From Dave Brigham:
Since moving to the Boston area in 1990, I have certainly done plenty of stuff in the Central Square neighborhood of Cambridge, Mass., but I feel like I've shortchanged this bustling area. Like so many other areas of Boston and its suburbs, Central Square has changed in recent years -- think biotech, high-tech and gaming companies and the attendant apartments, especially in the area south of Massachusetts Avenue -- but I found plenty of backside charm (and LOTS of public art) on a recent couple of strolls through here (OK, so they weren't that recent...).
Astute readers of this blog will recall that last year I published a post about Central Square, albeit a much shorter one than this (see April 11, 2019, "Walk Like a Cantabrigian"). There is just the tiniest overlap in this post. There will be some rhyme and reason to this, mostly around the large number of murals in the area. There's a lot to get through, so grab a coffee or a beer or an edible and let's get after it!
Timing is everything in life. As I was rambling along the sidewalk on the west side of Massachusetts Avenue, I spied an open door leading to the alley between Irish bar Phoenix Landing and Italian restaurant Viale. I peeked in and saw the cool mural above. When I walked by another time, that door was closed. This mural was a sign of things to come on my adventures.
Below is a historic marker located on the side of a 7-Eleven at the corner of Pleasant Street and Massachusetts Avenue, near city hall. The marker reads: "CAMBRIDGE ATHENAEUM SITE OF A PRIVATE LIBRARY THAT BECAME CAMBRIDGE'S FIRST CITY HALL 1854-1890 LATER HOME OF THE PROSPECT UNION 1851-1922"
"The Reverend Robert Erskine Ely, a Congregational minister, and Francis Greenwood Peabody, a Harvard Professor, founded the Prospect Union. It was hoped by doing so to ameliorate the 19th century tensions between the Cambridge elite and the ever growing immigrant population, and also to offset the organizing power of labor unions," per a Cambridge Historical Commission document. Interesting...if we help the poor, they won't rise up against us!"
The alley above is located on Landsdowne Street, across from the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research, which are located in a former New England Confectionery Company (NECCO) candy factory (see January 5, 2019, "There Was No Way-fer Necco to Carry On"). The building is home to Star Bright Books, a store for kids and those who love them.
Below is the same alley. On the right is a brightly colored metal grate on what used to be a store of some sort. This building appears to connect to the adjacent Sunoco station, so perhaps it is used as storage for that business.
"CENTRAL TRUST CO." That's what the ghost sign says. I haven't found out much about the old banking firm. Below is a shot of the upper part of the building, which indicates it was ERECTED BY ASA P. MORSE in 1905. Morse was president of the Cambridgeport National Bank, as well as a builder and realtor and an alderman, and a member of the Legislature in 1869, and again in 1872.
Below is the Morse building on the left, as well as an awesome mural on the building in the middle.
This exquisite work of art -- painted by Marka27 and known as "Queendom" -- is just one of many that have gone up in recent years thanks to the Central Square Mural Project (CSMP). I mentioned this artist last year in the initial installment of my series about Somerville's Union Square (see August 25, 2019, "Union Square, Somerville, Part I: New Purposes & Grease Monkeys").
Let's look at some other murals in Central Square, some that are part of CSMP and others that aren't.
This is called "The Teachers Home," and it was painted by Caleb Neelon as part of the mural project. Below is a detail from Neelon's mural, which is located on the rear of the H Mart building.
The beautiful work of art below is on the front of H Mart. It pre-dates the mural project, as it was painted in 1994 on what was then the Harvard Food Co-op, per this article. It is called "The Potluck," and was painted by David Fichter.
The mural below, painted by the artist who calls herself Imagine, is located on the corner of Sidney Street and Massachusetts Avenue.
Imagine, aka Sneha Shrestha, is a Nepali artist who paints "Mindful mantras bridging Sanskrit scriptures & graffiti," per her web site. Below is a detail from the mural.
Below is "Cambridge and Beyond," a mural done by Percy Fortini-Wright for CSMP.
This work of art is located on the side of the former Cambridge Electric Light building at 719 Massachusetts Avenue.
Below is a work done by an artist who goes by Vyal One. I'm calling this one "Nocturnal/Diurnal," based on the words in the mural. Part of the mural project, it is located on the corner of Green and Brookline streets, on the back of the former TT the Bear's nightclub, which is now known as Sonia (and which is owned by the same folks who own the adjacent Middle East club). I really, really like this work.
Below is a work on the facade of Bao Nation, a Chinese restaurant that sits next to the above-referenced H Mart, and adjacent to the infamous Graffiti Alley (about which more below).
