, and why they matter.
Timeline
The whole story of the location told era by era, from first peoples to the present day.
First month just $5.99, then $11.99 a month. Unlimited locations, cancel anytime.

Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.

Start your Berkeley Street Historic District (Boundary Increase) report
Or see a real report first

Nearby Historic Sites

Berkeley Street Historic District
Listed
0 mi
Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site (Additional Documentation)
Listed
0.1 mi
Hastings, Oliver, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Abbot, Edwin, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Birkhoff, George D., House
Industrial
0.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Siege of Boston – Cambridge Lines
1775Revolutionary War
0.9 mi

Questions about this property

When was Berkeley Street Historic District (Boundary Increase) listed on the National Register?

Berkeley Street Historic District (Boundary Increase) was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 18, 1986.

What type of historic resource is Berkeley Street Historic District (Boundary Increase)?

Berkeley Street Historic District (Boundary Increase) is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Berkeley Street Historic District (Boundary Increase)?

The period of significance for Berkeley Street Historic District (Boundary Increase) is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Berkeley Street Historic District (Boundary Increase)?

Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Berkeley Street Historic District (Boundary Increase) will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

More in Middlesex County

Historic places, battles, and census history across Middlesex County.

Explore MiddlesexCounty ›

More historic places in Massachusetts

Browse all historic places in Massachusetts.

View Massachusettshistoric sites ›

Conflict records

Explore 19,000+ military engagements across American history.

Browse US conflicts ›

Massachusetts history

Colonial settlement, territorial period, and statehood narrative.

Massachusettshistory ›

Research the history near this site

An Aubrey US report for an address near Berkeley Street Historic District (Boundary Increase) will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.

Research your locationView a free sample report