Central Square Historic District (Boundary Increase)
Also known as: Brusch Medical Center/Lombardy Building; Cambridge City Hall Annex
Why it's listed
Central Square's historic district follows Massachusetts Avenue for about seven blocks in Cambridge, centered on City Hall and lined with one- to two-story commercial buildings that share party walls, plus larger mid-century structures. This amendment adds one building, the 1951 Brusch Medical Center, also known as the Lombardi Building or City Hall Annex, at 825-831 Massachusetts Avenue. Designed by Edward T.P. Graham, it is a two-story cast-stone Modern building with Art Deco-inspired details. The amendment also extends the period of significance from 1936 to 1966, which turns eight formerly noncontributing resources into contributing ones. Among them are the Woolworth store, the Tanner Building, the Matthews Apartments, the YWCA's 1950s and 1960s additions, the 1960 New England Gas and Electric Association headquarters by Sert, Jackson & Gourley, and its 1966 Central Plaza tower by Eduardo Catalano & Associates. The text also records losses since 1990, including demolished and replaced blocks.
Significance in brief: The amendment extends the district's period of significance from 1936 to 1966, so mid-20th-century Modern buildings now count as contributing. These include works by Sert, Jackson & Gourley and Eduardo Catalano & Associates. The added Brusch Medical Center, designed by Edward T.P. Graham, is a Modern-period building with Art Deco-inspired elements next to City Hall.
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 12000404, listed July 11, 2012. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | Roughly 831 to 351-355 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | July 11, 2012 |
| Reference number | 12000404 |
| Resource type | District |
| Period of significance | Extended from 1936 to 1966 (end date 1966; start date not stated in the provided text) |
| Architect / builder | Edward T.P. Graham (Brusch Medical Center); Sert, Jackson & Gourley (NEGEA Headquarters); Eduardo Catalano & Associates (NEGEA Central Plaza) |
| Architectural style | Federal, Italianate, Second Empire, Richardsonian Romanesque, Renaissance Revival, Queen Anne, Colonial Revival, Beaux Arts, Classical Revival, Tudor Revival, Greek Revival, Mission Style, Modern Movement |
| Areas of significance | Architecture, Commerce, Community Planning and Development, Transportation |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | The amended district has 70 contributing resources (69 buildings, one structure) and 23 noncontributing resources; several older buildings have been demolished or altered since 1990. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.36730, -71.10638 (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 12000404.
- 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.