CultureNOW - Central Square at Western Avenue: Peter Vanderwarker

Central Square at Western Avenue

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Description

ABOUT THE HISTORICAL PHOTOGRAPHS
Central Square in Cambridge looks much the same in these two photos. The streetcar in the old view is rumbling toward Harvard Square, having just crossed the track switch to Western Avenue. A diesel bus replaces it in the new view. The Volkswagen Beetle of today eerily resembles the '46 Chevrolet, the middle car in the 1949 shot. That's no surprise: The Beetle was designed in 1932 by Porsche, and the Beetle of today retains the streamlined Art Moderne look of that era, as does the Chevy.

Look closely, though, and differences appear. The tall building in the middle of both shots has obviously had a face lift, right? Wrong. In fact, the structure in the older photo was demolished in 1950. Built in 1868 and known as Hyde's Block, it was a handsome piece of architecture in the French Second Empire style. Notice the dark, sloping mansard roof, worn like a formal hat, and the way the façade is framed at both sides by pavilions with arched windows and granite corner quoins.

Hyde's was replaced by the building we see in the new photo, originally a Woolworth's. What's odd is the way the replacement building imitates the former end pavilions but does so in a bland neo-Georgian style that is doubtless meant to remind us of Harvard University.

Some details speak of changing demographics. In both photos, two windows on the building at left are those of a dentist's office. But the dentist then was "Dr. Sanders" and now is "Dr. S. C. Yang." Walgreens replaces Woolworth's. Small shops in the old photo, like Rogers Jewelry, Spencer Shoes, and the Candy Nook, give way to more corporate tenants: a Wainwright Bank, a Boston Sports Club, a Gap. The space above Walgreens is now occupied by back-office Harvard services. Only Cheapo Records reminds us of funkier times.

The quality of a neighborhood depends on public action. As recently as the 1980s, Central Square was seen as a place in the doldrums. Working with residents' groups, the city narrowed Mass. Ave. by one traffic lane. That added 5 feet to the width of both sidewalks, permitting a second row of street trees. Sidewalks were repaved in brick. They were reshaped to neck out at intersections, making the street crossing shorter and less intimidating. Monster cobra-head street lights, which cast a scary glare, were replaced by softer lights at a pedestrian scale. Where there was previously no place to sit, there are now 80 benches.

The result is a Central Square that retains a rich mix of people and activities and has grown more humane, without becoming chichi -- not yet, anyway.

-Robert Campbell and Peter Vanderwarker, "CITYSCAPES - Central Square: A Bow to the Past", Boston Globe, 30 May 2004

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Location

Western Ave & Massachusetts Ave
Cambridge, MA 02139
United States

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