{"nrhp_refnum":"83000820","name":"Old Cambridgport Historic District","other_names":[],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Cherry, Harvard and Washington Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cambridge","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.36582336300006,"lon":-71.09675183599995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1983-06-30","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Literature","Politics/Government","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A 4.29-acre residential historic district in Cambridgeport, Cambridge, Massachusetts, centered on Washington, Cherry and Harvard Streets, with houses built mainly between 1805 and 1850.","why_significant":"The area was the first development north of Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridgeport and holds some of the oldest surviving houses in that part of the city. It includes Federal houses, notably the 1807 Margaret Fuller house, and several Greek Revival houses. It was a prosperous, conservative neighborhood home to substantial citizens.","narrative":"Old Cambridgeport is a small residential district of about 4.3 acres in Cambridge, Massachusetts, around Washington, Cherry and Harvard Streets. It marks the first development north of Massachusetts Avenue in Cambridgeport. In 1805-06 Andrew Boardman sold generous one-hundred-foot-square house lots here, though growth stayed sparse because the Broad Canal venture failed after the Embargo of 1807. Several Federal houses survive in moderately good condition, among them the 1807 Margaret Fuller house, described as exceptional in architectural and historical importance. A number of Greek Revival houses add to the mix. The 1805 Samuel P. P. Fay House, built by housewright Amos Ramsdell, recalls a probate judge and civic leader who protested the Embargo Act. Other homes belonged to the Reverend Thomas Wittemore and historian Lucius Paige. The neighborhood remains private, residential and in good to excellent condition, preserving an early, prosperous, conservative community.","period_of_significance":"1805-1850","architect_builder":"Amos Ramsdell, housewright (Samuel P. P. Fay House)","architectural_style":"Federal and Greek Revival; mixed styles","criteria":[],"status_note":"Area survey describes condition as good to excellent and use as residential, with private ownership.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:57.614419-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/91/7922/63792291/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/83000820.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000820/8d125000f5-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/83000820/8d125000f5-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Tim Pierce","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Cambridgport_Historic_District.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Tim Pierce</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Old_Cambridgport_Historic_District.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792291","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Cambridgeport_Historic_District","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7083579"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/old-cambridgport-historic-district-83000820/"}