Bertram Hall at Radcliffe College
Why it's listed
Bertram Hall is a four-story red brick dormitory at 53 Shepard Street in Cambridge, built in 1901 on the southern side of the Radcliffe Quadrangle. Architect A. W. Longfellow designed it in the Neo-Georgian manner, with projecting end pavilions, brick quoins, a slate hipped roof with six chimneys, marble window trim and a broken-pediment entrance on the Quadrangle side. It was the earliest and most elaborate dormitory on the Quadrangle, funded by gifts from the Class of 1895. Before this, Radcliffe students had been housed in private homes. The small hall, with its own dining and reception rooms and a matron in charge, housed twenty-five students and offered a communal living arrangement similar to the one Harvard was developing for its male students. It was recognized for its architecture, as a Colonial Revival work, and for its role in the development of Radcliffe College. It remains in residential use today.
Significance in brief: It was the first and most elaborate dormitory built on the Radcliffe Quadrangle and is argued to embody the characteristics of the Colonial Revival style (Criterion C). It also marked a shift in Radcliffe's approach from placing students in private homes to communal dormitory living, which supports its significance under Criterion A.
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 86001270, listed May 19, 1986. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence high).
Key facts
| Address | 53 Shepard St., Cambridge |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | May 19, 1986 |
| Reference number | 86001270 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | A. W. Longfellow, Jr. |
| Architectural style | Neo-Georgian (described in the text as Colonial Revival) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as present residential use; the form records no major alterations and states the building has not been moved. |
| Acreage | 0.1 |
| Coordinates | 42.38070, -71.12488 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
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 86001270.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q4895779
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.