Ware Hall
Why it's listed
Ware Hall, at 383 Harvard Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is a five-story brick building completed in 1893 to designs by George Fogerty, a prolific designer of Cambridge residential buildings. It was built as a private dormitory with a communal dining room for wealthy Harvard students. Light-colored brick, round full-height corner bays, a wide classical cornice and a wrought iron balcony over the entrance give it a monumental presence. Before the House system of residential colleges began around 1930, Harvard encouraged undergraduates to find their own lodgings, which led to many specialized apartment buildings. Most clustered on Mount Auburn Street, known as the Gold Coast, but Ware Hall sits in the more residential Mid Cambridge area. Its location shows how this building type spread away from Harvard Square and how the university influenced the neighborhood's growth. It has been recognized for its link to Mid Cambridge and Harvard development and as an example of its type and period. It remains in residential use.
Significance in brief: It was built as a private dormitory for wealthy Harvard students, before Harvard adopted the House system around 1930. Its location shows that this specialized building type spread from Harvard Square into Mid Cambridge's residential areas. The nomination cites association with the development of Mid-Cambridge and Harvard University (criterion A) and its value as an example of its type and period (criterion C).
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 83000835, listed June 30, 1983. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | 383 Harvard St., Cambridge |
|---|---|
| County | Middlesex County |
| Listed | June 30, 1983 |
| Reference number | 83000835 |
| Resource type | Building |
| Architect / builder | George Fogerty |
| Architectural style | Classical Revival |
| 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. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 42.37201, -71.11299 (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 83000835.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7969247
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.