B and B Chemical Company
Approximate location: the National Park Service places this pin arbitrarily within the property, not at a surveyed point (stated accuracy ±12 m).
Why it's listed
Built in 1937 at 780 Memorial Drive in Cambridge, this industrial complex was designed by Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch & Abbott for B&B Chemical Co., a subsidiary of the United Shoe Machinery Corporation. It housed offices, laboratories and an experimental factory producing adhesives for shoe manufacturing and other industries. The main building measures 50 by 270 feet, with three-story wings flanking a four-story central section. Continuous bands of windows, glass block on the ground floor and metal-framed sash above, emphasize its horizontal lines, and a central tower with a curved canopy, glass bay and clock face is the only vertical element. A reinforced concrete frame lies behind the glass and glazed brick facade. A separate two-story manufacturing building stands behind it. The property was recognized as an early, well-preserved example of International style architecture applied to industry, and as the earliest and best of Cambridge's 1930s modern buildings, even though it was less than 50 years old at the time.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it the earliest and best of Cambridge's 1930s modern structures, a clean-lined example of International style industrial architecture by a well-known firm. Its horizontal bands of windows, symmetrical facades and central tower are cited as early examples of a style with few surviving examples in the United States. It was accepted despite being under 50 years old because of its architectural quality.
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) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 82001918, listed April 13, 1982. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 780 Memorial Dr., Cambridge |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | April 13, 1982 |
| Reference number | 82001918 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Coolidge, Shepley, Bulfinch & Abbott |
| Architectural style | International |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as in industrial use, owned by Polaroid Corporation at the time of the form; the form records no alterations. |
| Acreage | 1.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.35990, -71.11538 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For an income-producing building, listing (individually or as a contributing building in a district) is the gateway to the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit on qualified rehabilitation costs, often stackable with state credits. Work claiming the credit must follow the Secretary of the Interior's Standards and be approved in advance.
Listing does not restrict a private owner acting without federal money or permits; where federal funding or licensing is involved, Section 106 review applies.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 82001918.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4836981
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.