Central Square Historic District
Also known as: See Also:City Hall Historic District; Odd Fellows Hall; First
Why it's listed
Central Square is the commercial heart of Cambridgeport, and this district covers seven blocks of Massachusetts Avenue from Bigelow and Sellers Streets to Lafayette Square. It contains 89 buildings dating from 1807 to 1987, 61 of them contributing, along with the historic street pattern. The oldest is Dana Row, a Federal brick rowhouse of 1807. Later landmarks include the Second Empire Chamberlain-Hyde Block, the Richardsonian Romanesque Cambridge Mutual Fire Insurance building, the Beaux Arts Cambridgeport Savings Bank of 1904, and Prospect House with its 1908 white terracotta Tudor facade. The ten-story Central Square Building of 1926 was Cambridge's first skyscraper. Apartment blocks such as The Longfellow show speculators' hopes for eastern Massachusetts Avenue. The district matters because its buildings record the area's growth as a full-service downtown, and its later shift toward smaller one- to three-story retail buildings after the 1912 subway brought Boston markets within easy reach.
Significance in brief: The district reflects Cambridgeport's commercial, residential and industrial growth tied to transportation improvements. Its buildings show Central Square's evolution as Cambridge's downtown, from Federal rowhouses through Victorian blocks, early 20th century banks and offices, to the 1926 skyscraper. The form's Section 8 text, which is partly truncated, also stresses the shift to smaller retail buildings after the 1912 subway opened.
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 90000128, listed March 2, 1990. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly Massachusetts Ave. from Clinton St. to Main St., Cambridge |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | March 2, 1990 |
| Reference number | 90000128 |
| Resource type | District |
| Architect / builder | Thomas Silloway; John A. Hasty; C. Herbert McClare; Chamberlain and Blackall; Newhall and Blevins; Shepley, Rutan and Coolidge; William Mowll; Blackall, Clapp and Whittemore; F. A. Norcross; Alexander R. Esty; Allen and Collins; George Fogerty |
| Architectural style | Federal, Italianate, Second Empire, Richardsonian Romanesque, Renaissance Revival, Gothic Revival, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Beaux Arts, Tudor Revival, Moderne, Sullivanesque, Greek Revival |
| Areas of significance | Community Planning and Development, Commerce, Transportation, Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Still in active mixed use, with commercial, government, religious and residential functions continuing; many storefronts have been altered since 1950. |
| Acreage | 32 |
| Coordinates | 42.36522, -71.10400 (NPS GIS) |
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.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 90000128.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikidata Q131904498
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.