Per the Seen Around Boston blog, the main work, which was likely commissioned, was done by an artist who goes by Brandalizm (aka Brand Rockwell), and the art above the restaurant sign is probably the work of other folks.
To the left of the photo is Graffiti Alley, aka Richard B. Modica Way, which has showcased a revolving gallery of art since 2006, per Wikipedia. I don't know who the alley's namesake is/was, nor whose idea the alley devoted to artwork was, nor who/what owns the property. Below is a shot of the alley, with its multicolored glass canopy.
Below is a small sample of the type of work that local taggers paint here on a day-to-day basis.
Back over on Brookline Street, on the side of the Middle East Restaurant and Nightclub, is an amazing mural done by Daniel Galvez in 1992.
The L.A.-based artist restored the mural in 2017. I've been to countless shows at both the Middle East (upstairs and downstairs) and the former TT the Bear's, but had never really appreciated this artwork until walking around with my camera.Below is a detail from the mural.
On the adjacent Sonia nightclub there is a series of small paintings illustrating some of Earth's elements. They appear to have been done by students, but I'm not sure what age or what institution.
(Aluminum [top] and Cadmium [bottom]).
(Gold [top] and Manganese [bottom]).
One of my favorite recent public art trends is painting electrical boxes.
So much better than boring old battleship gray!
OK, now time for a random assortment of buildings and ghost signs and such.
The Barron Building is named for the late Carl Barron, a businessman, philanthropist and leader of the Central Square community. The City of Cambridge assessor's office dates this building to 1908.
Located on the side of the Barron Building is the ghost sign below.
You can probably make out the words "house," "boating" and "baiting." On this blog, I found out that, as I figured, this place was formerly called Prospect House. It was a meeting hall located on the upper floors, with retail on the ground floor, as today. Whereas at one time there was an outdoor equipment supplier here, now there is a Dunkin' and a Bank of America.
One of the most iconic ghost signs in the Boston area is the one below.
Located on the side of 875 Main Street (circa 1910), the current home of massage therapy joint Foot Heaven, this sign could be a hundred years old. As much as I love shooting ghost signs and researching them -- I recently did a Zoom presentation on these old advertisements for a committee of the Boston Society of Architects -- I haven't figured out how to determine the age of these fossils.
Nearby, at the intersection of Main Street and Massachusetts Avenue is the the little brick building at the center of the photo below.
Known as the William A. Taylor House and Store, this property "is one of the only remaining pieces of the former Lafayette Square, which is considered a historic structure that contributes to the Central Square Historic District listed on the National Register," per this 2016 document for the Mass + Main development (now known as Market Central).
This quaint piece of history has been incorporated into Market Central, a three-building residential development that includes retail. Just across Lafayette Square from the Taylor building is the property below, which faces Massachusetts Avenue.
Known as the Lamson Building, this is an MIT property that's split, oddly enough, between the Women's Independent Living Group, a dorm for up to 45 female students, on the left (seen above), and the Alpha Delta Phi fraternity on the right (not pictured). It is a former apartment building; I'm not sure where the name comes from.
Not far away along Massachusetts Avenue is the handsome building below.
Now home to Happy Lamb Hot Pot and People's United Bank, among other businesses, this property was built in 1926 and is known historically as the Moller's Furniture Store.
I'm bummed about the photo below. The light was fighting me, and there are trees in front of this property, and I just couldn't get a good shot. But you can get some idea of the majesty of this place, which is known historically as the Frank A. Kennedy Store.
Built in 1896, the Kennedy store was, I assume, affiliated with the Kennedy Steam Bakery that was once located next door. On the Salvation Army property now located on the former biscuit company web site, I found the plaque below.
Founded in 1839, the bakery in 1875 began building a massive brick complex housing multiple buildings. The company was the originator of Fig Newtons. Eventually, the company merged with the New York Biscuit Company to form Nabisco, which still makes a variety of Newton cookies. Below is the main part of the old baking complex, which many years ago was converted to mixed-income housing.
I snapped this photo several years ago, and at the time I figured Kennedy Steam referred to an old power plant. It wasn't until recently I learned it was part of a bakery.
A few steps away from the old bakery complex, along Massachusetts Avenue, is the Longfellow Building, below.
Built in 1893, it is home to the Clover Food Lab, among other businesses.
Just up Mass. Ave. is Cheapo Records.
In business since 1954, the record store is one of a dying breed. Filled with used (and probably new) records of all music genres, it's a great place to get lost for an afternoon. I've only been in there once, but I hope to get back there sometime in the post-COVID world. I bought a few albums; don't remember which ones, but they were old country LPs.
