National Historic Landmark

Birkhoff, George D., House

Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Listed
May 14, 1975
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
75000295

About this property

The George D. Birkhoff House is a historic house, at 22 Craigie Street, Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1975 for its association with Harvard University professor George David Birkhoff (1884–1944), one of the most important mathematicians of his time. The house is a three-story Second Empire wood-frame structure with a mansard roof. Its date of construction is not known, but is surmised to be before the 1890s. The house is not architecturally distinguished, but its exterior has not been significantly altered since its construction. Changes made to the interior, of center-hall plan, include the additions of a cathedral ceiling to the front parlor conversion and of modern plumbing. George David Birkhoff was born in Michigan and educated at the University of Chicago and Harvard in mathematics. In 1912 he accepted a teaching position at Harvard, where he remained for the rest of his life. Birkhoff helped to advance mathematics, solving Henri Poincaré's "last geometric theorem" and developing the ergodic theorem, a thesis important in statistical physics and the study of dynamical systems. Virtually every honor available to mathematicians was bestowed on him during his life, and there is a prize named in his honor. Birkhoff lived in this house for eight years, from 1920 to 1928. It was made a National Historic Landmark and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.

Location

22 Craigie
Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
42.37813, -71.12861

Categories

SCIENCE
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

Old Cambridge Historic District
Listed
0 mi
Bridgman, Percy, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Hill, Aaron, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site (Additional Documentation)
Listed
0.1 mi
Berkeley Street Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Listed
0.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Siege of Boston – Cambridge Lines
1775Revolutionary War
1 mi

Questions about this property

When was Birkhoff, George D., House listed on the National Register?

Birkhoff, George D., House was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 14, 1975.

What type of historic resource is Birkhoff, George D., House?

Birkhoff, George D., House is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

Is Birkhoff, George D., House a National Historic Landmark?

Yes. Birkhoff, George D., House has been designated a National Historic Landmark (NHL), the highest level of federal recognition for historic properties in the United States.

What is the period of significance for Birkhoff, George D., House?

The period of significance for Birkhoff, George D., House is recorded as the industrial era.

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