{"nrhp_refnum":"73000281","name":"Cambridge Common Historic District","other_names":["See Also:Christ Church","Old Harvard Yard","Massachusetts Hall","H"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Garden, Waterhouse, Cambridge, and Peabody Sts., and Massachusetts Ave.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cambridge","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.376712000000055,"lon":-71.12058008613442,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-04-13","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Landscape Architecture","Military","Politics/Government","Architecture","Religion"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 33-acre historic district in Cambridge, Massachusetts, centered on Cambridge Common and the streets around it (Massachusetts Avenue, Peabody, Garden and Waterhouse Streets). It takes in nearby churches, houses, a burying ground and early Harvard buildings.","why_significant":"The Common has been the focus of Cambridge's political, religious and social life for over 300 years, including serving as George Washington's Continental Army camp in 1775-76. In 1830 it became an early example of a dedicated, enclosed and improved public park. The surrounding buildings represent Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival and Queen Anne styles, and the district itself was protected locally in 1963.","narrative":"Cambridge Common is the remnant of common land set aside for grazing in 1631, and the surrounding historic district covers about 33 acres of streets, churches, houses and early Harvard buildings. The Common hosted annual colonial elections, drew crowds to George Whitefield's sermons in 1740, and served as the main camp of Washington's Continental Army in 1775-76. In 1830 it was fenced and planted as a public park, and later gained monuments, cannon and a Washington Elm scion. Nearby landmarks include Christ Church (1760, Peter Harrison), the Old Burying Ground (1635), First Church, Unitarian (1833, Isaiah Rogers), the Federal house at 1 Garden Street, the Waterhouse house at 7 Waterhouse Street, and Harvard's Massachusetts, Harvard and Stoughton Halls. Together they show roughly 340 years of change from open field to enclosed park in a dense setting, and the area has been a local historic district since 1963.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Isaiah Rogers (First Church, Unitarian); Peter Harrison (Christ Church); William Saunders (1 Garden Street); Abel C. Martin (First Church, Congregational); A. P. Cutting (Harvard-Epworth Methodist Church); Charles Bulfinch and Thomas Dawes (Stoughton Hall); Governor Francis Bernard and Thomas Dawes (Harvard Hall)","architectural_style":"Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Gothic Revival, Richardsonian and Queen Anne buildings around a historic common","criteria":[],"status_note":"Condition rated fair and altered; the Common was described as needing renovation of landscaping and paths, with work proposed for completion in 1975. Uses include park, commercial, educational, religious, residential and government.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:54.646535-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/84/7913/63791384/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/73000281.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000281/9752d82b4b-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73000281/9752d82b4b-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Daderot","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cannons_on_the_Common_-_Cambridge,_MA.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Daderot</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cannons_on_the_Common_-_Cambridge,_MA.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"87000499","name":"Cambridge Common Historic District (Boundary Increase and Decrease)","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/cambridge-common-historic-district-boundary-increase-and-decrease-87000499/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63791384","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cambridge_Common_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5025393"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/cambridge-common-historic-district-73000281/"}