National Register of Historic Places

Bertram Hall at Radcliffe College

Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Listed
May 18, 1986
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
86001270

About this property

Bertram Hall at Radcliffe College is an historic dormitory building on the Radcliffe Quadrangle of Harvard University at 53 Shepard Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Built in 1901, it was the first dormitory building constructed for Radcliffe College. The building is now one of the dormitories of Harvard's Cabot House. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Bertram Hall is located on the south side of the Radcliffe Quadrangle, between its grassy center and Shepard Street. It is a 3+1⁄2-story brick building with Georgian Revival styling. It is covered by a dormered hip roof. It is nine bays wide, with a central five-bay section and symmetrical two-bay end sections that project slightly. The building corners have brick quoining, and the eave is adorned with modillions. Most windows are set in rectangular openings with stone sills and splayed stone lintels; those on the ground floors of the end sections are set in blind round-arch recesses. The main entrance is at the center, sheltered by a single-story porch with Tuscan columns and a balustrade on the roof. The hall was built in 1901 to a design by Alexander Wadsworth Longfellow Jr. It was the first of the quadrangle's buildings to be built, and the first dormitory building at Radcliffe College, representing a major shift in the college's policy from placement of its boarding students in private homes. It was funded by a donation from the Radcliffe class of 1895. It was named after John Bertram Kimball, the deceased eight year old son of David Pulsifer Kimball and Clara Millet Bertram Kimball, and the grandson of Captain John Bertram. National Register of Historic Places listings in Cambridge, Massachusetts

Location

53 Shepard St.
Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
42.38070, -71.12488

Categories

EDUCATIONARCHITECTURE
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.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Eliot Hall at Radcliffe College
Industrial
0 mi
Bennink-Douglas Cottages
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0.1 mi
Howells, William Dean, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Brabrook, E. H., House
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0.1 mi
Abbot, Edwin, House
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0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Siege of Boston – Cambridge Lines
1775Revolutionary War
0.9 mi

Questions about this property

When was Bertram Hall at Radcliffe College listed on the National Register?

Bertram Hall at Radcliffe College was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 18, 1986.

What type of historic resource is Bertram Hall at Radcliffe College?

Bertram Hall at Radcliffe College is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Bertram Hall at Radcliffe College?

The period of significance for Bertram Hall at Radcliffe College is recorded as the industrial era.

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