Two doors down is Teddy Shoes, in business since 1957.
I fear that both Cheapo and Teddy Shoes will not survive having been closed for the last few months, along with so many other businesses.
Also along Mass. Ave. I found a ghost sign for the former Sleepy's mattress store.
Sleepy's was acquired by Mattress Firm several years ago.
While very few are mourning the loss of Sleepy's, I sincerely believe that the city of Cambridge might just collapse in on itself if the Cantab Lounge were unable to survive the pandemic shutdown.
Around since, perhaps, the beginning of time, the Cantab is a dive bar that looks somewhat like an old Irish pub on the outside, with its fake stonework and green awning, and features poetry slams, a bluegrass night and more entertainment ranging from blues to country to R&B. The place was made legendary by Little Joe Cook, aka the "Peanut Man."
Cook, who died in 2014 at age 91, started playing at the bar five nights a week in 1979. "Before, there were bars that would have some bands playing in the corner with some acoustic music or whatever, but what Joe actually did was he brought a really big time show to a small bar," general manager Steve Ramsey said, in the above-linked Wicked Local article. "If you wanted to go see a big time band, you had to go into town, or in North Cambridge to a club called Tiffany’s, but those have all long past."
"The Philadelphia native gained fame in the late 1950s for his single, 'Peanuts,' which stayed on the Billboard charts for 15 weeks and was later covered by Frankie Valli, with the Four Seasons, and incorporated into commercials," per the Wicked Local article. "Cook appeared on 'American Bandstand' with his lesser-known song, “Let’s do the Slop,” about a dance move he created, and he toured the country, playing with the likes of B.B. King and Bobby “Blue” Bland." I saw Cook perform once at the Cantab, and he was great. He drove around town in a yellow Cadillac with the license plate "NUT MAN."
Green Street Grill has been around even longer than the Cantab.
The eatery's web site says it has been around since the Great Depression (it was founded as Charlie's Tap), and is home of the city's longest-standing liquor license. It closed at some point, and reopened in 2006. That's all I know.
Right next to Green Street Grill is the Greek American Political Club.
I like the looks of this place, and I also like that the joint is host to the Havana Club, which offers salsa dancing and lessons.
Right around the corner from the club is an amazing Greek Orthodox Church.
The Sts. Constantine and Helen church dates to 1917, per the Cambridge Assessor's office. I absolutely love the stained glass in the photo below.
On the opposite side of Magazine Street sits a church that's quite down at the heels, especially compared to its Greek neighbor.
The First Baptist Church was built in 1881, per Wikipedia. This stunning brick Gothic structure is the third First Baptist house of worship built on this site; the prior two, dating to 1819 and 1866, were destroyed by fire. When I took these photos last year, there appeared to be work going on inside and outside the church. I haven't been by in a while and am not sure what the building's status is.
On the north side of Massachusetts Avenue sits the beautiful St. Mary Orthodox Church.
The building on Inman Street has quite a history, as does the parish that occupies it. "Our present church, built in 1822, the second oldest church building in the City of Cambridge, was moved from Lafayette Square to Inman Street in the fall of 1888," per the church web site. "Even though the moving of the church was the largest ever undertaken in the City of Cambridge the cost was less than that of building anew on the Central Square site. Money saved from building construction was committed to a massive remodeling scheme."
As for the parish: "The history of our parish is one that begins in 1928, when a group of parishioners from St John of Damascus Church on Hudson Street in the South End of Boston decided to form St. Mary. In the beginning, services were conducted in homes an rented halls until a building was purchased in the South End in 1932. Arabic was the language of the neighborhood and Arabic was the language of the church services. Until 1945 the clergy of St. Mary's were Arabic speaking. Fr. John von Holzhausen became our spiritual shepherd in 1945, the first priest not of Middle Eastern descent and the first priest to use English during the services. With the post-World War II baby boom, and as more parishioners moved from Boston to its suburbs, the leaders of the parish sought a new location. They selected the Universalist Church on Inman Street in Cambridge."
Directly across from the church is Cambridge City Hall. It only seemed fitting for me to take a picture of the rear of the building.
Built in 1888-89, City Hall "was largely funded through a donation from Frederick Hastings Rindge," Cambridge-born son of a banking and shipping tycoon. Rindge was the founder of Malibu, California. City hall architects were Longfellow, Alden & Harlow, successors to H.H. Richardson known for Brattle Hall in Cambridge, the Hunnewell Building at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston, and several buildings in Pittsburgh. The bell tower on City Hall rises to 158 feet.
Now you know more about this vital neighborhood, and so do I.
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