Central Square Historic District (Boundary Increase)
The National Park Service has not published a boundary polygon for this district; the map shows the listed properties inside it and the district's reference point.
Why it's listed
Central Square's historic district follows Massachusetts Avenue for about seven blocks in Cambridge, centered on City Hall and lined with one- to two-story commercial buildings that share party walls, plus larger mid-century structures. This amendment adds one building, the 1951 Brusch Medical Center, also known as the Lombardi Building or City Hall Annex, at 825-831 Massachusetts Avenue. Designed by Edward T.P. Graham, it is a two-story cast-stone Modern building with Art Deco-inspired details. The amendment also extends the period of significance from 1936 to 1966, which turns eight formerly noncontributing resources into contributing ones. Among them are the Woolworth store, the Tanner Building, the Matthews Apartments, the YWCA's 1950s and 1960s additions, the 1960 New England Gas and Electric Association headquarters by Sert, Jackson & Gourley, and its 1966 Central Plaza tower by Eduardo Catalano & Associates. The text also records losses since 1990, including demolished and replaced blocks.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · catalog entry. Generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29).
| Period of significance | Extended from 1936 to 1966 (end date 1966; start date not stated in the provided text) |
|---|---|
| Styles | Federal, Italianate, Second Empire, Richardsonian Romanesque, Renaissance Revival, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Beaux Arts, Classical Revival, Tudor Revival, Greek Revival, Mission Style, Modern Movement |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Commerce, Community Planning and Development, Transportation |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Boundary source | not published |
| Full listing page | Central Square Historic District (Boundary Increase) (property record) |
What listing means for this property
This is a historic district. Buildings within its boundary are either contributing (they add to the district's significance) or non-contributing. Owners of contributing income-producing buildings can claim the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit; homeowners should look at state credits. National Register districts impose no design review by themselves; a local historic district ordinance, if one exists, does (the difference explained).
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.