Hastings Square Historic District

Hastings Square and adjacent Henry Street form a compact residential neighborhood in Cambridgeport, Cambridge, on a low rise above the Charles River. The Dana heirs conceived the square in the 1830s, and after a revised plan, houses began going up in 1852. The opening of the Cottage Farm Bridge, now the Boston University Bridge, made the area a desirable place to live. Large Queen Anne dwellings face the park on all four sides, with Italianate, Mansard and Shingle Style houses adding variety. Early residents in the 1860s included a tailor, a carpenter and a builder, while later, more elaborate houses were built for prosperous businessmen such as an organ manufacturer and a Faneuil Hall merchant. Examples include 75 Henry Street, designed by Hartwell and Richardson in 1892, and 302 Brookline Avenue, by Rand & Taylor in 1887. The district was recognized for its coherent late nineteenth century architecture around an open square.