The Final Landmark Designation Report for the Nathaniel Stickney House at 45 Mt. Auburn Street

Introduction The Nathaniel Stickney House at 45 Mt. Auburn Street was constructed by a carpenter and lum- ber dealer with a business in Harvard Square for his own home. The residence was listed as a con- tributing resource in the Harvard Square Historic District on the National Register of Historic Places in 1982 as an important example of the Greek Revival style in the district.

Additionally, the property was highlighted in the 2019 Harvard Square Conservation District Study Report of as an important surviving wood-frame building significant for its connections to the Gold Coast de- velopment of Harvard Square in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Amendments in 2023 to Chapter 2.78, Art.

III of the Municipal Code prevent commissions ad- ministering neighborhood conservation districts from considering the appropriateness of the size and shape of new construction or additions to existing structures. Landmark designation of the building would re-establish the Cambridge Historical Commission’s ability to make decisions re- garding the size and shape of potential new construction or additions at the site.

In April 2024 the owner, the Foundation for Civic Leadership, announced plans to close the build- ing for renovations. Activist groups and community organizers who had been occupants of the building, then known as The Democracy Center, claimed an existential threat, protested the clos- ing and secured a remonstrance from the Cambridge City Council. The Commission received a landmark petition for the property in May 2024.

On September 5, 2024, the Commission held a public hearing to consider the petitioners’ request for a landmark study. After public testimony and discussion, the Commission voted 5-1 to accept the petition and initiate the study. The effect of the vote was to treat the property as if it were al- ready a designated landmark for a period of up to one year while the Commission staff prepared a report and draft recommendations to the City Council.

During the one-year landmark study period, staff engaged with the owner and his architect in an informal design review exercise. Staff considered the owner’s goals, zoning considerations, and preservation priorities to prepare the following recommendations for designation and design standards and criteria which would preserve the Stickney House while permitting flexibility for further development of the site.

At the conclusion of a public hearing on November 6, 2025, the Historical Commission voted unanimously to recommend designation of the Stickney House as a Landmark. While the Com- mission’s jurisdiction over size and shape of new construction lapsed with the expiration of the study period, it would be re-established if the City Council decides to designate the property as a landmark. If the building is not so designated, it would remain under the jurisdiction of the Har- vard Square Conservation District.

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Location and Zoning Considerations

The Nathaniel Stickney house at 45 Mt. Auburn Street is a 2½-story frame building built in 1846. According to the assessors, the building consists of three units with a total floor area of 7,619 square feet. The assessed value of the building is $2,539,900, and the overall value of the property is assessed at $4,483,300. The owner, The Foundation for Civic Leadership, purchased the prop- erty in 2002 (Middlesex South Registry of Deeds, Book 35980, Page002).

The property consists of a 5,102 square foot lot measuring 88’ on Bow and Mt. Auburn Streets, 63’ at DeWolfe Street, and 51’ at the abutter (Assessors Map 133, Lot 49). The lot is bounded by Mt. Auburn Street to the south, DeWolfe Street to the east, Bow Street to the north, and the adja- cent property at 45½ Mt. Auburn Street to the west (under different ownership).

Cambridge Assessing Department

The base zoning is O-3, a business, professional office, and multi-family residential district which provides a height limit of 90’ for non-residential uses or 120’ or ten stories for residential use without the need for a special permit. The property is also within both the Harvard Square Over- lay District and the Harvard, Radcliffe, Lesley Overlay District.

Dimensional Requirements in Harvard Square

Cambridge Community Development Department

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Redevelopment of the site for residential purposes would likely trigger review based on additional square footage as follows: +2,000 sq ft – Public Advisory Consultation with Harvard Square Advisory Committee +25,000 sq ft – Building and Site Plan requirements (Section 19.50) and Green Building +50,000 sq ft – Planning Board Advisory Consultation +75,000 sq ft – Planning Board Special Permit Designation of the Stickney House as a landmark would not preclude appropriate development of the site but would give the Cambridge Historical Commission jurisdiction over the size and shape of additions or new construction beyond its review authority under the Harvard Square Conserva- tion District, which includes binding review of demolition, alterations, and the general design of new construction and additions but does not allow the Commission to consider the appropriate- ness of the size and shape of the new construction or additions.

Zoning Districts in Harvard Square

Cambridge Community Development Department

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Ownership and Occupancy

The Stickney House, which was originally configured as a double house with side-by-side en- trances, was a private residence from its construction in 1846 until 1897, when it was converted to a boarding house by Nathaniel Stickney’s heirs. The property was then acquired by the University Associates, a group of Harvard alumni who were assembling properties between Mt, Auburn Street and the river on Harvard’s behalf.

The property was later sold to the Speakers Club, an un- dergraduate club that was one of about 28 such organizations that renovated or built clubhouses in Harvard Square between 1887 and 1956. The Speakers Club eventually merged with the Pi Eta Club, but numerous scandals prompted its graduate board to close the facility in 1990. The club sold the property to the present owners, the Foundation for Civic Leadership, in 2002.

Area Description

The Stickney House at 45 Mt. Auburn Street is located within the Gold Coast subdistrict of the Harvard Square Conservation District, which includes Mt. Auburn Street from Bow and DeWolfe streets west to Winthrop Park and the side streets north toward Massachusetts Avenue and south toward the Harvard River Houses. This area was initially developed in the 1830s-’60s as a resi- dential neighborhood and reflects the layering of historical development trends in Harvard Square throughout the 19th and 20th centuries.