cummings, e.e., House
Why it's listed
Built in 1893 at 104 Irving Street in Cambridge, this wood-frame house was the childhood home of poet e.e. cummings. His father, Prof. Edward Cummings, a Harvard educator and pastor, commissioned it from the firm Walker & Kimball. The poet was born there in 1894 and lived in the house until he graduated from Harvard College, receiving his bachelor's degree in 1915 and his master's in 1917. He later described it as a solidly built mansion with a large oval lawn and a white-pine hedge, and he lived there with his parents, sister, grandmothers, an aunt, an uncle and several servants. The Colonial Revival design includes one-over-one windows, a dentil cornice with a broad frieze, three pedimented dormers with paired windows, and a balustrated entry portico with urns and Tuscan columns. The house has not been altered or moved and remains residential. It was listed chiefly for its link to cummings, with architectural quality as a secondary reason.
Significance in brief: The house is significant mainly for its association with the poet e.e. cummings, who was born there in 1894 and lived there until he graduated from Harvard. It is also noted for its architectural quality as a Colonial Revival building. The form states it meets criteria A and C, and the federal reviewer accepted it for its association with cummings (Criterion B).
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 83000796, listed June 30, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 104 Irving St., Cambridge |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | June 30, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83000796 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | Walker & Kimball |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Architecture |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Present use is residential, the same as its original use. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.37440, -71.11052 (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 83000796.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5321597
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.