The Cambridge Center for Adult Education (CCAE), a non-profit corporation in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

, has been teaching adult education courses at 42 Brattle Street since taking over the building from the Cambridge Social Union in 1938. The CCAE is housed in two historic buildings, the

William Brattle House The William Brattle House is an historic house in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is one of the seven Colonial mansions described by historian Samuel Atkins Eliot as making up Tory Row, housing several prominent figures in early colonial history. ...

(1727) at 42 Brattle Street and the

Dexter Pratt House The Dexter Pratt House is an historic house in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is remembered as the home of Dexter Pratt, the blacksmith who inspired the poem "The Village Blacksmith" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. History The house was built in 1 ...

(1808) at 54 Brattle Street.

History

The Cambridge Social Union (CSU), founded in 1871 and formally incorporated in 1876, taught classes for adults in the former Brattle house which it had moved into in 1889 after purchasing it. The courses included literacy classes and general classes taught by

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

and

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and he ...

students and faculty."Cambridge Social Union"
''

The Harvard Crimson ''The Harvard Crimson'' is the student newspaper of Harvard University and was founded in 1873. Run entirely by Harvard College undergraduates, it served for many years as the only daily newspaper in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Beginning in the f ...

'', Monday, October 09, 1899 CSU withstood the financial troubles of the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

and the

Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...

. However, a 1937 feasibility study showed that the organization was in trouble."Cambridge Social Union / Cambridge Center for Adult Education Collection"
, Cambridge Historical Commission, 831 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge, MA 02139 In 1938, in conjunction with the Boston Center for Adult Education, the Cambridge Social Union became the Cambridge Center for Adult Education. It offered evening courses to local residents and in 1941 became an independently run organization.

Course offerings

In the spring semester of 2011, the CCAE offered courses in the following areas: * Arts * Business * Computers * Crafts * Dance * ESL * Events * Fiber Arts * Film, Photography and Video * Food * Fun and Games * History and Contemporary Issues * Homes and Gardens * Investing * Languages * Lecture Series * Life Issues * Literature * Mind and Body * Music * Science, Philosophy and Religion * Sports and Exercise * Theater * Travel * Wine and Spirits * Work Life * Writing

References

External links

Cambridge Center for Adult Education website
{{Authority control Adult education in the United States Cambridge, Massachusetts Education in Middlesex County, Massachusetts Organizations based in Cambridge, Massachusetts

History

Course offerings

References

Further reading

External links