Building Old Cambridge: Architecture and Development

Old Cambridge is the traditional name of the early settlement of Newtowne, which served briefly as the capital of the Massachusetts Bay Colony and then became the site of Harvard College. Building Old Cambridge traces the development of the neighborhood as it became a suburban community and bustling intersection of town and gown. The authors explore Old Cambridge’s architecture and development in the context of its social and economic history; the development of Harvard Square as a commercial center and regional mass transit hub; the creation of parks and open spaces; and the formation of a thriving nineteenth-century community of booksellers, authors, printers, and publishers that made Cambridge a national center of the book industry. Finally, they examine Harvard’s relationship with Cambridge and the community's often impassioned response to the expansive policies of successive Harvard administrations.