{"nrhp_refnum":"85002663","name":"Reversible Collar Company Building","other_names":[],"category":"building","location":{"address":"25--27 Mt. Auburn & 10--12 Arrow Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cambridge","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.37089311400007,"lon":-71.11489476899999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1985-09-27","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Industry","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A multi-section brick and wood industrial complex at 25-27 Mount Auburn Street and 10-12 Arrow Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, built in stages between the early 1860s and 1907 as a factory.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the complex is a well-preserved example of mill building vernacular industrial architecture, with sections showing the shift from wood to metal framing and from pitched to flat roofs. It is also tied to Cambridge's industrial growth, including paper collar manufacture and printing, and to an early conversion of a factory to offices. It is rated significant at the local level under criteria A and C.","narrative":"Rising behind Mount Auburn Street and Arrow Street in Cambridge, this factory complex grew in pieces from the early 1860s to 1907. Frame and brick sections wrap around one another, and the masonry shells and post-and-beam structures remain largely intact. Features include a mansard-roofed 1870 block, a fireproof engine house with a tall chimney, a 129-foot Arrow Street addition designed in 1889 by S. S. Woodcock, and a 1907 brick addition by Charles Gannett. Together they show the move from wood to metal framing, from pitched to flat roofs, and from ornate to plain facades. The site began with printers, then passed in 1867 to the Reversible Collar Company, which made paper and cloth collars and later other coated papers. Boston Bookbinding Company and a die-cutting firm followed, and manufacturing ended in 1967. Its conversion to offices was among the earliest of its kind in the area. It was listed for its architecture and for its link to Cambridge's industrial growth.","period_of_significance":"1860-1907","architect_builder":"S.S. Woodcock (1889 section); Charles Gannett (1907 section, listed as architect, with Mitchell Sutherland as \"mechanic\")","architectural_style":"Mill Building Vernacular, Second Empire","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Present use is commercial and offices; converted to offices in the late 1960s and 1970 after manufacturing ended in 1967.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:11:56.773507-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/95/7921/63792195/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/85002663.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002663/8d4fcc4395-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/85002663/8d4fcc4395-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Daderot","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reversible_Collar_Company_Building,_Cambridge,_MA_-_IMG_1313.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Daderot</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Reversible_Collar_Company_Building,_Cambridge,_MA_-_IMG_1313.jpg"},"district":{"nrhp_refnum":"86003654","name":"Harvard Square Historic District (Boundary Increase)","url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/districts/massachusetts/harvard-square-historic-district-boundary-increase-86003654/"},"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792195","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversible_Collar_Company_Building","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7318290"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/reversible-collar-company-building-85002663/"}