{"nrhp_refnum":"94000554","name":"Walden Street Cattle Pass","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Adjacent to MBTA right-of-way at Walden St.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Cambridge","county":"Middlesex County","state":"MA","lat":42.38926210300008,"lon":-71.12474453299996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1994-06-03","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Agriculture","Commerce","Community Planning and Development"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A semicircular single-arch brick cattle pass built in 1857 beside the Walden Street bridge over a railroad cut (now MBTA commuter rail) in North Cambridge, Massachusetts. It was built for cattle owner Henry Potter; the builder is unknown.","why_significant":"The pass is argued to be locally significant under Criteria A and B. It reflects the mid-19th-century Cambridge cattle trade around Porter Square and the area's later suburbanization. It is also tied to Henry Potter, a provision merchant whose cattle business depended on it.","narrative":"Beside the Walden Street bridge in North Cambridge, a small brick tunnel runs beneath the road approach to the railroad cut. Built in 1857 of soft red common brick, the arched pass measures about 30 feet long, 12 feet wide and 8 feet 10 inches high, with an earthen floor. It was built when Walden Street was laid across land owned by Henry Potter, a wealthy beef packer and provision dealer. The new street would have cut his feedlots in two, so the tunnel let his cattle pass freely between the sections. Its use ended around 1869, when Potter closed his slaughterhouse and sold the land for house lots. The pass is therefore linked to Cambridge's cattle trade around Porter Square and to the neighborhood's change into a residential suburb. Today the brick is heavily weathered, the approaches are overgrown, and graffiti covers the walls, though the structure appears sound. The adjoining bridge has been rebuilt several times and is not part of the listing.","period_of_significance":"1857 - 1869","architect_builder":"Unknown","architectural_style":"No Style","criteria":["A","B"],"status_note":"Listed as vacant/not in use; surfaces are severely deteriorated though the structure appears sound, and it has been used as a shelter and covered with graffiti.","vacant_flag":true,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:03.913369-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/91/7903/63790391/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/94000554.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000554/c7e38171b3-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/94000554/c7e38171b3-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Hertz1888","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Walden_Street_Cattle_Pass,_Cambridge,_MA_06.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Hertz1888</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Walden_Street_Cattle_Pass,_Cambridge,_MA_06.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63790391","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walden_Street_Cattle_Pass","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7961482"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/middlesex-county/walden-street-cattle-pass-94000554/"}