Bradbury, William F., House
Why it's listed
Built in 1877 at 369 Harvard Street in Cambridge, this brick Mansard house sits on a terrace above the street. A steep, straight-edged Mansard roof with gabled dormers caps a block-like mass, and a center pavilion with an elaborate entrance porch forms the focal point. The porch has a flat roof and clustered columns. A one-story polygonal bay is offset on the facade, and a full-height polygonal bay is centered on the side. Its original owner, William F. Bradbury, was Hopkins Master and later Head Master of the Cambridge Latin School. The house was listed as a rare Cambridge example of a grand single-family home in the paneled brick style common in the Back Bay, with flat incised ornament and patterned brickwork that anticipate Queen Anne design. It is also one of only ten surviving single-family houses on Harvard Street, once lined with substantial homes on raised sites, and reflects the area's growth after 1873.
Significance in brief: The nomination calls it a rare Cambridge example of a pretentious single-family house in the paneled brick style used extensively in the Back Bay. Its flat, incised decoration and patterned brickwork foreshadow Queen Anne motifs. It is also one of only ten surviving single-family residences on Harvard Street, and is tied to the development of Harvard Street and Dana Hill.
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 83000784, listed June 30, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 369 Harvard St., Cambridge |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | June 30, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83000784 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architectural style | Mansard (Second Empire) |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Education, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residential, the same as its original use. The form records no alterations and no move. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.37167, -71.11176 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary for a privately owned home: it does not by itself restrict what an owner may do with their own money, and it does not require public access. Restrictions come from local landmark or historic-district ordinances, which are separate (how they differ).
Owner-occupied houses are not eligible for the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit, which applies to income-producing buildings, but many states offer credits for homeowners. Listing also opens the door to preservation easements and to buying a plaque. Start with what listing means for homeowners, renovating a listed house and selling one.
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 83000784.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q8008751
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.