National Register of Historic Places

Memorial Drive Apartments Historic District

Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
Listed
May 18, 1986
Type
District
Period
Listed
Ref No.
86001310

About this property

The Memorial Drive Apartments Historic District is a historic district encompassing four apartment houses on Memorial Drive in Cambridge, Massachusetts. They are located between the Anderson Memorial Bridge and the Eliot Bridge with street numbers ranging from 983 to 993 Memorial Drive. All four buildings were built between 1916 and 1924, not long after Memorial Drive had been laid out, and were, despite significant similarities of style, designed by three different architects. All provide good views of the Charles River. The district was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1986. Strathcona-on-the-Charles (992-993 Memorial Drive) was the first to be built. Designed by W. L. Mowll, it stands on an irregularly shaped lot with curving frontage, and was designed with deep courtyards, a style originated by Ralph Adams Cram, that provided every unit with a view of the river or the courtyard. Radnor Hall (983-984 Memorial Drive) and Hampstead Hall (985-986) followed soon after, in 1916, designed by Charles R. Greco. They differ from the Strathcona in their general styling (Georgian vs. Tudor), deeper courtyards, and in their first floors, which are finished in cast stone instead of brick. Barrington Court (987-989) was the last to be built, in 1924, to a design by R. B. Whitten. It has the deepest courtyard of the four buildings, and is the most symmetrical in appearance. The four buildings are of roughly equal height, and form a distinctive landmark on that portion of the river.

Location

983--984, 985--986, 987--989, and 992--993 Memorial Dr.
Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts
42.37321, -71.12590

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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Native Heritage
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Nearby Historic Sites

Craigie Arms
Industrial
0.1 mi
Old Harvard Yard
Listed
0.1 mi
Daly, Reginald A., House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Pratt, Dexter, House
Industrial
0.2 mi
Stoughton, Mary Fisk, House
Industrial
0.2 mi

Nearby Battles

Siege of Boston – Cambridge Lines
1775Revolutionary War
0.8 mi

Questions about this property

When was Memorial Drive Apartments Historic District listed on the National Register?

Memorial Drive Apartments Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 18, 1986.

What type of historic resource is Memorial Drive Apartments Historic District?

Memorial Drive Apartments Historic District is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Memorial Drive Apartments Historic District?

The period of significance for Memorial Drive Apartments Historic District is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Memorial Drive Apartments Historic District?

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