National Register of Historic Places

City Hall Historic District

Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Listed
April 12, 1982
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
82001932

About this property

The City Hall Historic District is a historic district encompassing buildings important in the early growth of the Central Square area of Cambridge, Massachusetts. The focal point of the district is the monumental Richardsonian Romanesque Cambridge City Hall building on the north side of Massachusetts Avenue, two block west of the heart of the square. It also includes four buildings in the block just east of city hall, which is bounded by Bigelow and Temple Streets, Inman and Richard Allen Drives. City Hall was built in 1888 to a design by Longfellow, Alden & Harlow. Other buildings in the district include the Syrian Orthodox Catholic Church, built in 1822 and moved to 8 Inman Street from Lafayette Square in 1888, the 1888 Cambridge Mutual Fire Insurance Building at 763 Mass. Avenue, the 1912 Cambridge Electric Light Company Building at 719 Mass. Avenue, and the 1910 Cambridge YWCA at 7 Temple Street. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982. In 1990, all of the district was also included in the larger Central Square Historic District.

Location

Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
42.36675, -71.10492

Categories

ARCHITECTURE
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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Everything a full report reveals about City Hall Historic District

This page lists City Hall Historic District. 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.
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Nearby Historic Sites

City Hall Historic District
Listed
0 mi
US Post Office-Central Square
Industrial
0.1 mi
Bigelow Street Historic District
Listed
0.1 mi
Gale, George, House
Industrial
0.1 mi
Prospect Congregational Church
Industrial
0.1 mi

Nearby Battles

Siege of Boston – Cambridge Lines
1775Revolutionary War
0.5 mi

Questions about this property

When was City Hall Historic District listed on the National Register?

City Hall Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 12, 1982.

What type of historic resource is City Hall Historic District?

City Hall Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for City Hall Historic District?

The period of significance for City Hall Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near City Hall Historic District?

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 City Hall Historic District will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.

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