{"nrhp_refnum":"86003654","name":"Harvard Square Historic District (Boundary Increase)","other_names":["See Also:Harvard Square Historic District","Cambridge MRA","Brat"],"category":"district","location":{"address":"Roughly bounded by Harvard & Massachusetts Aves., Mt. Auburn, Winthrop, Bennett, Story & Church Sts.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cambridge","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.37278100000006,"lon":-71.11982806691452,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1988-07-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Community Planning and Development","Military","Transportation","Entertainment/Recreation","Education","Architecture","Social History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A boundary increase to the Harvard Square Historic District in Cambridge, Massachusetts, covering about 35 acres of mixed commercial, residential and institutional buildings dating from 1631 to 1941.","why_significant":"The area traces three centuries of development from the 1630 grid plan of Cambridge through Harvard-related growth and early twentieth-century commercial building. The nomination groups its buildings into six themes covering settlement, early buildings, nineteenth-century commerce, Harvard clubs and private dormitories, and post-subway commercial development. The reviewer recommended acceptance under Criteria A and C.","narrative":"Harvard Square in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a dense mix of shops, student housing, clubs, churches and houses, and this boundary increase adds roughly 35 acres to the existing historic district. The buildings date from 1631 to 1941. The area grew from Cambridge's 1630 grid plan, and South and Winthrop Streets still keep their original 12-foot width, along with Winthrop Square, the old marketplace. Surviving Federal and Greek Revival houses, such as the Augustus Wyeth House of 1829, show the nineteenth-century neighborhood. Later growth is shown by the Fairfax block, expanded between 1869 and 1900, and by private dormitories and clubs built from the 1880s, including the Porcellian Club and the Harvard Lampoon Building. Georgian Revival and Art Deco commercial buildings from 1908 to 1941 reflect the subway era. Reviewers found the area well documented for its historical and architectural importance and accepted it under Criteria A and C.","period_of_significance":"1631-1941","architect_builder":"Multiple, including Clarence H. B. Blackall, William Y. Peters, George Fogerty, Coolidge and Carlson, Newhall and Blevins, William P. Galvin, Wheelwright and Haven, Alexander R. Esty, and builder Oliver Hastings","architectural_style":"Mixed styles: Georgian, Federal, Greek Revival, Queen Anne, Colonial and Georgian Revival, Art Deco, Gothic Revival, Romanesque Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"General condition is described as good to excellent, with commercial, residential and institutional uses continuing.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:00.901615-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/30/7920/63792030/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/86003654.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003654/703388ecba-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/86003654/703388ecba-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 4.0","author":"(User:Wgreaves)","credit_html":"(User:Wgreaves), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Harvard_Square_in_Cambridge,_Massachusetts.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792030","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvard_Square","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1587858"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/harvard-square-historic-district-boundary-increase-86003654/"}